After nearly 60 years, the infamous Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren photo that has the Italian star staring down the cleavage of Mariska Hargitay's mother has been explained!
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the woman who starred alongside Marcello Mastroianni in many films finally revealed what was going on inside her head during the infamous picture of Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren, which has turned into a celebrity classic over the past few decades.
In the Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren picture, the two iconic beauties of the 50s and 60s are shown at a fancy dinner table, in the middle of a party that Paramount Pictures had prepared for Loren in one of the first times she visited the United States.
Over the years, the photo has become famous for one reason: the look on Loren's eyes. The thing is, the now-famous Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren scene has the Italian Oscar-winning actress directly staring down Mansfield's pronounced cleavage, in a look that denotes a whole lot of shock.
In a move that has been described as "some serious side-eye" by The Huffington Post, the iconic picture of Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren shows off the beauty of both actresses, then on the prime of their charms. At the time, Loren was only 22 years old and Mansfield was barely a bit older, a gorgeous 24 year-old.
And charms they were, as Mansfield's breasts seemed just about to fall off her dress, which is why the Italian-bred and very serious Loren couldn't keep her eyes out of her at the party, marking this moment for eternity.
The party had been organized by Paramount Pictures to honor the Italian actress, after one of her very first films ever to be made in Hollywood, the 1957 film "The Pride and the Passion," which had her co-starring with Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant, with whom she supposedly had an affair during filming. Loren now tells the story about how every big name in Hollywood was there.
"Look at the picture. Where are my eyes?" Loren told Entertainment Weekly when she was asked about the famous picture "I'm staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I'm so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow-BOOM!-and spill all over the table."
Of course, the actress' retell of the famed Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren photo was bound to be full of funny remarks, in pure Sophia Loren fashion - a woman known for her very Italian bearing, making a lot of jokes and, of course, often talking with heavy gesturing.
While the Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren picture has become the stuff of legends, the Italian actress says it was mostly due to a very quick photographer that took advantage of the moment.
Still, regardless of her shocked face as she stared down the cleavage of her bombshell dinner mate at the party, Loren said she was amazed at the strength and star power of the famous blonde.
The interview where the Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren photo was discussed came about due to the fact that the famous Italian actress has just released her memoirs, entitled "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: My Life" in honor of the 1960s film "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow," which was directed by Italian film master Vittorio De Sica and was one of the many films where she shared the screen with heartthrob actor Marcello Mastroianni.
Decades after the original Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren incident, a beloved sitcom took the time to recreate the picture. Earlier this year, "Modern Family" paid its respects to the famous still by showing a scene featuring Julie Bowen and Sofía Vergara at a dinner event, with Bowen looking at Vergara with the same expression that Loren showed back in 1957!