The Golden Age of Hollywood was famous for glamour and eccentricity, but few stars embraced the unusual quite like Audrey Hepburn. During the production of the 1959 adventure-romance film Green Mansions, Hepburn’s dedication to her craft led to a truly heartwarming, and highly unusual, domestic arrangement: sharing her Beverly Hills home with her baby fawn co-star, Pippin.
The Method Actor and the Fawn
The film, directed by her then-husband, Mel Ferrer, cast Hepburn in the challenging role of Rima, a mysterious jungle girl who possessed a unique kinship with animals. To ensure the fawn, her on-screen companion, would follow her faithfully during filming, Hepburn’s animal trainer offered a unique piece of advice: take the baby deer home to bond. What started as professional method acting quickly evolved into an inseparable maternal connection. Hepburn named the fawn Pippin, affectionately nicknaming him “Ip,” and the deer immediately imprinted on her, treating the star as its mother.
A Star’s Life in Beverly Hills—With a Deer
The daily life of the world’s most elegant actress suddenly involved a very un-Hollywood pet. Pippin followed Hepburn everywhere, even inside her luxurious California home. The deer quickly became famous among the Hollywood elite and the public for its peculiar habits, which were documented by set photographer Bob Willoughby. Willoughby’s account noted the surreal sight of the star’s domestic life: Pippin’s favorite resting spot was reportedly a custom-made bathtub inside Hepburn’s home, where he would curl up to sleep.
Beverly Hills residents, accustomed to seeing film stars and expensive cars, were stunned to witness the ethereal Hepburn taking her pet deer to the supermarket. As Willoughby recounted, “Beverly Hills habitués are fairly blasé about what they see, but Audrey being followed around town by this lovely creature stopped everyone in their tracks.”
A Deep Bond Forged in Grief
The bond between Hepburn and Pippin transcended the needs of the movie set, serving as a quiet form of emotional therapy during a deeply private and difficult time. While filming Green Mansions in 1958, Audrey Hepburn suffered a devastating miscarriage. She was reportedly deeply grieving the loss, and the intense, nurturing care required to bottle-feed and raise the vulnerable fawn helped her tremendously through the trauma. Pippin’s presence provided comfort and distraction, although the star’s beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Mr. Famous, was reportedly quite jealous of the new, spotted addition.
While the film Green Mansions was sadly a critical and financial disappointment, the true legacy of the movie remains the beautiful, documented friendship between Audrey and Pippin. The iconic photographs of the doe cuddling the star or following her down the street endure as a tender reminder of Hepburn’s gentle spirit and her ability to find magic in the mundane.