Sophia Loren admires Queen Elizabeth’s "resilience".
The 85-year-old actress is a huge fan of the British monarch and is particularly impressed by her ability to just "get on with it" when she’s faced with adversity.
She said: "What I love about the Queen is her resilience in the face of adversity, her aplomb, her ‘taking it on the chin-ness’. Her courage to get on with it. I admire those qualities in people and I admire it in the Queen."
Sophia is also an avid watcher of the Netflix series ‘The Crown’, which focuses on Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
The Hollywood veteran admitted to being blown away by the show’s "stunning" appearance.
She told the BBC: "First of all the series is so stunning looking, so lush.
"I was born and raised in poverty, so ever since I was a little girl growing up in Pozzuoli, I loved gowns and castles and the series is filled with both of them!"
Sophia thinks women are becoming increasingly influential within the movie business.
However, she also concedes that more work needs to be done in order to achieve true equality.
She said: "The industry has definitely changed for the better for women in my lifetime but there is still much more to do.
"The dream would be for people to be judged only on their skill and talent and not their gender – but for that to happen you have to level the playing field and create an environment where women get the time and the ability to practise their craft.
"That is why it is crucial to promote women and give them the opportunities in directing, writing and shooting films, all fields where men are and remain the predominant choice.
"But once we break that pattern and the playing field has been levelled, then may the best person win!"
Sophia Loren: I admire the Queen’s resilience
