What Would Audrey Do Wednesday

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, last Wednesday, North Alabama was rocked by over 200 tornadoes and we lost power for several days. My house is fine, we have power back now and it's time for another edition of: What Would Audrey Do!

Today is Audrey's birthday! She was born May 4, 1929. In celebration, I'd like to impart some of her wisdom onto you!

How To Be A Movie Star In Your Own Life (part 2)

Surround yourself with great people. Audrey was well-mannered, but she generally got what she wanted, and that is because she surrounded herself, professionally, with people who operated at a very high level. When Hedda Hopper asked her about the details of her Paramount contract, she said, "I have no regrets. I had very good agents. I think if I deserve more money, I'll get it. I have a very happy contract." Her agent, the former boxer Kurt Frings, was (according to Audrey's first husband, Mel Ferrer) a "devoted and fanatical defender of her interests."

Move beyond your fears. In spite of the grace and calm that she portrayed on-screen or while giving a speech in public, Audrey suffered from stage fright her entire life. In 1991, she was honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and Ralph Lauren was with her backstage before she walked out to give her acceptance speech. He remembered her being so nervous, "pacing back and forth."

The director of the tribute, Wendy Keys, has a similar recollection. If there was just one moment she could keep in her mind, it was AH walking onstage. "She threw her shoulders back, and this beautiful white chiffon skirt swirled around her legs as she walked out to greet those people who were so thrilled to see her. It was heightened by the fact that she was so nervous. The sight of her back, with that beautiful French twist and those shoulder blades like nobody else's - it was a moment I'll never forget."

Have a vision. Even at a very young age, Audrey had an instinct for what worked for her and what didn't. Develop yours. And not to get too New Agey or anything, but before you walk onto that stage, into that boardroom, onto that airplane, take a few minutes, sit quietly, center yourself, and think about what it is that you want to accomplish. Then, feel it, really feel it - and allow the experience into your life.

Look the part. We will get the specifics of this later, but Audrey said that when she wore Givenchy's clothing, she felt protected. As a struggling chorus girl starting out in London, she understood the power of clothes (She had just one scarf, which she "knew how to tie 17 different ways," recalled a friend). And with the first money she earned as an actress - a small role in Monte Carlo Baby, shot in May 1951 - she bought her first piece of couture, a Givenchy coat.

**all information comes from the book: What Would Audrey Do? by Pamela Keogh