You may have seen around a few pics of actress Audrey Hepburn with a cute little deer, but do you know the story behind these pictures? In 1958 Audrey was filming Green Mansions, directed by her then-husband Mel Ferrer. Her character, Rima, lived in the jungles of Venezuela and should be followed all the time by a fawn. In real life the fawn was called Pippin and her trainer suggested that Audrey take the animal home with her, so that the two of them could bond, facilitating the shooting.

Audrey nicknamed her Ip and pretty soon the two were inseparable. With the end of the shooting, Audrey and Ip had to separate, to the actress’ dismay. In 1959, Audrey was confined to bed due to a vertebral fracture (she was thrown of a horse on the set of The Unforgiven) and, two months later, a miscarriage. Mel Ferrer then brought Ip back to cheer her up and the two of them made a bed for her out of a bathtub.

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1. 2. 3. e 4. Most pictures of Audrey and Pippin together were taken by photographer Bob Willoughby, of LIFE magazine, who accompanied the actress on the set of many films, among them, Green Mansions.