From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 13 August

Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder, but for those who are being beheld, it is a different story.

IT is true, those who are blessed with perfect symmetry are more likely to achieve a result, regardless of their capacity.

Brad Pitt explained how, at the start of his career, he landed most every role for which he auditioned. Men and women were bedazzled by his physical beauty. His lack of expertise mattered little; consequently, he was less than brilliant in a string of films over a number of years.

Debbie Reynolds said of Elizabeth Taylor, “I don’t blame her for stealing my husband. It wasn’t her fault. She was so beautiful, men just followed her wherever she went.”

At the start of a Melbourne interview with Sophia Loren, the cameraman – to my astonishment, asked if she would mind removing her glasses. She declined, politely, explaining there would be a mark on either side of her nose from the where the glasses had been resting.

Curiously, when Loren was attempting to start-out in Italian films, directors said her mouth and her nose were too big, her eyes were too far apart, and she was not photogenic. Obviously, they knew nothing!

The late Jean Simmons was one of the most agreeable women. She was adored by everyone with whom she worked, including Marlon Brando in the film version of Guys and Dolls. Simmons always doubted her ability, and it was many years later before she could bring herself to look at her performance as Ophelia opposite Lawrence Olivier as Hamlet. She said, “I was surprised. I was bloody good!”

Typically, Simmons did not look at herself on the screen. Unlike her legion of fans, she could see only the imperfections.

Photographers at a Melbourne press conference for singer Julio Iglesias were moved, en masse, from one side of the room to the other. Iglesias believed his right profile was better than the left. It looked the same to us; however, we needed the interview, so they moved!

We are told beauty is only skin deep. While that may be true, often it is the expressed opinion of those who are less blessed; and while it is not the defining characteristic of a person, it is glorious to behold!

Roland can be contacted via [email protected].