Beauty is a gift, just like good health or intelligence. The only thing is not to be proud of being beautiful. Because you didn't do anything - it was given to you.
— Monica Bellucci
I don't stress myself about my looks. I love to laugh. I like being able to lead an interesting life.
I went to a modeling agency and said I wanted to be a model. I worked, worked, worked so much while I was studying.
I'm a European, and I live there. I work in European films, and then once in a while, I make an American movie.
We should not be worried about age when it comes to love and attraction.
Lipstick is the most valuable weapon in a woman's make-up kit. It has the power to transform the appearance and mood of the person wearing it, and, at the same time, arouses the admiration of everybody else.
When you're in front of the camera, you have to try to create different emotions because even the person making pictures of you needs inspiration. To be 'you' means nothing - you can be so many yous.
When I first met Sam Mendes, I was a bit confused and said to him, 'I'm 50 years old. What am I going to do at 50 in a Bond film?'
If you believe what you are on the red carpet, then you would have to go see a doctor, and there are so many actors like that. You have to know very well this is a moment of glamour, and when I go back home, I don't have the airbrush, and I have dark circles because I don't have the make-up on.
I grew up in Perugia, Umbria, in a world outside of fashion, so I didn't learn about it until I was older and moved away. In Milan, the women are really into fashion, and all the big fashion brands are based there, but I don't think they feel pressure to look good all the time.
It's complicated coming from a culture where to be a mother is more important than to have a career.
I don't work all the time. That's why I waited to have children until I was ready for that. I try to organise my time according to them because they need me. I don't want to put my work first anymore because it's not as important as my children.
I like a movie that brings out many discussions. From my experience, every time I have done movies, they create this kind of situation. Like 'Irreversible,' 'The Passion of the Christ,' 'Malena'; it's so interesting. I like to explore the dark side of humanity. That's why I'm an actor.
I'm Italian; I take my time. We're not really fast. We're very slow. I had my first child at 40, my second child at 45, James Bond at 50. I'm so curious as to what's next!
I think the person creates the artist. And I think when you get lost within your person, your artistry get lost, too. It's like in 'Birdman.' Because the artist inside you is attached to your soul. And when you're not attached to yourself anymore, the soul goes away. You can't let that happen.
When someone is suffering, you have to see this in the body and the face. I say all the time that actors use their bodies like objects of war.
I'm not someone who wakes up at 6 A.M. to go to the gym.
It doesn't surprise me that men in their twenties and thirties are often looking for a much older woman. What is the problem with a man of 30 being with a woman of 50? It is a matter of energy and the soul, not a matter of age of the body.
I love jewelry - gold and diamonds. I'm a woman.
When I did 'The Passion,' nobody believed in the movie. Everybody was telling me, 'You shouldn't do this movie... But I wanted to play Mary Magdalene. I thought that I could do something strong and deep with this character.
I love fairy tales because I think that behind fairy tales, there is always a meaning.
When I'm relaxed, jeans and a shirt are my uniform.
Just a touch of eyeliner and red lips is glamorous.
A woman has so many facets, and when you create an image, you have to play with all the different moments of your femininity, not just one thing, because everybody can get bored.
I wanted to do 'Matrix' because when I saw the first one, I was in Paris, and I came out from the movie and said, 'Wow - I've never seen something like that; it's so incredible.'
Sometimes I've done small parts, like with Spike Lee, but it doesn't matter because you want to work with the director.
I like to be in the spotlight once in a while, and then I like to be in the shadows. It's really regenerating.
If a man sees a woman with red lipstick, he admires her, but often he won't feel like kissing her.
I speak a little Portuguese, but my daughter speaks it better than me. I always feel that Italy is my home, but it is important for my husband that we also live in France. Sometimes we live as a family all together, but as we are two working actors, sometimes we have to be apart. Sometimes I'm shooting a movie; sometimes he is.
Because I'm pretty, everybody thinks I'm stupid. But it is like a mask, and you have to break the mask to show that there is something else behind it. You have to show who you are to make the others come to discover you.
If I do a role where I have to lose weight, I can do that. I eat meat, fish, vegetables, and I lose it right away. But sometimes I do a role where I have to gain weight, and I can tell you I prefer that.
I'm not someone that wants to control everything. I like to work with people that bring their talents to the project. So I like it when the makeup artist has a chance to do their work, when the dresser does their work, when the director does their work. They all come with stories and ideas to think about.
I do acupuncture. Because it really helps. It is the opposite of Botox. Botox blocks, and acupuncture moves.
My body is an object of work. That's why I think to be an actor is one of the most violent jobs. If you're a pianist, you have your piano. If you're a guitarist, you have your guitar. But if you're a dancer, or you're an actor - your instrument is your body.
What's natural is beautiful, and when you're not you anymore, you become a caricature.
My body is very shaped, and I like to be simple. I don't like to use so many colors. My best colors are black, white and blue.
I've been working with good directors - the Wachowski brothers, Spike Lee, Terry Gilliam, Mel Gibson... I love American movies, but I love European movies, too, and I want to do both.
The single woman is a free woman, and being single does not mean being alone - it means being free to have a relationship or not. This can be scary, but it's also very interesting.
The first time I was in London, I went to an English greasy spoon to get some breakfast and realised that all the waiters were speaking Italian. That's when it hit me what an international city this is.
Sometimes when we think about femininity, we think also fragile. But I think you can be feminine and very strong. I think make-up goes with that femininity. I think it's a natural gesture for women and one they do more for themselves than for others.
People assume I work hard on my body, but I honestly don't.
I know very well the difference between my image and who I am.
I think we can all be divas, but as an actress, you can't only be the diva; that would be boring. But sometimes, perhaps, it's fun.
In France, they call the beauty of youth 'the evil beauty.' You don't have it because of you but because you're born with it. The other kind of beauty is your own work, and it takes forever.
I always wear some make-up, even on quiet days when I am not doing so much with my time. I like to start using Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation as a base, as it's lighter than air and doesn't make me feel 'caked.'
I'm a true woman, not a Bond girl. That's why I say all the time, 'James Bond lady,' 'James Bond woman.'
Directors don't call you for your beauty but for your talent.
I am certainly Italian in my love of food! I eat everything, but I love Italian food most of all. Even my daughter does. Her favourite food is pasta and parmigiana.
We had a moment in the '40s and '50s, where female characters were very strong in film, where these incredible roles were written for women like Joan Crawford, like Bette Davis. But then there was a space of time where - I don't know why - it wasn't like that. It became difficult for women to find certain roles after a certain age.
Everybody does what she needs. And if you want plastic surgery, and then you feel better, why not? There is no law. I've nothing against using something to help your beauty - but do it in a good way, with intelligence.
