The first image of Thomasin McKenzie as Audrey Hepburn in Dinner with Audrey has arrived, and the resemblance is striking—perhaps too striking.
McKenzie, who broke through in Jojo Rabbit and cemented her status as one of the most interesting young actors working with Last Night in Soho, certainly has the delicate features and doe-eyed elegance to pull off Hepburn. The styling is impeccable: the updo, the graceful neck, the ineffable quality of mid-century Hollywood glamour.
But here's the thing about Hepburn biopics: she's been so mythologized that any attempt to capture her feels like trying to bottle lightning. Do you lean into the icon and risk creating a wax museum figure? Or do you try to find the human underneath and risk disappointing people who want the myth?
McKenzie is talented enough to thread that needle. She's proven she can disappear into complex roles while maintaining emotional truth. If anyone can avoid the dreaded "SNL impression" trap that dooms so many biographical performances, it's her.
No release date yet, but Dinner with Audrey joins the growing list of Hollywood legends getting the biopic treatment. Let's hope this one finds something new to say.
