The 80-year-old actress claims she didn't get 'hurt' although she was told that her nose was 'too long' and her mouth was 'too big.'
- Nov 7, 2014
AceShowbiz - Sophia Loren opened up about her struggle dealing with what people said about her appearance in a phone interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Sophia told the publication, "I always tried not to listen to these people. They were saying that my nose was too long and my mouth was too big."
The "Nine" actress added, "It didn't hurt me at all because when I believe in something, it's like war. It's a battle." She recalled her late husband Carlo Ponti also encouraged her to do plastic surgery. "But even Carlo said, 'You know the cameramen, they say that your nose is too long. Maybe you have to touch it a little bit.' And I said, 'Listen, I don't want to touch nothing on my face because I like my face. If I have to change my nose, I am going back to Pozzuoli.' "
Sophia said her face could have been very different if she followed the advice to go under the knife. "At that time, they used to do noses like a French nose with a little tip at the end - they liked that," she shared, "Can you imagine me with a nose like that?"
Asked if working in Hollywood was always her goal, the Italian-born actress replied, "That was my dream. Can you imagine me, from Pozzuoli, Naples, and hunger, the war and everything - I go to Hollywood and I see Rita Hayworth and Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis? I mean, what is this, a dream? I'm always afraid to wake up."
The "Two Women" actress continued, "I had a wonderful time learning a lot about the business, but of course, when you go back to where you were born, you always give the best. That's where I was really the best."
When asked to comment on the infamous 1957 photo of her giving side-eye to Jayne Mansfield, Sophia replied, "[Jayne] was very beautiful, my god. But in these pictures, I was worried that everything was going to come out! I said, 'My god!' "
Sophia became a trending topic this week after sharing the story behind the infamous snap. She recently told Entertainment Weekly, "Paramount had organized a party for me. All of cinema was there, it was incredible. And then comes in Jayne Mansfield, the last one to come. For me, that was when it got amazing."
She added, "[Jayne] came right for my table. She knew everyone was watching. She sat down. And now, she was barely... Listen. Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I'm staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I'm so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow-BOOM!-and spill all over the table."
