‘James Bond’ Star Monica Bellucci’s (62) Mondino Portraits for Numéro Are Having a Second Life Online, and It’s Easy To See Why
Few stars have moved between fashion and film as gracefully as Monica Bellucci, and her long relationship with Numéro shows how much the French title values her. The Italian actress started out as a fashion model, working for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, before moving into Italian films and later American and French ones.
Her screen résumé spans decades and genres. She played Malèna Scordia in the Italian drama ‘Malèna’, took on Mary Magdalene in ‘The Passion of the Christ’, and played Persephone in ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions’. In ‘Spectre’, she became the oldest Bond girl in the franchise’s history.
This week, that legacy got a fresh spotlight when film account cinesthetic shared 2 images captioned simply as Monica Bellucci for Numéro Magazine. Posted on October 16, the pictures quickly passed 49,500 views, with one showing Bellucci in a sheer black gown against a weathered grey wall and another framing her among fruit and wine glasses.
The shoot isn’t brand new. Bellucci was photographed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino for the magazine’s September 2024 issue, wearing Dolce & Gabbana, as seen in a post from Numéro’s own Instagram. That edition, issue 247, carried the theme “Sensual” and hit newsstands and iPad on August 28, 2024.
The editorial came with real substance, too. It featured Bellucci’s reflections on her 30-year friendship with Dolce & Gabbana, while a fan gallery dedicated to the star credits the story’s creative direction to Babeth Djian, with styling by Irina, hair by John Nollet and makeup by Letizia Carnevale.
Monica Bellucci for Numéro Magazine 📸 https://t.co/ztn5RsvrLU
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) October 16, 2026
The timing of the original feature wasn’t random. Bellucci spoke with Numéro to mark the release of Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, and she discussed ‘Monica’, the Dolce & Gabbana book published by Rizzoli about their long collaboration. In that interview with Numéro, she said she felt honored that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana had decided to create the book to celebrate their friendship, and she recalled that Burton simply told her he was thinking of her for a key role in his film.
Mondino was already part of that world. Babeth Djian, editor of Numéro, oversaw the art direction of the large-format book, while Mondino created 12 portraits of Bellucci specifically for it.
Part of the appeal is how naturally Bellucci’s image keeps evolving. Over the past few months alone, she covered Elle France, shot by Branislav Simoncik, and appeared in an editorial for Harper’s Bazaar Spain’s October issue, photographed by Rocío Ramos.
Her film work hasn’t slowed either. In May, she walked the Cannes red carpet for Léa Mysius’ ‘Histoires de la nuit’, an adaptation of Laurent Mauvignier’s novel selected for the festival’s official competition. The film reached French cinemas on September 16.
Bellucci has also been candid about this stage of her career. Discussing that role, she reflected that growing older is actually an interesting experience for an actress, a perspective that gives these Mondino portraits extra weight as they circulate again.
Numéro clearly understands the enduring pull of its pages. Earlier this year, the outlet looked back at 15 of the actress’ most striking pictures across her career, noting how she has captivated audiences on film sets and in photo studios alike.
Which era of Monica Bellucci’s career do you find most captivating?
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