The Venice Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. So of course, every year we expect stars to come and light up the 11 days of competition. After a gloomy 2023 due to the absence of big names in cinema due to a strike in Hollywood, it was necessary to make an impression from the first day. Who better than Monica Bellucci to launch this 81st edition? The actress is at home in Italy and is here to defend a highly anticipated film Bettlejuice Bettlejuice by her partner Tim Burton. The actress continues to fascinate and attract attention. We decipher why.
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Monica Bellucci will celebrate her 60th birthday on September 30. While some women have a hard time dealing with the changes in their body and face, the Italian actress accepts them. She talks about it publicly and doesn’t hide anything: “I see that I have wrinkles, around my eyes, everywhere. Ten years ago, I didn’t have them. I see my face that has changed on screen. I look at it with compassion. I don’t say to myself: oh my God, it’s monstrous,” she declared in 2017. Monica Bellucci did not, however, close the door to cosmetic surgery. “Maybe in ten years, I will be monstrous and I will have changed my mind, because I will have too many wrinkles. But for now, I can deal with it. […] We should do what makes us feel good. Plastic surgery is there. If it makes us happy, why not do it?
Since her debut in cinema, Monica Bellucci has given the image of a free woman who fully assumes her choices, whether in her films or in her public appearances. The Italian actress dares without worrying about the gaze of others. She does not hesitate to wear outfits, which according to society’s standards, would no longer be intended for women of her age but for a younger female audience. She sports elegant necklines, slit dresses and proves that a woman who is almost 60 years old remains glamorous, daring but also desirable. Proof that she accepts her body and the changes that come with it, she posed almost 20 years ago for the Italian version of Vanity Fair pregnant, revealing her rounded belly to everyone. An image that we see more in 2024 but which was avant-garde at the time.
What also gives Monica Bellucci her aura is her beauty. The years go by, but she seems to become more and more beautiful with time. Her beauty seems eternal. It is highlighted in her films and the advertising campaigns in which she is the muse. She has been one of the faces of the Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana for many years. She was also an ambassador for the Dior and Nivea brands. We have the impression that time does not seem to have any effect on the actress. Beauty in Monica Bellucci goes beyond her physical appearance. What we also like is this form of serenity that emerges during her appearances and her speeches, always calm and honest. She recently confided in Madame Figaro about her two late pregnancies at 40 and 45 years old: “I don’t think I’m a good example, because I took enormous risks. But when I was younger, it simply wasn’t possible. I protected myself from a burden by having my children late, with a job that allowed me to take them with me to the sets, as long as it was possible. But it was a luxury.”
Monica Bellucci is at the Venice Film Festival to present Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the festival’s opening film. The feature film is directed by Tim Burton, her partner for almost two years. They met at another festival, the Lumières festival, which is held every fall in Lyon. They finally made it official in February 2023. The announcement of this new couple had caused a lot of talk. Seeing one of the most talented directors of his generation live a love story with one of the most charismatic actresses is bound to attract attention.
Since then, Monica Bellucci and Tim Burton have not hesitated to walk the red carpets hand in hand, as at the Rome Film Festival last October. Their romance goes beyond the private sphere since the actress is now part of Tim Burton’s cinematic universe thanks to her role as Dolores in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The lovers are now part of the it-couple, these essential couples of the moment. And that feels good. It-couples are often young partners in their twenties or thirties. We think of Justin and Hailey Bieber or Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner. Monica Bellucci and Tim Burton prove that it is possible to find love at 60 and live a beautiful story. Just like in the movies.
