| Ivy Pearson | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) |
| Portrayed by | Miriam Hopkins (1931 film) Ingrid Bergman (1941 film) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Prostitute |
Ivy Pearson is a fictional character in the 1931 horror film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde portrayed originally by Miriam Hopkins. She was also played by Ingrid Bergman in the 1941 remake.
Ivy Pearson is a prostitute who encounters the protagonist of the film; Dr. Jekyll one night after she had been assaulted by a client of hers. Jekyll helps her to get home where she then starts to seduce him by undressing and making suggestive implications. After they have spent the night together, Jekyll goes home where he starts working on a potion that ultimately transforms him into the monster like Mr. Hyde. As Mr. Hyde, he goes down to a bar where he encounters Ivy who obviously does not recognize him and fears the fiendish ogre man. It is out of this fear that she agrees to become his 'personal property' and is visited by Hyde several times later. When Hyde becomes Dr. Jekyll, he has no recollection of the things he does to Ivy and so one night when Ivy visits Jekyll for medical advice and confesses the awful things she is subjected to, it triggers a memory in Hyde's mind which is still slightly active even when Jekyll has not transformed into him. Now without taking the potion, Jekyll still transforms into Hyde and seeks Ivy for revenge for what he believes is a betrayal on her part. Hyde confronts Ivy and ultimately murders her.
Miriam Hopkins most famously portrayed Ivy Pearson in the 1931 film version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Her performance was widely acclaimed and she is said to have stolen all of her scenes, even those that were with the film's star Fredric March who played both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and who won an Academy Award for his performance.
Hopkins's performance is considered the signature portrayal of Ivy; displaying sexual expression, degraded moral attitude and chilling fear. As a career move, her performance and the film on whole sent Hopkins to stardom and she became one of Hollywood's greatest actresses of the 1930s.
When Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was remade in 1941, Ingrid Bergman played Ivy Pearson. In comparison to Miriam Hopkins's portrayal, Bergman was always going to be overshadowed. Nevertheless, she was still given praise for her part and her career in Hollywood blossomed shortly after.
The character of Ivy is the foundation for the role of Lucy Harris that was later created for the stage musical of the same name. The role of Lucy was originated on stage by actress Linda Eder.