At age 56, Italian actress Monica Bellucci was four years older than Daniel Craig, and twice the age of the classic 007 ‘arm candy’ when she starred in James Bond film The Spectre in 2015. Although more genetically blessed than most 56-year-olds, Monica implores other women to embrace ageing rather than fear it.
“As time goes on, the beauty of youth goes away but I think there’s another kind of beauty. I really believe that,” she reassures.
Mother-of-two Monica, who played assassin’s widow Lucia Sciarra in the 007 adventure, was more than comfortable with finding herself an unwitting ‘poster girl’ for plus-50 sensuality.
“I watched Spectre and I said to myself, ‘Oh my God. We can see that this woman is really 50, and not 50 looking 40 or 35,” she said. “We see there are imperfections. It’s very strong because you see her femininity and her sensuality. It proves that there is femininity even though a woman may be older.”
“In the past we only looked at women from the time that they can procreate until they can’t any longer and then they become outside of society, but that’s an old way to see women.
“Women are intelligent, sensitive and feminine. The time is changing and we look at women differently.
“And also, I’m not part of Hollywood, I’ve never lived there and I’ve dealt with that system. When I look at Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Catherine Deneuve, it makes me feel that things are changing. I believe that…I want to believe that.”
As for the secrets to her stunning looks, the spokesmodel for L’Oreal Paris and mother of daughters Deva, 11, and Leonie, 5, is almost embarrassed to reveal that there really aren’t any.
“I don’t do anything regularly. It’s not my character to be programmed but there are times when I do yoga.
“I like Pilates, I like to swim and when I work I have to take care of what I eat a bit more because I really like to eat so at those times I’m disciplined.
“But I don’t smoke really, I don’t drink really – my life is naturally good.”
