Monica Bellucci is only a few years older than Daniel Craig, but the promotional tour around Spectre has already declared her to be “the older woman who seduces James Bond.” When Daniel was asked about it, he reframed the issue beautifully by saying that he and Monica were “the same age” and that it didn’t matter anyway because she’s Monica Bellucci and she’s amazing. It’s funny because Monica herself really doesn’t give a sh-t about being called the Oldest Bond Girl Ever or whatever. She’s 51 years old and comfortable in her own skin. She’s also looking forward to menopause! I double-dog dare an American actress to say that.
Seducing James Bond at her age: “It’s really a new way to look at actresses and women in general. We’ve never seen this before — an older woman seducing Bond. Maybe something will change for older women now; for older actresses.”
On sexiness: “Am I sexy? I don’t know. I do what I do. If it’s provocative, it’s not something I can control. I am what I am.”
On aging: “I don’t want to be 20, do you?… [Aging is] nothing to be scared of. Accepting the new reality is the only way you can live. I hope I’ll be alive for a long time.”
On menopause: “I’m not scared about getting old. It’s what’s inside that makes us beautiful on the outside. Glasses are so nice. All those things are so touching. But menopause is a natural thing, it is not a sickness. OK, the body at the beginning will get a bit mad. But after a few months, or one year, it’s going to be OK. This is a natural process of life. I am not nervous about it at all.” And in anticipation of the phase that she said she “will start soon”, Bellucci is hoping to use natural hormones to help deal with it. “Listen, I had two kids – one when I was 40, one when I was 45. I breastfed for one year, which means I was breastfeeding four years ago. I’m going to move from giving birth to menopause without really realizing. Anyway the menopause is going to be great: no periods anymore.”
Her thoughts on plastic surgery: “Everybody does what she needs. And if you want plastic surgery and then you feel better, why not? There is no law. I’ve nothing against using something to help your beauty — but do it in a good way, with intelligence.” She claims she hasn’t yet succumbed to the surgeon’s knife, putting her looks down to ‘vitamins and good face cream’. ‘I use Dr Hauschka products, it’s very natural. I also do acupuncture,’ she says, showing me the points on her face. ‘Because it really helps. It is the opposite of Botox. Botox blocks and acupuncture moves.’
What help she gets: “I have a very good hairdresser. He dyes my hair.” She’s not ready ‘yet’ to show her greys — “Unless it was for work. For work, yes; for life, no. Maybe later. I have some friends who have white hair and they look amazing.”
On Botox: “Botox for some people is really good. For others they have different reactions. I . . .” she makes a noise like ‘pffffff’. “I am for freedom.”
Diet & exercise: “For one month I will do Pilates very often and then for the next I do nothing. But I have an elastic [the giant bands used for resistance stretches in Pilates] that I bring with me to hotels so that I can do some elastic sometimes on my own.’ After her second child, she says: ‘I got my figure back through work. I have a lot of adrenaline. I have a naturally fast system. But I love to eat and I am not skinny…I’m not regular in anything. For example I don’t smoke, but I can have the odd cigarette. I don’t drink, but I can drink one glass of wine. But this is not an effort for me.’
She’s amused by the British attitude to pain: “And the attitude to pain. British people don’t express when they are in pain. They don’t think it’s elegant.”
She also says she’s not really interested in seeing Spectre because it’s too violent. And somehow, I still believe her. I believe her about all of this. Like, I don’t think she’s had any work done. I don’t think she has Botox or fillers. I believe that she doesn’t exercise regularly, that she’s just a very active person with good genes and a great metabolism. Is it crazy to believe her? I don’t know. But she’s my new spirit animal.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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