Priya Parmar | The Original | Reimagining Katharine Hepburn Before She Was Katharine Hepburn

Priya Parmar’s The Original covers eighteen years of Katharine Hepburn’s life, from the age of 13, the year her brother Tom died, to the age of 32. Not the icon in the polo neck, but the young woman before all that. The failures, the self-invention, the loss she never really recovered from. It’s been praised by The New York Times, The Independent, BBC Radio, People and Oprah. In this episode of Elena Meets the Author, Priya explains why she chose a period defined by self-discovery and failure rather than the years everyone already knows. We talk about Hepburn’s unusually progressive family in Hartford and Fenwick, Connecticut, how the Hollywood studios manufactured star personas before the Production Code came in, and the decade of research behind the novel. Priya also talks about the omniscient Greek chorus structure she built the book around. Priya Parmar is also the author of Vanessa and Her Sister , a New York Times Notable Book about Virginia Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell, and Exit the Actress . She co-wrote the musical Sylvia , staged at the Old Vic and nominated for an Olivier Award. Books mentioned in this episode The Original by Priya Parmar UK | US Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar US Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar US Links support independent bookshops. As a Bookshop.org affiliate, the show earns a small commission on any sale. 00:20 Podcast Intro and Guest 01:37 Why These Years 03:07 Hepburn Family Roots 04:47 Epigraph and Persona 06:54 Hollywood Image Machine 09:12 Cary Grant Parallels 10:37 Defining Hepburn Boldness 13:34 Opening Pages Reading 15:46 Ten Years Research 19:22 Hidden Discoveries and Letters 23:09 Finding the Narrative Voice 26:41 Los Angeles as Character 27:35 Hepburn Home Base 28:18 Los Angeles Greek Chorus 28:53 Box Office Poison Escape 29:17 Dick Cavett Tape Gold 30:20 Crafting the Hepburn Persona 33:48 Favorite Films Shift 35:24 Wardrobe and Chanel Clash 38:38 Howard Hughes and Deafness 40:13 Cut Scenes and Europe 43:26 Next Book and Homesick This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Elena Meets the Author at elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe