Audrey Hepburn’s eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, spoke about the actress’s life as a devoted mother.
Sean is a dad to Emma Kathleen Ferrer, Audrey’s granddaughter, who reflected on her grandmother’s iconic legacy.
Emma has also followed in her grandmother’s footsteps by taking up charity work.
Audrey Hepburn was a remarkable actress who starred in notable films such as “Roman Holiday,” “Funny Face,” “Love in the Afternoon,” and “My Fair Lady.” She died at the age of 63 from appendicular cancer.
She passed away in Switzerland on January 20, 1993, leaving behind her two kids: her eldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, with her first husband, actor Mel Ferrer, and Luca Dotti, her son with second husband, Dr. Andrea Dotti.
Ten years after Audrey died, her eldest son Sean spoke about the kind of mother she was and how just having her in his life blessed him. Sean said his mother’s face still haunted him.
The film producer couldn’t help but see his mom everywhere, including on signs on the road, covers of magazines, and ads for the Academy Awards. While taking a shower, Sean could hear his mother’s voice coming from another room, even with the television on.
The voice the producer hears isn’t that of an actress but that of his mother. He can hear her telling him stories when he was young and taking care of him when he was ill with an ear infection. The things Sean remembers remind him of his loving mother.
Sean doesn’t look much like his mother, who was delicate and pixieish. Instead, he is tall and burly. Still, the producer has his mother’s dark and penetrating eyes as well as her soft and refined voice. Sean revealed that the rest of his mom’s family was big, unlike Audrey, who was graceful, medium-sized, and agile.
The producer had a very close relationship with his mother, who showered him with affection ever since he was born. The actress put her career on hold when she welcomed her first son. She made a few screen appearances, but eventually, she retired.
Some of Audrey’s final major films were made when Sean was seven. Afterward, the actress just wanted to be with her family and lead a private life. Sean admitted that people may blame him for the end of his mom’s acting career because if she had continued acting, she would have flourished to even higher levels.
Emma also values a teddy bear that belonged to her grandmother.
But her career wasn’t as important to Audrey as family was. She couldn’t stand the idea that she might fail as a mother. It was vital for her to be a great mother. Sean said most people were surprised when they’d find his mother working with an apron in the kitchen. The producer said Audrey wanted to be a regular mom at home and not a movie star.
Audrey was also passionate about charity work. During her last years, she was a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. In fact, it was while she was working with children in Somalia that she felt a terrible stomachache. Her family assumed she acquired some sort of illness from the trip, but when she was rushed to a hospital in California, they found out she had cancer in her abdomen that was inoperable.
Her family took her to Switzerland, where she died a few weeks later. However, Audrey got the chance to say goodbye to her kids, ex-husbands, and her last companion, Robert Wolders, who was by her side to the end. Still, Sean felt sad that his mom died without experiencing a gentle old age.
Sean is now a father of three kids, Emma Kathleen Ferrer, Santiago Ferrer, and Gregorio Ferrer. The producer’s daughter, Emma, has taken it upon herself to continue her grandmother’s legacy and share details about the actress in the documentary “Audrey.”
Emma never met Audrey. However, she learned from friends, family, and pop culture just how impactful her paternal grandmother was. She discovered that Audrey was much kinder and nicer than how the public perceived her.
The painter described her grandmother as a generous person who took good care of her crew members. Emma hopes to absorb and carry on this positive image she has of Audrey as she now understands her impact on film, humanitarian work, and other aspects of the actress’s life.
Audrey held the position of goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 1989, and her work in this role earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Emma is now also a volunteer and spokesperson for UNICEF. Moreover, she is an ambassador for the UNHCR and said she feels her work is an essential part of her grandmother’s legacy.
Working for UNICEF and UNHCR helps Emma connect with her grandmother, whose motivation to do charity work stemmed from being born in Belgium, where she and her mom were trapped and forced to live under Nazi rule when Germany invaded Holland.
Emma said the predecessors of UNICEF provided her grandmother with food and basic needs back then during the war. She added that when Audrey lived through World War II and became a refugee of war, it later impacted her choice to work in charity.
If her grandmother were alive, Emma would love to talk to her about what she lived through during the war. Emma is in awe of how Audrey took her pain during the war and turned it into something revolutionary through her charity work. Still, she not only finds her grandmother’s charity work inspirational but her sacrifice too.
Emma is amazed that her grandmother stepped away from a lucrative acting career to take care of her dad and his brother, taking her relationship with her kids seriously. Emma never met Audrey, but she cherishes the valuable things she left behind, including her legacy and some things that people may not see as worthy but are precious to her granddaughter.
Among the things she inherited from her grandmother was custom jewelry that Audrey wore in movies, as well as her sweaters, which Emma has worn for years as well. She also values a teddy bear that belonged to her grandmother. It is old and has a coffee stain, but she still keeps it on her bed at her dad’s house.
Emma and Audrey’s fans are happy to see the granddaughter following in her grandmother’s footsteps. They have also noted the similarities between Emma and Audrey in values and appearance. “You’re the second Audrey Hepburn,” a fan told Emma on Instagram. Another said Emma was just like her grandmother.
In a photo Emma shared, another fan commented that she “looks so much like” Audrey in the picture, that her grandmother passed down her appearance to Emma. “You look exactly like her oh my gosh,” another fan agreed. More told Emma, “You look just like your gramma! So beautiful!” Even those who didn’t know Audrey had a granddaughter said Emma was her replica.
Emma, who considers Audrey’s legacy as timeless, said she is still always learning and understanding her grandmother each day in new ways. She hopes never to stop learning from her because they have shaped who she is and the work she does today.