‘Scorchy’ Greta Scacchi, 62, happy to be ‘just a character’ instead of ‘the pretty one’ – as she stars as a widowed English nurse in crime-fighting series Darby And Joan
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She earned the nickname ‘Scorchy Scacchi’ for performing raunchy nude scenes in her heyday.
But more than 30 years later, actress Greta Scacchi is relieved that she no longer feels the pressure to look good.
The Italian-Australian actress, 62, said she can now be “just a character” instead of “the beautiful one.”
In her final role, Miss Scacchi plays Joan, a widowed English nurse in the crime series Darby And Joan, alongside 75-year-old Bryan Brown.
Speaking to Weekend magazine, she said: ‘I’m pretty happy to be there myself, at that age. It has been a relief for the past 20 years not to have any pressure on me to be the beautiful one. Now I can just be a character.”
She said she was happy with a role that “doesn’t require me to cartwheel like I’m younger” and added that the 50-year-old is no longer “starved for attention” on screen.
Greta Scacchi (right) stars in her new role in Darby And Joan with co-star Bryan Brown (left)
Miss Scacchi is famous for a topless scene with Charles Dance in White Mischief and nude in movies like Heat and Dust and A Man in Love.
She said she found turning 50 “liberating” but admitted that she once considered anyone over 40 a “disgrace.” “I remember when I was 25 I thought anyone over 40 was a disgrace and wondered if people didn’t realize how obnoxious they were,” she said.
“Then I turned 50 and found there’s something very liberating about realizing that you have more of your life behind you than ahead of you. It helps you see your priorities.’
Greta Scacchi (1978) earned the nickname ‘Scorchy Scacchi’ for performing raunchy nude scenes
Miss Scacchi previously spoke out about the taboo surrounding aging in show business and once revealed that a director didn’t recognize her from her early years.
She told the Mail On Sunday: ‘That was a low point. Being unrecognizable as yourself is disturbing.’
Miss Scacchi was in a four-year relationship with Italian-American actor Vincent D’Onofrio. The couple has a daughter, actress Leila George, who is 30.