Sophia Loren : My First Crush As Teenager

My First Crush As Teenager !

Yesterday, I reminisced a movie , ‘The Fall Of The Roman Empire’, which I saw as an adolescent sometime in 1966 , it was a historical drama , I was carried away by the character of Lucilla , daughter of emperor Marcus Aurelius , the role was played by Sophia Loren. That face of Sophia made an indelible thappa on my mind, I became a fan of her. Later I got a chance to see her ‘Two Women’ , the movie made her a celebrity. The movie was a stirring drama from Italian neo-realist Vittoria De Sica that cast her as a mother protecting her daughter from the horrors of World War II. Her  role not only brought her international acclaim , also an Oscar, a BAFTA and Cannes Film Festival victories as Best Actress. She earned additional Oscar and Golden Globe bids for De Sica’s ‘Marriage Italian Style’(1964), which cast her opposite frequent leading man Marcello Mastroianni. Though her cinematic output grew sparser after she started a family with producer and husband Carlo Ponti, Loren did pop up in films from time to time, earning a Golden Globe bid for her supporting performance in Robert Altman‘s ‘Ready to Wear’ (‘Pret-a-Porter’in Italian ) in 1994 and a SAG Ensemble nomination for Rob Marshall‘s ‘Nine’(2009). She won a Grammy in 2004 for the spoken word children’s album for ‘Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf’ , plus an Honorary Oscar in 1991. She earned an additional Golden Globe bid for her leading performance in ‘It Started in Naples’ (1960).

What impressed me most  as a teenager in Sophia Loren was no doubt her stunning look. During last summer while I was in London, I read her autobiography ‘Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’. It may not be a great literary work  but was a  great  read  for me as her fan. Her life was something like a roller coaster ride. She was raised by her single parent, her mother in the slums of Naples in Italy, saw hunger and poverty in her childhood days and finally she became a superstar , received worldwide fame and success. 

What makes her story so interesting ? To me her background, attitude, and resilience – she presents as resoundingly down to earth, with Madonna-levels of determination.

In fact, she was among the most successful international stars of the postwar era; not only did she rise to fame as a sex symbol for her stunning looks and hourglass shape body but she also won a measure of critical acclaim rarely afforded most of her foreign-born contemporaries. 

Born Sofia Scicolone in Rome on September 20, 1934, she and her single mother lived in abject poverty in the war-torn slums of Naples. At the age of 14, she began entering area beauty contests, later becoming a model and appearing in a number of uncredited bit parts in films. After winning a beauty contest in Rome, Loren was signed to a film contract by producer Carlo Ponti. It was Ponti  who  groomed  Loren for stardom by recruiting drama coaches and casting her in small movie roles, including an appearance in the 1951 smash Anna, under the name "Sofia Lazzaro."

Carlo Ponti was her first love . Initially, he was just a producer for her. He took an interest in her grooming  as an actress : he taught her manners, got rid her of Italian accent, made her read books about art, and insisted her to  learn English. He protected her and took care of her. And soon a strong feeling swallowed the both of them, despite their 22 year age difference. And it was love that helped them overcome the many obstacles to happiness. They led almost 50 years strong bonding, which is very rare in Hollywood. The first test was that Carlo Ponti was already married and had 2 children. At that time, it was necessary to obtain permission to divorce from the Vatican. But no one wanted to give it to him, and so the lovers had to go on a trip. They went to Mexico in 1957, where Ponti divorced his wife and married Loren. And it seemed like they should’ve been happy. But after returning home, they spouses were faced with new problems. In Italy, their marriage wasn’t recognized as legal. Ponti was accused of bigamy, and Lauren of illegal cohabitation. They didn’t even have the right to appear together in public. But not wanting to follow the rules of society and end their relationship, the couple left the country and lived in exile for many years while they tried to restore justice. Attempts to resolve this issue were unsuccessful and in the end the couple went to France and acquired French citizenship. Ponti’s ex-wife also had to change her citizenship to French in order to file for divorce. And finally, in 1966, Sophia and Carlo got married again. This time their marriage was official. But Loren didn’t just want to be a married woman, she wanted to have a family with children and dreamed of being a mother. Unfortunately, this wasn’t that simple. The actress had 2 miscarriages, after which she underwent hormonal treatment. And it was worth it. Sophia became pregnant at 34 years old, but doctors had her on bed rest as a precaution. She decided to follow their advice and led a reclusive lifestyle from a hotel room in Geneva for months. And on the 29th of December 1968 she gave birth to their first son Carlo Ponti Jr. And 4 years later on the 6th of January 1973 she gave birth to their second son Edoardo Ponti.Carlo Ponti was not only her husband, but friend, philosopher, guide , producer, and lover. He made her into what she is, and together they steadfastly withstood all the blows of fate. They were happy, they loved each other, and stayed together for half a century until the very moment when, in 2007, Carlo Ponti died of pulmonary complications. That year was supposed to be their golden wedding anniversary.

Sophia is now 85 plus , as she  celebrated her 85th birthday on September  last year. Though she rose to fame thanks largely to her stunning looks,  she also worked very hard on her acting .

She was my teenage crush , but I am not alone she had made million of  fans worldwide spanning decades.