Abstract

Monica Bellucci is not only the most international Italian movie star, but also the one who, better than others, has succeeded in adapting her image to cultural changes without ever ceasing to embody the traditional model of the beautiful Italian woman. Both in fashion magazines and in films like Malena (G. Tornatore, 2000) or La riffa (F. Laudadio, 1991), Bellucci’s image evokes a typically Mediterranean femininity and her curves signify eroticism, fecundity and nourishment at the same time. The main objective of this article is to analyze not only the dynamics at work in the symbolic construction of Bellucci’s performance, but also the «expanded acting» (Jandelli 2013) of a star who, as such, establishes a relationship of mutual contamination with her characters. Indeed, Bellucci’s roles are not merely characters, because they contaminate her and in turn are contaminated by the actress.