They are not the sort of crude insults you’d ever expect to hear leveled at Audrey Hepburn.
According to 82-year-old costume designer Jean-Pierre Dorléac, the legendary actress, known for her elegance and kindness, actually earned all the harsh criticism she received – and perhaps even more.
The acclaimed film actor described Audrey Hepburn as manipulative and dishonest in a candid and lively interview with the Daily Mail.
The rivalry between Dorléac and Audrey Hepburn started when Hepburn betrayed Edith Head, a highly respected costume designer and Dorléac’s mentor, during the making of the 1954 romantic comedy Sabrina. Hepburn passed away from cancer in 1993 at the age of 63.
According to Dorléac, Audrey was incredibly difficult to work with at the beginning. She remembers one instance where Audrey changed her outfit seventy-three times in just an hour, and generally seemed hesitant, uncooperative, and unable to make decisions.
‘Her mind was evidently elsewhere and she dismissed Edith as though she were a charwoman.’
According to Dorléac, author of the biography The Naked Truth, Hepburn secretly went to Paris and pleaded with designer Hubert de Givenchy to provide her with clothes, bypassing Edith Head.
She arrived unexpectedly, and he didn’t recognize her at all. She sweetly talked her way into being allowed to browse his collection, and then began asking to borrow various items, one after another.
Hepburn arrived back in the United States with a single black suit loaned to her by Givenchy.
Edith Head readily embraced Audrey Hepburn’s ideas for what her character would wear. According to Dorléac, this included designing a wardrobe influenced by the Parisian fashion house and, famously, the iconic black ball gown Sabrina wears in a pivotal moment.
According to Dorléac, Hepburn rejected Head’s kindness by denying Head designed the dress when a journalist asked about it.
Audrey Hepburn explained to the reporters that her close friend, Givenchy, had lent her all the clothes she was wearing, and she’d brought them with her from Paris.
‘Audrey Hepburn did not bring back anything but one suit from Paris.
She lied and damaged Edith’s reputation by falsely claiming she obtained items through a friend, all in an attempt to impress Givenchy and receive complimentary clothing from him indefinitely.
‘She ruined Edith’s career, and that’s why I have absolutely no kind words for that c***.’
Despite Dorléac’s claim, Head went on to win an Oscar for her work on Sabrina.
Head died in 1981 aged 83, with Dorléac encountering Hepburn ‘many times’ in the ensuing years.
He described her as highly anxious and extremely unreliable, often making people wait a long time.
Asked if Hepburn was kind, Dorléac immediately answered ‘No.’
He publicly criticized her, claiming she had a bad odor due to an eating disorder and falsely portrayed her experiences during World War II on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He accused her of fabricating stories about her wartime experiences for publicity.
She wasn’t actually hungry as a child, despite what she says; she struggled with anorexia. Anyone who spent time with her could see she was always restless and full of nervous energy.
‘She was always on amphetamines.’
Like Hepburn, Dorléac was born in Europe, spending his childhood in Toulon, France.
He started out as an actor, but became captivated by fashion and shifted his focus to costume design in the 1970s when he relocated to Los Angeles. He’s lived and worked in the city ever since.
Dorléac quickly became successful, landing leading roles in many film and television projects. He received Emmy Awards for his performance in Battlestar Galactica and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the 1980 film, Somewhere in Time, a romantic drama set in the American Midwest.
He met Christopher Plummer, a celebrated actor like himself, while filming that movie. Interestingly, Dorléac described Plummer as being quite monstrous, despite his widespread popularity.
Dorléac described the film as challenging, and recalled that Christopher Plummer was difficult to work with. She said he was unpleasant and often very critical.
Dorléac noted that Plummer, famous for his role as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, often criticized the historical accuracy of his costume.
I spent $175 a yard on beautiful Italian silks – exactly the kind of fabric worn in the summer of 1912 – but when I gave them to him, he acted like they were worthless. He examined the fabric and then said his father wouldn’t have worn anything like that in the summer.
