Sophia Loren has marked the history of international cinema, and even after years spent mostly out of the spotlight, continues to be an icon and an enduring example for aspiring actors.
Her son, film director Edoardo Ponti, has always been one of his mother’s biggest supporters, and their artistic partnership was beautifully showcased in his 2020 film, The Life Ahead, which starred Sophia as the protagonist.
In August, the BFI Southbank in London will host a tribute to the legendary Italian actress, now in her 90s, who continues to captivate audiences.
‘Hollywood Style, Neapolitan Spirit’ is a retrospective on Sophia’s work in partnership with Cinecittà and the Cinema Department of the Ministry of Culture of Italy. Throughout the month, people will have the opportunity to learn more about her life and career through events and screenings of her most notable roles.
For the occasion, Edoardo spoke to The Times. Reflecting on his mother’s status as a sex symbol, he said: “She never made a big deal out of the big deal, because this kind of ‘male gaze’ approval never defined my mother — she always saw it like a game.”
“She’s a very beautiful woman and my mother always enjoyed the attention. But she never took it seriously and always had the discipline and the wisdom not to allow herself to be defined by it. And what happens when you do that? You stay beautiful forever. That’s why we’re still watching her movies, after all these years.”
For the world, she was (and is) a diva, but for her two sons, Edoardo and Carlo, Sophia was always just their mother – and a very ‘normal’ and loving one at that.
© GettyAs she wrote in her memoir, the glitz and glamour of her career were nothing compared to the joy that she felt when she finally became a mother, after suffering two miscarriages.
“My life as a star felt like nothing compared with the happiness of the new mothers I’d glimpsed at the hospital,” Sophia wrote in her book, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.
About her first son’s birth, she recalled, “I hadn’t slept a wink the night before; the truth is that I didn’t want my pregnancy to end”.
© Bettmann“And I was scared. I didn’t want to share this child that was all mine with anyone else. A few hours later, Carlo Jr. was born — the greatest, sweetest, most indescribable joy I had ever experienced. I was completely overcome by emotion when I held him in my arms.”
She recalled: “Afraid that I might wake up from my marvellous dream, I proceeded to shut myself off from the world. It was warm in my hospital room, and I felt safe, me and Carlo Jr, alone together, in a soft cocoon of endless gazes and caresses.”
Now, Carlo is a composer and Edoardo is a film director, while Sophia is still a forever icon of style, grace and incredible talent.
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