Extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people. This was proven to me when on one otherwise typical summer morning, my phone rang and in a matter of moments, I was connected to Monica Bellucci -- one of the most beautiful human beings on the face of the earth -- in Paris. I must be doing something right.
The Italian actress, not so surprisingly, began her career as a model in Europe, and was first seen by American audiences in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” in 1992. Working exclusively in Europe for the remainder of the ‘90s, Bellucci starred in a few high-profile imports (“Malena,” “Brotherhood of the Wolf,” “Irreversible”) in the early part of the current decade, but really came to prominence in the U.S. with starring roles in 2003’s “Tears of the Sun,” and the final two installments of “The Matrix” trilogy. Things have not slowed at all in 2004, as Bellucci has been seen in Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me” and, of course, Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ.” The best film, however, I have seen Bellucci in to date is Gabriele Muccino’s powerful look at the chaotic disintegration of an Italian family, “Remember Me, My Love.” Bellucci stars as the radiant Alessia, a woman stuck in an unsatisfying marriage, who re-kindles a relationship with her married ex-lover Carlo.
The Italian film was picked up for distribution in the U.S. by Roadside Attractions and will be released in Los Angeles on September 10, having already opened in New York a week earlier. One of the best movies to be released in the U.S. this year, “Remember Me, My Love” is a virtuoso piece of filmmaking. It was obvious that Ms. Bellucci took great pleasure in discussing the film, and it made for a very pleasant early morning chat.
EI: You’ve starred in several high profile American movies over the past few years and have become very well known in this country. How do you like working on American films as opposed to European ones?
MB: I like to come to America once in a while. I’m European, so for me it’s important to stay in Europe and make European movies and then come to America to do something interesting for me. I’m not ready to make an American movie just because it’s American. I have to find the right project and the right character. I know when I make an American movie it’s going to come out all over the world -- it doesn’t happen the same way for an Italian film or a French film. I like the idea, so I can make publicity for a film like “Remember Me, My Love.” I know it doesn’t happen very often.
EI: When you first read the script for “Remember Me, My Love” what did you like most about the story and your character?
MB: I like my character, because in this chaotic and hysterical atmosphere, I think she’s the only one with both feet on the ground. She’s very strong and makes her own decisions. I like the concept of the movie, because there are so many interesting scenes. The story is about how sometimes it is difficult to mature in life as a person while you’re living as a couple. In a couple, sometimes, one or both people have to give up their personal life, dreams and ambitions for the good of the family. It’s not like that all of the time, but sometimes it happens. There’s a moment in the film when my character says to Carlo, her lover, talking about her husband, “My husband destroyed everything I was and now that I’m different, he doesn’t love me anymore.” Maybe it’s natural of human beings to kill what we love.
EI: Your character, Alessia, also says that the people closest to you are the ones who can’t see the good things about you. How much do you believe those words to be true?
MB: I think it’s true. That’s why after a while in marriage, it doesn’t work anymore. There is something missing in our nature, there is something wrong. There are few marriages that stay alive forever. We like something, and after a little while, we hate what we used to love. It’s our way of growing up. It’s like a little child who has a beautiful doll. The child loves the doll, but then wants to break the doll to see what’s inside. We are the same.
EI: Early in the film, we learn that Alessia and Carlo had a relationship when they were younger. Why do you think the characters believe a relationship can work now that they are older?
MB: This is the mystery of love. They are looking for an illusion, both of them. They’re not happy in their life, with their husband and wife, and are looking for a dream. They’re looking for a golden moment in their life and both want to believe that the right moment is when they were together. We all need illusions. That’s why we love movies.
EI: What do you think about what Alessia and Carlo are doing to their families?
MB: (They’re doing) terrible things. When people divorce, it’s always such a tragedy for the children. At the same time, if we people stay together it can be even worse. If they’re always yelling at each other, it can be more difficult for the children. It’s always a tragedy when people leave each other, because it’s so hard for the children. It’s so difficult to give lessons about this subject.
The children Alessia has are really small, so maybe for her, it’s even more difficult. But for Carlo, the children are adults. When your children are eighteen, it’s easier than when your children are three or four. They are in the situation where they can’t deal with their reality anymore and they just need to go away and lead a new life. When a relationship doesn’t work anymore, it’s terrible to stay with someone that you don’t love.
EI: What do you think this movie is saying about contemporary relationships and marriage?
MB: I think the film is very bitter. It’s not a happy ending -- it has a very sad meaning in the end. To stay together as a couple, you have to satisfy so many things, and there is a moment when maybe you explode. This is what happens in the movie, so it’s a very bitter one. Maybe this is why it was such a success in Italy, because we talk about the crisis of the concept of the family. In Italy, the concept of the family is very important. Maybe (this film) reflects Italians situations at home.
EI: Is there anything about the character Alessia that you don’t like?
MB: No, actually. She’s better than me. (laughs) She doesn’t accept compromise -- that’s why I like her. She makes decisions that are difficult. To divorce when you have two kids is not an easy decision, but sometimes you have to make that decision if the relationship doesn’t work anymore.
EI: What is Alessia thinking in the scene when she runs into Carlo at the market just before Christmas?
MB: I think she’s a bit pissed with him, because he’s weak, like many men. Many men wait for women to make the decisions and this is the case. Even though she doesn’t say anything, she expresses with her eyes all of the feelings she has inside and how she doesn’t like his attitude. This is why the end is very sad. Carlo only has the courage to become what he wants to be through Alessia. And with his wife, he feels completely crushed, like he can’t express himself. It’s like Carlo and his wife made too big a sacrifice for this family. They don’t have the space to express themselves in their lives, which is why there’s a moment where everything gets closed.
EI: Overall, how was the experience of making this movie?
MB: I liked preparing the movie. The best moment for me as an actress is when I’m preparing my character. This is the most exciting moment. Then when I have to go to Cannes, that is more boring to me. I have to do it, and I have fun for one day or two, but to be on set and to prepare the character, work with the director and other actors, this is for me the most beautiful moment.
EI: How has your life and career changed over the past few years now that you’re a movie star in the United States?
MB: I’m not a movie star -- I’m just an actress. What I like is to have the possibility now to play very interesting, different characters. It’s not about the beauty, the charm or the sensual appearance; now it’s more about acting and that’s what I’m happy about.
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