“Never To Retire” is Sophia Loren’s wish as the Academy Museum and Cinecittà honor her with the “La Diva di Napoli” screening series.
Sophia Loren has no plans to slow down, as her life’s work is displayed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures this month.
The Oscar winner tells News channel that her “secret is never to have a plan B” when it comes to reinvention and career longevity, and legacy is the last thing on her mind after nearly 75 years of playing onscreen as one of the few surviving stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
According to Loren, “so that you don’t end up taking the easy way out when you are faced with an obstacle you find insurmountable.” You have no choice but to move forward, so you take a deep breath, keep going, and figure out the best answer to your issue. Just a plan A, no plan Bs.
Loren is eager to see what her career will bring after most recently appearing in the Oscar-nominated 2020 movie The Life Ahead, which was written and directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. She declares, “I don’t want to think about legacy.” “I want to consider my upcoming film. I want to never retire, but when I do, I will consider my legacy.
The actress highlights that she “truly never in a million years thought I would win,” more than 60 years after she missed the 1962 Oscars event, where she received her first Best Actress award for Two Women. She was the first actor to win an Oscar for a role that wasn’t in English.
Loren portrays Cesira, an Italian widow who flees Rome with her daughter Rosetta (Eleonora Brown) when the city is attacked by Allied forces in Vittorio De Sica’s World War II drama. After being attacked and sexually assaulted by troops, their relationship becomes strained.
After battling to portray the mother rather than the daughter, Loren won the Oscar. Cary Grant informed her that she had won in a call that “changed my life,” even if she wasn’t there to witness the triumph.
Q: What are your favorite memories of your early years at Paramount and launching your career?
SOPHIA LOREN: I will always remember being perplexed by what I saw when I first arrived in Los Angeles and staring out the window. Coming from Pozzuoli, I imagined Hollywood to be a magical metropolis full of color and fantasy, similar to Oz, but instead I saw desert and orange tree fields. Reconciling the Hollywood of my dreams with its city took some time, but as soon as I met the actors and directors I much adored, I discovered that the Hollywood of my dreams resided in the hearts and incredible skill of all those amazing artists.
Q: What was it like being a sex symbol during such conservative times in Hollywood?
SOPHIA LOREN: To be honest, I am who I am and being a sex symbol has never defined me. I’m not naïve; I know that some people react that way to me, but I’ve never really thought about it. I’ve always focused on staying true to my craft and telling tales that inspire and move people, and Hollywood has always been a huge source of motivation for me in that regard. The currency of the inhabitants in this city is the craft and the quest for excellence. It is inspirational as well as aspirational.
Q: Did it feel like defying that label when you fought to play the mom instead of the daughter inTwo Women?
SOPHIA LOREN: Without a doubt, Playing Two Women marked a turning point in my career, but it was more about demonstrating to myself that I could be the kind of actress I had always wanted to be than it was about challenging that title. An actress who was able to communicate a universal truth of feeling while also fully inhabiting a role in the most genuine and true way conceivable. I learned from that movie that if my feelings were genuine and sincere, they could spread over the globe.
Q: Did it feel validating winning your first Oscar for that role?
SOPHIA LOREN: The thrill of winning an Oscar is something you never forget. There are a lot of emotions there at once. It is incredible, frightening, empowering, destabilizing, humiliating, inspiring, and ridiculous. It is significant not only because your peers bestow it upon you, but also because you become a member of an acting family that you have always liked and respected.
Q: Do you regret not being present for your first Oscar win?
SOPHIA LOREN: Of sure, but I honestly never imagined that I would prevail.
Q: What do you remember about getting the call from Cary Grant that you’d won?
SOPHIA LOREN: While in Rome with my husband Carlo, we waited up all night expecting a call that never arrived. We therefore didn’t think I had won, which, to be honest, didn’t surprise us. And the phone rang right before we were going to bed. When I responded, Cary said, “You won,” and that was all he said. I couldn’t believe it, so I made him repeat it five times. My life was revolutionized by just two simple words.
Q: How did it feel receiving your honorary Oscar in 1991?
SOPHIA LOREN: It was really amazing and surprising. Being able to experience the event with my spouse, my two sons, and the other man in my life made it even more memorable. Together, we traveled to Los Angeles and shared in the festivities. For our family, it was a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
Q: What have been some of your other favorite Oscars memories over the years?
SOPHIA LOREN: I think of the time I presented Roberto Benigni with the Oscar for Life Is Beautiful. Nothing compares to sharing the happiness of someone you greatly admire and adore.
Q: ou’ve played yourself and your own mother on-screen, and you’ve been directed by your son. Has that familial element been important to your creative career?
SOPHIA LOREN: Talking the same emotional language and having the same understanding of what is true are the essential components that make an actor-director partnership work. My son and I get along so well because of this. We push, challenge, and have faith in one another. Sometimes I can tell precisely how he feels and what he wants from me in the next take just by having him glance at me from behind the camera. Telepathy like that is fantastic. I am quite proud of everything we have accomplished together, particularly our most recent movie, The Life Ahead.
Q: What was the most challenging part of playing yourself in your 1980 biopic?
SOPHIA LOREN: Playing oneself without a character mask to hide behind is the most difficult thing about it. It was an odd encounter.
Q: You’ve shined on-screen through several generations and so many different genres and characters. What’s your secret to that longevity and re-invention?
SOPHIA LOREN: The key is to never have a backup plan. This way, when you encounter a challenge that seems insurmountable, you don’t wind up taking the easy route; instead, you take a big breath, keep going, and figure out the best answer because you have no other option. Just a Plan A, no Plan Bs.
Q: What legacy do you hope to leave on Hollywood and the Italian film industry?
SOPHIA LOREN: Legacy is not something I want to consider. I’d like to consider my next film. When I retire—which I hope never to do—I’ll consider my legacy.