Newsletters
Monica Bellucci has pushed back against the fear of aging, saying that growing older has given her something youth could not: perspective, emotional distance and the experience needed to understand life more deeply.
The Italian actress, who turned 62 this week, spoke openly about age, femininity and beauty in the October issue of Harper's Bazaar Spain, arguing that maturity should not be treated as something to hide from.
"There’s no real alternative: either you grow old and accept the process with dignity, or you die," Bellucci said. "Looking at it that way, I’d much rather grow old."
She added that getting older also comes with an advantage that is often overlooked.
"Growing old means you’re fortunate enough to still be alive and have a future. Besides, maturity brings with it a wonderful gift: detachment."
Bellucci's reflections closely mirror the themes of her latest film, "The Birthday Party," also known as "Histoires de la nuit," which competed at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
She plays Cristina, a reclusive painter who fears that women become "transparent" after reaching a certain age. Bellucci, however, approaches aging from a very different perspective, saying that the role itself could only be played convincingly after accumulating real-life experience.
"I could never have played this role when I was 30 or 40, not even with layers of makeup to age myself," she said. "To give substance, weight, and truth to a character with that level of inner turmoil, you have to have lived."
For Bellucci, beauty at 62 is no longer defined primarily by appearance.
She described feeling beautiful as having a rich inner life, following a passion, watching her children grow, looking out at the sea and being surrounded by friends and family.
The actress has two daughters, Deva, 22, and Leonie, 16, with her former husband Vincent Cassel.
For the magazine shoot, photographed by Rocio Ramos, Bellucci appeared on two covers wearing Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana, while also wearing Cartier diamonds and emeralds.
A year after her split from filmmaker Tim Burton, Bellucci also described love as her greatest luxury while reflecting on the way life continues to change.
"Life is a perpetual transformation," she said.
She ultimately framed aging not as a loss of identity, but as another stage of it.
"That said, I’m proud of myself and of being a woman, because femininity is the strength of humanity."
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
