Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn have formed an iconic couple in the cinema on many occasions, notably in “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. If they have always denied having been together, the two actors had romantic feelings for each other.
The Adventures of Robin Hood : a classic of adventure cinema
When he finds himself at the head of the swashbuckling film The Adventures of Robin Hood to replace William Keighley after a few weeks of filming, the director Michael Curtiz teams up again with the tandem of Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade : Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.
The first lends his features to the famous Robin de Locksley, while his emblematic partner embodies his great love Marianne. The feature film begins when Prince John (Claude Rains) seizes the throne of England, refusing to pay the ransom to free his brother Richard Coeur-de-Lion (Ian Hunter), prisoner of Leopold of Austria. In the forest of Sherwood, the resistance to fight the usurper is organized, led by a brave archer.
Basil Rathbone completes the cast of the feature film, one of the most popular on the thief alongside the Disney animated film as well as versions of Kevin Reynolds and Ridley Scott. In 1939, The Adventures of Robin Hood off hook three Oscars : Best Art Direction, Best Editing and Best Original Score.
An iconic movie couple
After Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade and The Adventures of Robin HoodOlivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn share the bill in six other films: four in heaven, The conquerors, The Private Life of Elizabeth of England, The Santa Fe Trail, The Fantastic Charge and Thank your lucky stars. Reciprocal feelings of love arrive as soon as Captain Blood. But the comedian, inveterate seducer, is married to the French actress Lili Damita. Olivia de Havilland therefore refuses to give in to his advances.
In his posthumous autobiography titled My Wicked, Wicked Ways quoted byExpressErrol Flynn writes:
During the filming of Captain Blood, I became very attached to Olivia de Havilland. When we did The Charge of the Light Brigade, I was sure I was in love with her. To the point that acting in this very complicated film to make has become bearable.
During the production of this adventure film, the actor is “very teasing” with his partner and does not fail to frighten her with his pranks, to the point of making her cry:
Olivia was only 21 at the time. I was married, unfortunately. She was charming, and distant. She must have hated me for my teasing. (…) There was this time when she found a dead snake in her panties when she was about to put them on. She was terrified and crying. She knew very well who was responsible.
In his book, Errol Flynn claims to have only earned Olivia de Havilland’s contempt and anger because of his jokes. The actor is wrong. In an interview given to PEOPLE in 2016, the actress said:
There are no words to describe my feelings for Errol Flynn.
However, the two stars will always deny having fallen into each other’s arms.
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The Adventures of Robin Hood: a look back at the impossible love story between Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn