Neapolitan beauty and Oscar-winning actress  Sophia Loren explains her reasons for starring in the screen musical Nine and writes about her experiences on set

Growing up in Italy, the dream for all Italian actors was to work in an American musical. Music has always been a force in my life, especially as a little child during the War. So it was really my dream to work in a musical. My mother was a pianist, my son is a classical conductor and I have made about 50 records – not classical ones, though. My biggest hits were the comedy songs I sang with Peter Sellers: Bangers and Mash and Goodness Gracious Me. I love music. Music makes me happy. And I was particularly happy about being asked to be in the musical movie Nine because it is directed by Rob Marshall. I had just seen Chicago, which he directed and which I loved, when he called me up one day to tell me about this film he wanted to make – almost the story of Fellini. He said, “If you’re not in this movie, I’m not going to do it.” So, for the sake of his career, I said yes!

The story is taken from the Tony-nominated play of the same name. It is not really the story of Fellini, it’s more about the idea of a director who was like him, his fantasies and his world. Fellini was always in his own world. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the lead role of Guido Contini, which adds something new. I play his mother. Daniel is great to work with, though it can also be quite difficult to work with him because he is so brilliant, so deep and real that he is almost intimidating. He’s a great actor and you always want to try and raise the bar and challenge him. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you think you don’t. I really love him and I had a wonderful time filming with him.

But then Daniel is only one member of a truly exceptional cast. I am performing with three of the greatest actresses: Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench and Nicole Kidman. Everybody thought that with all these big-name actresses working together fireworks might happen but really we loved each other because the project was so exciting and we are all so very different. First of all, Penélope is Spanish and, like me, she just loved the idea of being in the film because it was a musical. Then there is Judi Dench – wow, she is a marvellous actress, my God! And Nicole Kidman is also wonderful. We’re all strong characters but, as we are all so different, rather than clashing we complemented each other – which I suppose was the idea. After all, the women in the film are supposed to represent different parts of Daniel’s character’s life. So we really looked out for each other.

It was strange working on Nine, as I never worked with Fellini. That is one of my regrets. The closest I got was when I presented an Honorary Academy Award to him in 1993 with Marcello Mastroianni. That was very moving, not least because Italy had won and, of course, the Oscar is the highest prize in our career. It is amazing to be recognised by the American public. And what a public. When you go to the Oscars the whole of American cinema is there. So, it was moving, exhilarating, thrilling and enchanting. Really great. It was also quite funny because, of course, Fellini didn’t speak a word of English and so he tried to say something but the only thing he said that people understood was, “You just look at my wife, I’m sure she’s crying again!” And she was.

I was, however, lucky enough to work with another great Italian director, Vittorio De Sica. He really taught me everything I know – if know something about acting – because I never went to an acting school. I first met him at Cinecittà and a friend of mine said, “You know who that is?” and I said, “No.” I was 15. De Sica could tell I was Neapolitan from my accent. This was really the beginning of it all for me. He said, “I’m going to do a film called The Gold of Naples, so why don’t you come to the office in the week and we’ll talk.” So I went to see him and he said that he thought I was fine for the role he wanted to give me. The name of the character I was to play was Sofia, and he said that I was so good for the part: “You can leave tomorrow and we will start the film the day after that.” And that is how this wonderful relationship with him began. Then I met my husband Carlo, and we three did so many wonderful films together.

De Sica brought the best out of me because he had really high hopes. When he looked at me from behind the camera I could not disappoint him because he believed so much in me and he gave me the courage to rise to the challenge. We worked together for about 20 years, and all the films I made with De Sica (about 12 or 14 of them) are my favourites. It was a golden time for Italian cinema, and the films went all over the world because we had so many things to tell. If nothing happens in a country, what do you have to tell the public? If the life you’re leading as a country is not interesting, what do you say on screen? But after the War in Italy we had so many stories to tell – and the Italians love cinema. I was reminded of this when we were shooting Nine in Rome. There is a scene with Danny and me in an Alfa Romeo near the Piazza del Popolo. There were lots of people around. In Rome they adore movies and they all think they are actors, so as soon as they see a light going on a crowd starts to form. But it was a wonderful and friendly atmosphere because they were cheering and applauding. We had a wonderful time.

But we only shot in Rome for one day. Most of the filming was done in London. I’ve made so many movies there. I love London, its studios and recording rooms. You know, I did my recordings for Nine in the same studio as I did my recording with Peter Sellers. Of course, the studio is now more modern, cleaner and more up to date but, as I was working on Nine, I was also remembering the fun I had with Peter. So the memories going around in my head then were great. I was so happy.

- Legendary screen siren Sophia Loren

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