Granting her first interview in years, the Neapolitan icon is in a reflective mood.
It was a journey she insisted upon, her son Edoardo Ponti later tells me.
I dont know if you saw thepictures of her at Cipriani last week, he says, proudly.
Collage: Hannah Max
The fall was just another one.
I am not one to dwell on the past, Loren admits, alluding to the festival.
I tend to focus on today and tomorrow.
Loren in Alessandro Blasetti’sToo Bad She’s Bad(1954)
This retrospective allows me to do just that.
Each film has been a unique adventure, Loren says.
Theyre all chapters of my life where lessons were learned, tears were shed, and challenges were overcome.
Loren in Vittorio De Sica’sTwo Women(1970)
With each role she gave herself completely to that process.
(Ponti directed Loren in the 2020 Netflix filmThe Life Aheadto acclaim.)
One of my fondest memories is from a [Vogue] shoot, Loren recalls.
Photographed by Antony Armstrong-Jones,Vogue, 1970
The idea was hatched that we were going to pose in a big Roman tub.
If only it were that simple.
There was water in there, and we werefreezing.
Edoardo Ponti, Loren, and Carlo Ponti Jr. in 2014
I remember very clearly how my son, at three years old, absolutely hated the idea.
But in my mothers case, it truly does not.
Her biggest desire in life was to have a family, so we never felt second to anything.
It helped center us and give us the confidence nowadays to overcome our own obstacles.
Love is great armor.
So, basically since autumn, Ive been seeing a physiotherapist five days a week.
We need to choose it very carefully because we dont want the next one to be a minor work.
We need to confirm the next thing is even more fulfilling for her creatively and also for the audience.
It takes time to evaluate the different scripts that are being offered and the characters she wants to play.
So its a process.
Sophia Loren: La Signora di Napoliis at Film at Lincoln Center from June 7 to 13.
