Now that Meryl Streep has won the role opposite Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County, Hollywood's next big casting call could be the search for the next Audrey Hepburn. Sources at Paramount say director Sydney Pollack and producer Scott Rudin are making a full court press for the right actress to costar with Harrison Ford in a planned remake of Hepburn's Sabrina.
As early as last fall, Whitney Houston reportedly expressed interest in the role—a chauffeur's daughter romanced by a millionaire (Humphrey Bogart in the 1954 original) to keep her out of the hands of his playboy brother (William Holden). But Rudin preferred someone more Hepburnesque, say insiders. He pursued Winona Ryder, who was ruled out because of other film commitments. Meg Ryan and Demi Moore were considered. So was avowed Hepburn fan Julia Roberts, who accepted a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award for Hepburn shortly before the star's death in 1993. But Roberts, says a source close to the actress, ''would never want to compare herself to Audrey.''
So who will have the temerity to risk comparison with one of Hollywood's most enchanting actresses? Up-and-comers under consideration include Gwyneth Paltrow (Flesh and Bone) and Julie Delpy (The Three Musketeers), though Pollack and Rudin haven't ruled out casting an unknown—which is why they've been looking in Europe. As for the Holden role, the two have checked out a number of hunky twentysomethings, including Brendan Fraser.
Ford, who has never seen the original Sabrina and intends to keep it that way, has no comment about the casting search. But he does say that stepping into the Bogart role offered obvious attractions: ''I wanted to do something light where I didn't have to hit anybody or have anybody hit me.''
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