“I’m not nostalgic. Not at all,” Claudia Cardinale, the legendary movie star of Federico Fellini’s 8½, told me as the sun set on the Côte d’Azur. The golden-age movie icon, who starred in classics from Visconti’s The Leopard to Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, still exudes effortless glamour.
“I like everything the way it is because I arrived at the cinema in the ’60s, and I’ve been working since then. I’ve been traveling all around the world—Australia, America… everywhere.”
Born and raised in La Goulette, Tunisia, Cardinale skyrocketed to stardom through the Venice Film Festival, where she caught the attention of film producers after winning a beauty pageant. Since French is her native language, she considers French culture her own, despite her celebrated status in Italian cinema. When she began working in Italy, she admits she didn’t speak a word of the language.
“In all my first movies, I was dubbed by another because I could not speak a word of Italian.”
In recent years, Cardinale has worked in Spanish, French, Italian, American, and Turkish films. These days, she especially enjoys collaborating with young filmmakers.
“It’s not easy for young directors today. And in fact, I work specifically with young directors on their first movies. I’ve been doing a movie in New York, in Istanbul, one in Tunisia, and I have another two… I like to work with young directors to help them,” she said.
A close friend to many legendary men, Cardinale has always considered herself “just one of the guys.” Rock Hudson was one of her best friends, and Paul Newman once let her stay in his house in Los Angeles. She fondly recalls anecdotes from iconic movie sets.
“For example, in Sergio Leone’s epic western Once Upon a Time in the West, I was the only woman surrounded by men. I was the only woman. In my movies, I did all of the special effects. I love danger. When it’s difficult, I love it,” she said proudly.
As a longtime advocate for women’s rights, Cardinale has been a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for the Defense of Women’s Rights since March 2000. I asked if she believes it pays off to remain a strong woman in life.
“You have to fight. When I was younger, I always had to fight with men, with boys. The woman is the stronger one, and I was fighting all the time with men.”
— “Was it difficult for you?” I asked.
— “No. I love it. I love to fight,” she responded confidently.
Claudia Cardinale: “I was sitting next to Belmondo, he was crying”
In 2011, at the Cannes Film Festival, when I met Claudia Cardinale, she was attending the premiere of Belmondo’s documentary.
“I was sitting next to Belmondo watching the movie premiere. He was crying. He was so moved. It was fantastic. To see all the friends around him, it was really fantastic for him. And he got a standing ovation. I mean, it was incredible. And we did three movies together,” she said.
Taking a walk down memory lane, Cardinale described her friendship with Jean-Paul Belmondo as one she holds dear to her heart.
“There are many people and friends I cherish in my heart. One of them is Jean-Paul Belmondo. We were always doing some ‘terrible things’ on the movie set together. We were ‘terrible.’ I remember one day we were in the hotel, and he said: ‘You should smile at the director.’ So I did. While I was smiling at the director, Belmondo was changing all the things in his room and putting them in the safe. We’ve been doing terrible things together all the time. We were having so much fun.”
In the media, Cardinale was often romantically linked to her co-stars, including legendary actors Steve McQueen and Marcello Mastroianni.
“Well, I never had a love affair with the actors,” she said.
— “So you were like a girl who was always with her friends?” I asked.
— “Yes, exactly, exactly,” she said energetically.
In February 2011, the Los Angeles Times named Cardinale among the 50 most beautiful women in film history.
On Love, Aging and Men
Her advice for young women on how to seduce and keep a man is simple:
“For example, if a man is looking at you, and if you say ‘yes’ immediately, then he will go away. If you resist a long time, then he will always be following you,” she said joyfully.
Ageism in Hollywood remains a significant issue, forcing many actresses over 40 to maintain expected beauty standards through plastic surgery. On that note, Cardinale takes a firm stand.
“Listen, I don’t like face-lifting. I don’t like to stop time—it’s impossible. My mother used to say: ‘As you’re always smiling, they don’t see your wrinkles,'” she said with a laugh.
Read also: Interview With Andrey Zvyagintsev: “Oh Russia, Where Do You Go?”