When filming the scene where the princess (Audrey Hepburn) says her goodbyes to Joe, the inexperienced Hepburn was unable to produce the tears required for the scene. William Wyler, in order to get the response he was looking for, spoke harshly to her. His anger shocked Hepburn, who promptly cried just the way Wyler was looking for.
Jean Simmons was briefly considered for the role of Princess Ann.
William Wyler's daughters, Judy and Catherine, appear in the background during the scene where Gregory Peck tries to borrow a camera from some school children. Joe pays a price of 1000 lire to the taxi driver and tips him another 1000, which is equal to approximately 17 U.S. dollars. Gregory Peck met his second wife, Veronique Passani, while making Roman Holiday. Passani was a journalist assigned to interview the married Peck, and the two fell in love. They married in 1955 and remained together until Peck's death in 2003.
Both Ben Hecht and Preston Sturges are rumored to have worked uncredited on the screenplay.
Even though Gregory Peck was the star and was already guaranteed top billing, he saw what was happening with Audrey Hepburn and knew that when the film opened, it wouldn't be him that the press and audiences would be focusing on. He therefore insisted that Hepburn's name appear alongside his above the title. He later explained that it wasn't so much an act of generosity as it was just being logical. He believed that once Roman Holiday came out, it would look ridiculous for him to say that his was the starring role, when it was clearly all about Miss Hepburn.
Roman Holiday premiered at Radio City Music Hall in August of 1953 to rave reviews, and Audrey Hepburn became an instant sensation. Time put Hepburn on its cover–unusual for a newcomer–and women all over the world began to emulate her style.
In 1992, the Screenwriters Guild finally awarded authorship to the rightful author of the Roman Holiday screenplay, Dalton Trumbo. The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to amend its records and awarded a posthumous Oscar to Trumbo's wife, Cleo, at a special screening of the film held at the Academy in 1993.
Famous Quotes from ROMAN HOLIDAY
"You should always wear my clothes." – Gregory Peck, as Joe
"It seems I do." –Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann.
"She's fair game, Joe. It's always open season on princesses." – Eddie Albert, as Irving Radovich, to Gregory Peck's Joe.
"Do you have a silk nightgown with rosebuds?" – Princess Ann
"I haven't worn a nightgown in years!" – Joe Bradley.
"Which of the cities visited did Your Highness enjoy the most?" – Reporter
"Each, in its own way, was unforgettable. It would be difficult to...Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live. " – Princess Ann.
"Were I not entirely aware of my duty to my family and to my country, I would not have come back tonight... or indeed ever again! " – Audrey Hepburn, as Princess Ann.
"I have to leave you now. I'm going to that corner there and turn. You must stay in the car and drive away. Promise not to watch me go beyond the corner. Just drive away and leave me as I leave you." – Princess Ann to Joe Bradley.
"I'm a good liar too, aren't I, Mr. Bradley?"
"The best I ever met." – Princess Ann and Joe Bradley.
"At midnight, I'll turn into a pumpkin and drive away in my glass slipper."
"And that will be the end of the fairy tale." – Princess Ann and Joe Bradley.
"I have every faith in it as I have faith in relations between people." - Princess Ann
"May I say, speaking for my own press service, we believe that your Highness' faith will not be unjustified." - Joe
"I am so glad to hear you say it." – Princess Ann.
