When Cukor saw Hepburn's test, a scene from Philip Barry's Holiday, he was instantly taken. Hepburn was quite unlike anybody he had seen: She was odd looking and had a peculiar voice.

Though she had never made a movie, Cukor could see that Hepburn had good instincts about the camera. His eye lingered over a lyrical moment in the test, when she reached down to pick up a drink. Though shot from the back, Cukor sensed enormous feeling in the way she executed this simple gesture.