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Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

Date post: 16-Nov-2014
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My interview with Sean Hepburn Ferrer for my eminent person project.
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Kim’s Interview with Sean Hepburn Ferrer ...about his mother, Audrey Hepburn
Transcript
Page 1: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

Kim’s Interview with Sean Hepburn Ferrer

...about his mother, Audrey Hepburn

Page 2: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

Legend

Black text, is Kim speakingPurple text is Sean Hepburn Ferrer speaking

Page 3: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine, thank you. I just came back from Rome, where I saw my brother. We just launched this new exhibit. In the first week, we had 10 000 visitors. 25% of the sales went towards Unicef. Anyways, let’s get on with the interview. Now, what questions are you wanting to ask? Wait, have you read my book?”

“Yes, I have.” “Okay, lets get started!”

Page 4: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“What (in your opinion) set Audrey Hepburn apart from all other actors and actresses?”

“First of all, lets remove the words actress, and replace in with humans. I think that today, her legacy is not just one of her acting career, her style (less is more), it is not just that that makes her alive today, and her Unicef/humanitarian work. It is a mixture of all three that are intertwined. That is what her legacy is about. A three sided, three dimensional story. In the end, I think she had a quality that she didn’t see herself as special. She saw herself with too big feet, a bump on...

Page 5: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...her nose. And so, right of the bat there is an insecurity.

You recognize your own insecurity, and know that she

is a normal person. All of these reasons (how her dad

left, she lived through the war, was insecure about

relationships, and the hunger during the war), were the

things we take for granted. All of these things that we have, she didn’t have through the

war. This made her real, insecure, aware, but in a happy way. That communicated into a simple state...she is one of

us. If she lived ...

Page 6: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...across the street, she would be the one running up the thing, spending the night with you, sitting on the windowsill telling stories. I think that her best trait was how people could tell that she was real. For example, if your friends win an award, it was as if you were up there with her. While, when the beautiful blonde girl gets an award, it just isn’t the same. You know?”“I agree, as I could tell this factor about her since I first saw her photos. Even before I read about her! It was as if the way she looked (let alone acted) made her seem like she was a real person!”“And very often people ask what she was like. That was the purpose of my book. Is to confirm the fact, and to show her few good choices in her lifetime. Look at the choices, very few good choices. You saw, she wanted to be the dancer. She had to work hard. My grandma was adored, but was washing stairs on her hands and knees. [Audrey] had to go to work, so she took up some bit parts, some modelling, and the rest was...

Page 7: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...history; she got discovered. But, once she wanted to have a family, like most Hollywood stars, they want family, but are so addicted to fame and money. Once they are sixty they have a lot of money in the bank, but their kids don't know who they are, and they don’t know who their kids are. There kids grow up with nannies, etc. She wasn’t like that.. When she wanted a family and I got the age where I had to go to school, I couldn’t go on a plane with a nanny to visit her. Nowadays, movies take a long time to make, back then, six to eight weeks. Then add a week of rehearsals before and touring after; that’s long time to be away from your kids.”“I couldn’t believe how she was such an amazing actress, but when it was time for her to have a family, she was 100% committed. She seemed to always put her family first.”“The day that you grow up, get knocked on the head a few times, you will know. You will know even better what it feels like...just ask your parents. Of course, there is all kinds: parent’s that are in the army, at sea, and working in different countries. But, she could do something about it, so, she sucked all the Hollywood away. She had enough money, lived a normal life by the countryside, and that was what was enough for her. She was happy with that.”

Page 8: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

As her son, what traits did you notice about her as a mother?(Laugh) “I noticed them all. They weren’t really characteristics. I think that she was a friend. When I look back at my childhood, I think that she was more like a friend than a mother. She never told us exactly what to do, but she gave us her advice and opinion. She always left decisions up to us, but she would recommend one side. Once you get to a place where a discussion can happen. She always taught by example. She was there. She got up with a sleepy head. She would help me with my homework, pick me up from school. She baked birthday cakes, went to buy socks and books. Regular mom, but obviously we had a rather nice life. I say regular, but there are people living in Sudan and that is not the regular. I guess there is always a more or less somewhere.”“That is true, but I think that with each day that passes the number of days that pass, the ‘less’ side decreases. Just think of what the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund is working towards!”“Exactly.”

Page 9: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“Why do think Audrey Hepburn loved working with children so much?”“I think that love is something inside of us when we wake up in the morning-it’s a state of being. I also think that she was very close with her own disappointments: losing her dad when she was a little girl. Again, the hardships and feelings of need, of the war. When she got to the other end of her life, she perceived this as a great opportunity. Nowadays, celebrities help out all the time, but in the sixties it wasn't so common. And she as a single woman, who made a career and a living, and that was a way of saying thank you. She never forgot the feeling of what it was like to be a kid, receiving food from Unicef. Those were the early triggers that helped her achieve great heights with Unicef. When she was offered the job, she knew it was the right thing to do, so she took it in a heartbeat.”

Page 10: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“What do you think she found the most challenging about her job?”“Probably herself, as she never thought that she was good enough, so she would always stay late practicing. It was the same with Unicef. She didn't want to be just another celebrity that showed up, she wanted to really educate herself about what she was doing. She really became an airdate, she wrote all her own speeches, and knew all her facts. But, in her career she didn’t feel like she was good enough, so she worked extra hard. She though that someday, someone would realize that she wasn’t that good, and she would be screwed. And, so I think that those are sort of the building blocks for that.”“What do you mean when you say the building blocks for that?”“I mean, all of these different aspects of her life helped create and define who she was.

