My Exchange With Sophia Loren -- And A Recipe, Too
Sophia Loren is one of the last great international movie stars from an era where glamour ruled the screen.
During her 65-plus year career in film, the Oscar-winning actress worked with directors such as Vittorio De Sica, Stanley Kramer, Michael Curtiz, Sidney Lumet, Charlie Chaplin, George Cukor, Lina Wertmüller, Robert Altman and Rob Marshall. Her co-stars included Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Peter Sellers, Charles Boyer, William Holden, Marlon Brando, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra and, especially, Marcello Mastroianni.
Loren will be at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. for an evening of conversation, film clips and reminiscing with her fans.
The following is an edited email interview with the actress, now 85, when she was on a recent cruise:
Q: I had a “Sophia Loren Evening” making recipes from your 1995 cookbook: Your mother’s pepper dish, your grandmother’s panzanella and Marcello Mastroianni’s favorite dish of yours, fagioli con le cotiche. What do these dishes mean to you?
A: Memories and comfort. Mama, My Nonna and Marcello all come back in a flood when I cook these meals. They connect me to my great memories.
Q: With all these great meals how have you managed to stay so fit and healthy despite?
A: Yogurt! No, really, it’s all a matter of having everything you want — especially my pasta — but a little at a time. Not a lot at a time.
Q: What would you order for your final meal of your favorite dishes?
A: That’s so hard. I do like a nice veal with my pasta. Wait ... maybe chocolate?
Q: In your 2014 memoir “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” you always seemed so resilient. Did you ever doubt yourself?
A: Yes, there have always been doubts and insecurities. But I learned from Momma and from my own make-up that life is about action and going forward. It’s a game that I like to win.