Sophia Loren says she is still living her dream

GENEVA, Switzerland, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Sophia Loren considers her life a fairy tale.

The 80-year-old actress said as much in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Wednesday. Loren has been involved in film for over 60 years, and told the publication she is still living her dream as an actress.

"When you are 20 years old, you don't think one day you will turn 80," she confessed. "But when you do, you still can't believe it. But of course, I have still the pleasure of going on with my dreams. You can still fall in love with your future."

Loren was born in Rome in 1934, and appeared in a number of Italian movies before landing a five-picture contract with Paramount Pictures in 1958. She went on to star in such films as It Started in Naples, Two Women and Marriage Italian Style, and has received numerous awards and nominations.

"I found when I went to see films at the cinema in Pozzuoli there were wonderful houses, beautiful dresses and great actresses," she recalled. "I didn't think that one day I was going to be one of them because I would have thought of myself as a crazy person."

"If you believe in life fervently, if you believe in yourself, one day or the other, something beautiful is going to happen," she related. "When I think about my story, sometimes I can't believe it's my own life."

Loren last appeared as Angela in son Edoardo Ponti's short film Human Voice. The actress released her first memoir, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life, on November 4, and will be honored at AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Wednesday.