Page 11: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“What do you think she enjoyed the most about her work, and her life in general?”“I think she liked the friendships. Some people ask me what was her favourite film, it wasn’t about the film to her; it was about the friendships she made. You know, once the film was over, the friendships always lived on. Like I said before, she was her biggest tumbling block, her fear that it would always be taken away from her. Her dad left, all her belonging in the war. She was always really nice, knew her lines, was prepared because of this feeling, and that is why people liked her. They wanted to become friends with someone like her.”

Page 12: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“If Audrey could have changed anything about her career or life, would she have? If so, what would she have changed?”

“I don’t think that she would ever ...um...I think that she thought that life was what you were handed. It is like the great cook. It is easy to be good when everything is handed to you, and when you have enough money to go to any market and buy whatever you need. The brilliance of the chef, is someone that has half of the ingredients, and can still make something magnificent. How many people are in your family?”“There are 4 of us: my brother, mom, dad, and myself.”“Okay, well I am sure that when you go out to a movie, or stay out late, your mother comes back and works in the kitchen, or whoever the chef in the family is. They probably talk to you while making dinner, and you remember that, not the food. I don't think that Audrey would have gone...

Page 13: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...back and changed anything. Instead, she would have thought as if she could have had five more minutes. She would hug, make sure everyone is okay, and then talk about our need for a collective responsibility. That is what she would have talked about. She would talked about responsibility, not guilt. Like I said in my book, she was living a second chance. The war, the whooping cough, she had so many times where she could not have made it...but she did. So her whole life, she was living a second chance. Like the Chinese say, ‘live each day like it’s your last’, and she came pretty close to that. She appreciated everything, and dealt with everything that was thrown at her. If I could change anything for her, I would...well I don’t think I would. She did have two...

Page 14: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...unhappy marriages. The men that she chose were very trapped in their own ways and life. Maybe it was because she was very insecure and never spoke up. Well, that might be something to change, but If we changed that, we would have to change her. We wouldn’t want to do that. She had strength, courage, and where there wasn’t...what makes a flower so beautiful? If you make the flower steel, it then becomes not as beautiful as the flower that is dainty and delicate.”

Page 15: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

“Do you think that Audrey was working towards any larger goals in her life?”“I think she had very simple goals, and achieved most of them. Maybe if she had more time, to work with Unicef, improve her garden, and to see the world at a different age.”

“What do you think her reaction would be if she saw her foundation today?”

“I think she would be respectful with what we have done. She would catch up with what has been done, and talk about how to get rid of this phantom-mouthed vicious circle that we are trapped in. Yes, we have reduced the child mortality from forty-one thousand to twenty-two thousand today. So half, but we still haven't created a social responsible system, where these people are able to stand on their two feet. They can’t stand when there is a drought, or when their government falls apart. We...

Page 16: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...have yet to give these people the shovels to dig their own lands, not just giving them the food that they need. This is what needs to change. Buy sharing her story, you are helping too. People who are going to listen to it, it is a puzzle that is going to grow inside of them forever. “

“Since I am writing about her, do you think there is anything about her life that (in your opinion) is necessary to mention?”“I think that, it is not what you say, but how you say it. Audrey always lived by that. You tell them about what you learned. You can look on YouTube to see how she acted, talked, and behaved. Maybe, first tell them about everything that you learned about her, the essence, and then dive deeper. Try to go on YouTube, to go see her. Do it the way she would have, the audience will then connect., or take words out of her mouth. This weekend, take...

Page 17: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

...the time to really get to know her, get absorbed in who she is. Learn the story, and watch her. Remember, you want to connect with the audience. You are now carrying the baton for Audrey and sharing it with your class. You have the whole class in the palm of your hand. How old are you?”“I am fourteen years old.”“Wow, good for you. She often spoke about the power of children, because they are uncorrupted, innocent, and sometimes don’t know everything. Right now, you have one foot in adult life, and one foot in child life. You are in the perfect position to grasp this. When you get home this weekend, listen to her and read about her. You want to understand her. You are going to speak on her behalf. Take the time to really get to know her. It is almost like you should make out a speech, do not memorize it. You will then kill the connection. It is your ...

Page 18: Kim’s interview with sean hepburn ferrer

... own words, know your key points and it doesn’t matter what order they come out in. I never knew what you were going to ask me, I was unprepared. Yet, I think that when you hang up, you will still remember the words that I said. Just like the book tells a story. It is not important that you give facts and figures; it is about the feeling. The people in the class, will know you know what you are talking about. Show them, don’t tell them exactly what you learned. Think about what Audrey would have wanted you to say in your five minutes. If you make it enjoyable, they can tell. Have faith in yourself.”“Thank you so much, for everything. The window into your mother’s life, as well as advice on how to give my speech.”“You’re very welcome. Break a leg! I will be thinking about you on Monday, and if you have any additional questions or want to talk again, I am around this weekend!”“Thanks again, and I will be sure to talk to you again about how it went. I cannot thank you enough. Bye!”“No problem. Bye.”


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