COVERSTORY: Golden girl

2009/07/22

ZUHAILA SEDEK

At 75, the lovely Sophia Loren has looks that belie her age. ZUHAILA SEDEK speaks to the one of the greatest screen goddesses of all time to find out her secret.

LET’S get one thing straight. Sophia Loren doesn’t look hot for her age. She is hot. Period.

Tall, slender and possessing the same beguiling beauty that made her one of the greatest screen goddesses of all time, the 75-year-old grande dame of Italian cinema still commands attention as she walks into the room full of international media.

Chaos reigned the moment she stepped in to the media conference to mark the christening of MSC Splendida, a new cruise liner in Barcelona. With the 100 or so photographers jostling each other to get a shot of her, Ms Loren appeared confused for a second before she regained her composure. As she stopped right in front of me and flashed a bewitching smile, all I could do was stare at her, awestruck.
As soon as she took her seat and the conference began, the questions came in fast and furious, the first one being, “What’s your beauty secret?”
To which she laughingly replied: “Believe it or not, I really don’t have beauty secrets!”
Clad in a short sleeved knee-length black dress, Loren, who is the ambassador of MSC Splendida, was obliging throughout the session and tried her best to entertain all the questions media members had for her.
“I believe having joy in your life makes you look young and pretty. That’s how I keep myself looking young,” she quipped.

Born Sofia Villani Scicolone in Rome, Italy on Sept 20, 1934, Loren grew up in Pozzouli, an area near Naples. Having had a difficult childhood, it wasn’t long before Loren found herself supporting her grandmother and single mother by waitressing and washing dishes at a pub her family ran out of their home.

Loren credits her strong character to her experience of living in extreme poverty.

“Living a hard life has enabled me to appreciate my success and happiness. I will never erase any of the sad memories. The events of the past have helped me become the person I am today,” she said.
Her fortune changed when, at 14, she entered a beauty pageant and won the second place. A year later, she headed for Rome with her mother — who also had dreams of becoming an actress — to try her luck in the movies.
Loren was cast as an extra in the Mervyn Leroy film, Quo Vadis, and thus began her movie career, though not quite what she had in mind.

Instead of launching her on the big screen, Quo Vadis saw her being offered “roles” in photo magazines with soap opera plots and balloon dialogue. Still hankering after a legit acting career, Loren then took part in the Miss Italy contest, and became the runner-up. She subsequently took part in the Miss Rome competition and was again placed second.

It was this contest that really turned her life around. For she had caught the eye of one the judges — film producer Carlo Ponti, whom she later married.

From minor parts in movies and photo magazines, Loren moved up big time by starring in films as Boy on a Dolphin and The Pride and The Passion alongside Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant, who apparently had developed a huge crush on Loren during filming.

Soon Loren conquered Hollywood. Some of her leading men included Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando. And among her notable films were Capri, El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire, Arabesque and A Countess from Hong Kong.

In 1960, Loren gave a stellar performance in Vittorio de Sica’s Two Women.
It was her performance in Two Women that also earned Loren recognition at the Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals. But more importantly, she received an Academy Award for best actress for that role, the first for a non-English language performance.

Loren has won two Oscars and seven Golden Globes, making her the most award-winning Italian actress by the Guinness Book of Records.

“I feel blessed with all these achievements in my life. But my family will always come first before anything else,” said Loren.

Though she was a big hit in Hollywood in her heyday, Loren stayed true to her Italian origin. She continued working with Italian productions while acting in Hollywood.

Apart from acting, Loren has also recorded two-dozen songs, including a best-selling album of comedic songs with the famed Peter Sellers. When she reached her 60s, she decided to focus on motherhood and became more selective in her movie roles.
Blessed with three children — music director Carlo Ponti Jr, film producer Eduardo Ponti and lawyer Guendalina Ponti — Loren has also ventured into the business of cookbooks, eyewear, jewellery and perfume.

In 1991, Loren received an honorary Academy Award for her contribution to world cinema and was declared one of its treasures.
“I’m proud to be able to represent the Italian people in the international market,” she said with a smile.