Quotes from Monica Bellucci

When I did 'The Passion,' nobody believed in the movie. Everybody was telling me, 'You shouldn't do this movie... But I wanted to play Mary Magdalene. I thought that I could do something strong and deep with this character.

British people don't express when they are in pain. They don't think it's elegant.

I don't know Hollywood very well. I've never lived in Los Angeles or New York. But what I can see in Paris, where I live, is that actresses like Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Charlotte Rampling, still get the chance to play strong, sexy roles even though they're not 20.

I am certainly Italian in my love of food! I eat everything, but I love Italian food most of all. Even my daughter does. Her favourite food is pasta and parmigiana.

I have no idea how I'm perceived in America because I don't live the reality of America.

I think the lawyers are such incredible actors. Can you imagine the performance they have to do every day?

I don't work all the time. That's why I waited to have children until I was ready for that. I try to organise my time according to them because they need me. I don't want to put my work first anymore because it's not as important as my children.

The first time I was in London, I went to an English greasy spoon to get some breakfast and realised that all the waiters were speaking Italian. That's when it hit me what an international city this is.

I'm not someone who wakes up at 6 A.M. to go to the gym.

When someone is suffering, you have to see this in the body and the face. I say all the time that actors use their bodies like objects of war.

To be a lawyer was too boring for me, for my personality.

I like when I have to act and direct; then, when you have to dub, you're by yourself in front of the wall, and I'm always scared that you're not good like when you are in real when you act.

When I have to go to Cannes, that is boring to me.

Sometimes it's more difficult to exist as a female lead, especially in action movies because all those men are around you. They take so much place.

I live in Paris but I feel I am a daughter of Europe.

When you see a silent movie, you understand everything that's going on from the images because the images are so strong.

Envy is human nature.

I'm a lucky person because I've been loved a lot. I have a great family.

Beauty is a gift, just like good health or intelligence. The only thing is not to be proud of being beautiful. Because you didn't do anything - it was given to you.

I like to do on screen what I'm not in life. In life, I'm much more weak and insecure, and so then you know I like to play characters that are stronger than me.

My body is very shaped, and I like to be simple. I don't like to use so many colors. My best colors are black, white and blue.

It's complicated coming from a culture where to be a mother is more important than to have a career.

When I first met Sam Mendes, I was a bit confused and said to him, 'I'm 50 years old. What am I going to do at 50 in a Bond film?'

I think the person creates the artist. And I think when you get lost within your person, your artistry get lost, too. It's like in 'Birdman.' Because the artist inside you is attached to your soul. And when you're not attached to yourself anymore, the soul goes away. You can't let that happen.