According to Dorléac, Plummer remained difficult to work with throughout the entire production, and she described him as awful when they filmed ‘The Boss’ Wife’ together in 1986. Plummer passed away in 2021 at the age of 91.
The costume designer also criticized Raquel Welch, recalling how he’d dressed her for a brief appearance at an awards ceremony scene in the 1994 comedy Naked Gun 33 1/3.
According to Dorléac, Raquel Welch was known for constantly changing her look, reportedly altering her dress style hundreds of times. Welch passed away in 2023 at the age of 82.
We ordered expensive fabric from Italy three separate times – it cost around $300 per yard each time – but she kept changing her mind about it.
The actress made the set crew change the curtains three times. First, she requested gold curtains, then decided she wanted to wear a gold dress, so they switched them to red. But then she decided she wanted to wear a red dress instead!
Warming to his theme, Dorléac continued: ‘She was a selfish, mean little pr*ck – and she was short.
‘She was four two, and she had t*ts on her that hung down to her knees.
She didn’t wear a bra and really needed support, so every outfit we designed for her included a halter top to lift and hold her chest.
She was incredibly unprofessional, and I honestly can’t overstate how bad her behavior was. It was just awful.
According to Dorléac, Kirk Douglas, a legendary actor from Hollywood’s Golden Age, was difficult and arrogant on the set of the 1969 western, There Was a Crooked Man, while filming in the hot Mojave Desert.
Kirk explained that after a tough week working in the Arizona heat, he had the crew build a white picket fence around his RV on their only day off, Sunday.
The fence was unnecessary, considering how briefly it would be visible, but he didn’t mind at all. He made the workers build it for free, even though the landscape was just shrubs and cacti as far as the eye could see.
‘He wasn’t trying to keep anything in or out. He just wanted it for his own ego’s sake.’
According to director Jacques Dorléac, Suzanne Pleshette, known for her role on The Bob Newhart Show, was the most difficult actress he ever directed. Pleshette passed away in 2008 at the age of 70.
According to the costume designer, Pleshette became extremely upset when she noticed a handmade top—created by Dorléac—highlighted that her nipples were uneven. She reacted by angrily tearing the $700 garment off.
According to reports, when offered plastic surgery to correct the issue, Pleshette reacted with a strong outburst, declaring she would ‘never let a doctor operate on me.’
Dorléac mentioned he’d already seen scars on Pleshette’s ears and neck – likely from previous facelifts and necklifts – while assisting her with the dress that caused the issue.
I was honestly shocked when I heard him call her a hypocrite. Apparently, she had a habit of taking pantyhose – not expensive ones, just $35 pairs – from the set. It just seemed so out of character, and he said it with this really dry, deadpan delivery.
Throughout his many years in Hollywood, Dorléac had the pleasure of meeting numerous celebrated actors. He fondly remembers Fred Astaire as both charming and confident, Kim Cattrall as adorable, Bette Davis as wonderful, and Elizabeth Taylor as a standout personality.
Even Taylor wasn’t immune to Dorléac’s playful teasing. He shared that the famous actress, known for her extensive jewelry collection, would jokingly send bills for her underwear to the amFAR AIDS charity.
He claimed everyone felt a sense of entitlement. Despite Elizabeth Taylor’s public image of generosity, particularly her work with AIDS charities, he said people who worked at Saks Fifth Avenue told him she frequently charged personal expenses – like large bills – to amFAR, the AIDS research foundation.
She regularly visited the store to obtain free items – lingerie, shoes, handbags, dresses, and perfume. Elizabeth Taylor passed away in 2011 at the age of 79.
Dorléac is remarkably honest, sharing his experiences as someone who achieved success in Hollywood through dedication and is now openly challenging long-held beliefs within the film industry.
‘Just because somebody is good looking does not mean they’re talented,’ he said
Just because someone does something nice doesn’t automatically make them a good person, or someone you’d enjoy spending time with.
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