'Passionada'

'I'm going to miss this place'

(Published on July 25, 2001)

By Robert Lovinger, Standard-Times staff writer

Photography by Jack Iddon, Standard-Times chief photographer

(click on each photo to view caption)

      MATTAPOISETT-Sofia Milos perched on a rock at Ned's Point and looked out toward Buzzards Bay, where the sun was quickly setting. She exhaled slowly. "I'm going to miss this place. It's been amazing," she said, in a soft, Mediterranean accent that revealed her Italian-Greek heritage. Her voice and body language also hinted that "this place" may have less to do with SouthCoast and more to do with emotional geography and the character she has inhabited for two months. Only moments earlier, she spoke her final lines as Celia Amonte, the young, Portuguese widow who lives at the heart of "Passionada."  Now, after two months of shooting the $6 million, romantic comedy, she was finished. The crew applauded as she and lead actor Jason Isaacs completed a scene at water's edge. The cheering was followed by hugs all around, including a long and dear one for Ms. Milos from director Dan Ireland. Two days later, she would fly to Los Angeles, then home to Rome to begin a postponed sailing vacation with her boyfriend in Sardinia. But first, there was time to reflect on Celia, fado music, and being Portuguese.

     On May 12, only nine days before the first day of shooting, Mr. Ireland was still searching for his leading lady. In Rome, preparing for vacation, Ms. Milos got a call from her agent. "He said, 'I have a great script for you. It's totally your cup of tea.'" What could she say? The next morning she caught an 8 o'clock flight to New York. "On the plane, I read the script, I prepared four scenes, I cried and I fell in love with the story and with my character, completely." One day later, the spirited actress was in New Bedford, rehearsing to play the part of a Portuguese immigrant-a seamstress, fado singer, fisherman's widow and teenager's mother-who resists the idea of letting love back in her life. "There's laughter, tears, it's romantic, it's nostalgic, it's sensitive," she said. "There are so many colors." And while she has never played a Portuguese person before, she felt an immediate connection to the character and the culture. "It's the Greek in me. It's the Italian in me." The actress insisted that saying yes to "Passionada" had nothing to do with landing work before what was then a looming actors strike. "I would have taken this script no matter what," she said. "It's an amazing opportunity. I get to bring out so many things in me. There's so much passion."

     Among her fondest memories is entering the world of fado. "Wow! What an experience! It's not just about singing. There's so much about fado I could speak of. It is a culture in itself." Local fado star Ana Vinagre served as her musical coach. "She has just been unbelievable," Ms. Milos said. For so much more, there was Helena Marques. The executive director of New Bedford's Immigrants Assistance Center and a Portuguese immigrant herself, Ms. Marques was called in early to help with questions of Portuguese culture. She and Ms. Milos quickly became good friends. "The more we talked about our families, the more we clicked," Ms. Marques said. "The passion in her language and culture is very similar to the passion of my language and culture." Asked how she helped the actress, Ms. Marques said it had more to do with their friendship unfolding than in any specific lessons. "We hung out together. We did things. We talked." For Ms. Marques, it was critical that the movie portray the culture-and particularly Portuguese women-accurately and positively. With Ms. Milos' help, Ms. Marques said, it happened. "To have an actress care so much was very important. ... She would ask me: 'Is this the way you would behave?'" The two women had a strong hand in changing the name of Ms. Milos' character from "Sally" to the more Portuguese "Celia." They will stay in touch. "I feel like I've known her forever," Ms. Marques said. The feeling is mutual. "I absolutely fell in love with her," Ms. Milos said of Ms. Marques.

     The actress hopes that when people see "Passionada," they look inside "and realize that if something tragic happens to you, it does not mean that your future is set. It's what you want it to be." Now that she's experienced the Azores in New Bedford, she'd like to travel to the actual islands, she said. And did she eat any linguica while she was here? "I did," she said, demurely. "I'm sure it's not healthy for you, but it's absolutely delicious."

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