I want to grow old gracefully like Sophia Loren, says Penelope

I never want to lie about my age. If I look around at the actresses I admire, they are all women who have not fought growing older, but embraced it and been proud of it - women like Sophia Loren or Audrey Hepburn. They all grew older and looked even more beautiful for it, and thats the way I want to be, too. I think that a lot of people become more beautiful as they grow older. I was very close to both of my grandmothers when I was growing up - they lived long into old age and they were always beautiful to me. They loved life and it showed in their faces. They are not here any more, but people you have loved never leave you completely. And the more I get to look like them, the happier Ill be. Of course, my face will change as I get older, but thats okay. I am happy with myself now, but I never look at myself in the mirror and say, 'Wow, Im pretty. I have a face that can change a lot, and if I need to look attractive for a film, then I can do that, but I can also look less attractive if I need to, and I dont mind. In Dont Move, for instance, I looked very ugly, and I didnt care. Looking beautiful all the time was not the reason why I became an actress. I hope that I will be able to work all of my life - even when I am older. Its easier to do that in Europe than in America, because in America it is difficult for older actresses to find work. But thank God we have people in Spain like my friend Pedro Almodovar, who will cast actresses of all ages and, if he likes them, he will keep on casting them until they are 80. Its much healthier than being obsessed with youth. To me, age is just a label, and I dont like labels. I am from Spain and I love my country, but all of us from all nations are here in the world together to share our cultures. I feel the same about religion. I was raised Catholic, but then I discovered Buddhism, and I used to have a boyfriend who was a Scientologist, and they are all good religions that help people. As far as Im concerned, you can have all three religions at once and its okay In the same way, I dont see why age should matter. The people who love me, love me for what I am. They love me for that mixture of things that makes anyone love another person, and those things will still be there when I am 40, 60 or 80. Its a good thing to be old. Because when you get older, that means you havent died yet, right? And when I do get older, I want to have the grace to be proud of it, not to lie about it or try to fight it. -Daily Mail

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