An eternal muse, the beloved Italian actor continues to transfix audiences around the world. She also inspired the world’s greatest directors, most recently Tim Burton.
Blazer, Schiaparelli; bodysuit, Wolford; necklace, Cartier. Photo: Nima Benati
The most beautiful woman in Italy. The sexiest woman alive. World class bombshell. Since her first on-screen appearance in the early Nineties, Monica Bellucci has been showered with accolades related to her looks. Now, at 59, praises continue to rain down on her, showing a definitive shift in the global mindset: a woman’s beauty evolves with time; and when led by magnetic charisma and talent that speaks to people across cultures and generations, it endures.
Jacket, skirt, Dolce & Gabbana; stockings, Wolford; shoes, Christian Loboutin; necklace, Cartier. Photo: Nima Benati
“Things are changing because women today are talking out loud. They’re less scared to talk,” offers Bellucci. “I’m in Paris and I see all these incredible actors like Isabelle Huppert, Charlotte Rampling, Fanny Ardant…women who still have the possibility to play leading roles and they’re still amazing. It really proves how things are different compared to before, where after 40 years old, women didn’t have the chance to work anymore–even though they were still talented, it was impossible. I can’t say that everything is done–the evolution is still there and it’s really changing.”
Dress, Alaïa; earrings, Cartier. Photo: Nima Benati
Of course, Bellucci is far more than a beautiful woman. While her entertainment industry debuts were as a muse and model for photographers like Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton and fashion and jewelry houses like Dolce & Gabbana and Cartier, she has evolved into an artist with an expansive career spanning film and theater. A polyglot, who can act in many languages, Bellucci has worked with the likes of Sam Mendes for whom she made headlines as the oldest Bond girl in history in Spectre; with Giuseppe Tornatore in the role of a war widow in Malena, and with Gaspar Noé who directed one of her most remarkable performances in the dark art film Irréversible alongside her former husband Vincent Cassel.
“Each director gave me the possibility for me to evolve as an actor, and many of them come from different countries and different cultures,” she says. Her experiences with female directors remain sparse but special. “I like it very much because there is an intimacy between women. Sometimes we look at each other and without words, we can have the same feeling about things. There is something very spontaneous and distinctive and natural, and I like this very much,” she says.
Cape, pants, Alexandre Vauthier; earrings, ring, Cartier. Photo: Nima Benati
Bellucci is also a woman in love. She made her first red carpet appearance hand-in-hand with legendary director Tim Burton at the Rome Film Festival, in October of last year. “It’s so interesting and beautiful to share the experience of work with someone that is also the person that you love,” she says of the time spent on set as an actor in Burton’s forthcoming film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. And while she shares that she is at her happiest when she is with her children, she expresses that she is equally joyful when she is in love. “When I have the possibility to feel alive as a woman,” she expresses of her current state of bliss.
The Burton movie is not the only film forthcoming for Bellucci. The actor’s warm and melodic voice rhymes off her recent work. She is presently shooting a TV series in France and has just wrapped a film with Iranian director Marjane Satrapi, the woman behind Persopolis. “When I make a movie, more than feeling nervous, I’m excited, especially in the first few days,” remarks Bellucci of her feelings on-set. She notes that cinema is a completely different experience to theater, an art she dedicated the past three years of her life to, performing across Europe in the one-woman show Maria Callas’ Letters and Memoirs. “This was really something that made me very nervous,” she says of her experience before a live audience. There is something very sincere and artisanal in the process of making a show. But at the same time, it’s very intense because you can’t really make any mistakes, and the public can really feel what you feel. This relationship is very beautiful, but also very intense.”
Jacket, Mugler; stockings, Wolford; shoes, Maison Ernest; necklace, Cartier. Photo: Nima Benati
Bellucci describes herself as “very feminine,” but is not fixated on anything beauty-related. She practices pilates and eats well. “I’m not obsessed with anything. I like to live and to have a real life. If I want to go and buy things, I want to feel free to go.” Bellucci’s self-confidence, sophistication, and warmth emanate from her hazel eyes. It is perhaps her curiosity that is the essence of her decidedly youthful spirit. “My job, I really think that it’s a kind of job that you never stop learning,” she says. “And I’m still enjoying doing that. I’m really full of passion for my work.”
Originally published in the March 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia
Style: Barbara Baumel
Fashion director: Amine Jreissati
Hair: John Nollet for Maison de Beauté Carita
Makeup: Letizia Carnevale
Nails: Nafissa Djabi
Digital operator: Massimo Fusardi
Hair assistant: Pierrick Sellenet
Lighting assistant: Pierre Cathala
Producer: Sam Allison
