Monica Bellucci travelled into Rome for one night only to accept the Virna Lisi Award from the Fondazione Film per Roma, which celebrates an actress who has had a significant effect on Italian and international cinema.
Bellucci spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her career so far, why the age debate around her part as a Bond girl in Spectre was so crucial, and why she believes it’s critical for women to speak out about harassment and assault today.
“It means a lot since Virna Lisi is an actress I admire a lot,” Bellucci stated upon collecting the prize. She is regarded as a worldwide icon of Italian descent. She symbolizes an ideal for me, not just because of her skill, but also because of her intellect, attractiveness, and grace. So I’m really thrilled and humbled to get this award.”
Bellucci’s career parallels Lisi’s in many respects. They worked hard to avoid being stereotyped as bombshells as international stars by seeking out complicated parts.
Bellucci will next go to Australia to star in the film Nekromancer, directed by brothers Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner. “For the first time, I’m playing a terrible, mean, awful, horrible lady,” she joked of the job. “It always astounds me to see how filmmakers from all around the world see you for a job.”
She’ll also go to the United States next year to promote Emir Kusturica’s On the Milky Road, a film that required her to learn Serbian.
From a job as an opera singer in Mozart in the Jungle to a cameo in Twin Peaks: The Return, Bellucci has been making waves on American television. Even though she was just in Gordon Cole’s head for one scene, she thought it was a big part for her. “Everything becomes magical when David Lynch is involved. It’s simply a random time when we’re chatting about dreams.”
“I believe it was vital for me to achieve that because I believe I am my dream.” I’ve always wanted to be an actor since I was a small child, and it’s what I do for a job now. So, of course, I was prepared to discuss dreams.”
Bellucci is now more concerned with parenting her two girls than with her acting career, limiting herself to one film each year, which she claims she selects on instinct. While she still wants to produce in the future, she says she doesn’t want to direct. “I can’t say anything about that,” she remarked when asked whether she wanted to return to the Bond world and the part that made her an icon for females beyond 50.
“Being in Bond was an incredible experience, and I adored working with Daniel Craig,” she said. He was a fantastic companion who was always courteous.”
She also thinks the discussion around Spectre, which had a woman over 50 portraying a Bond girl, was a tremendous step forward for women in the business. “Today, women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s may have tremendous roles, powerful roles, feminine roles. As a result, film is finally portraying society,” she said. “It indicates that things are really shifting.”
Bellucci, who began her career as a model and subsequently as an actor when she was a teenager, has a lot to say about the current wave of women in Hollywood coming out against sexual assault and harassment. “I can honestly state that I am overjoyed that I have two daughters, both of them were born during this time period,” she remarked. “It’s critical that women now come out and have the bravery to speak out and say things that go beyond their fear, because fear is in our DNA.”
She also expressed her displeasure with the way Harvey Weinstein’s victims have been victimized and chastised for not coming out sooner. “People are questioning why these ladies haven’t come out sooner.’ ‘How come they didn’t say anything immediately away?’ “When a bird has been in a cage for a long period, it will not leave even if the cage is opened,” she explains. “And so, to get out of it, something needs to alter on the inside.” Coming out and having the confidence to speak takes so much time.”
“Of course,” she says when asked whether she has suffered harassment throughout her work. I don’t believe there is a single woman on the planet who hasn’t dealt with this in some way. So, I believe that as a woman, you learn how to cope with certain views from an early age. Because it occurs so often, you may believe it is practically normal. But this isn’t the norm. It’s important to tell our children that this isn’t normal.”
“As a mother, we must educate our children how to recognize these situations before they occur and how to deal with them.” “And don’t feel like you’ve done anything wrong,” she said.
“When we were young, they didn’t always explain to us why it wasn’t our fault. Because they educate us how to dress and act in a way that does not provoke. “However, we must convey to guys that they cannot behave in this manner,” she concluded. “We don’t have to conceal ourselves or avoid situations that might offend males because we’re women.” The guys must learn to maintain their position.”
Bellucci has previously worked on Miramax films such as The Brothers Grimm and Malena. “I didn’t have to deal with those types of circumstances because I already understood how to manage them,” she said of her encounter with Harvey Weinstein. Because when you’re an attractive lady working in a field where your image is important, you naturally learn how to deal with problems.”
“I once talked with a well-known psychologist, who told me that with strong guys, it’s as if they have two identities in one person.” So one component is perfectly normal, even exceptional, even great. “And the other portion isn’t normal; it’s animal-like,” she said. “So you have to attempt to cope with the regular aspect when you encounter such types of individuals.” Because I believe that when men are in positions of power, they believe that everything is possible and that their actions are unrestricted.”
Bellucci believes that there has already been tremendous change. “I believe things have changed dramatically in only a few months. Because, as a woman, I don’t know about you, but as I go around, I see that attitudes are shifting,” she said. “Perhaps the mindset is more… conscious.” Things are already shifting. When I go to the airport, or to restaurants, I start to see something different: more respect… people are gentler.”
“Right now, the mentality is, ‘We have to be cautious.'” “I can see it’s getting better,” she added, recognizing that it’s too early to say whether the sector will change for the better. “But then we have to figure out what is real and what isn’t.” “Everything must be seen.”
