Isabella Rossellini admits she 'understands her Mama' Ingrid Bergman even better 40 years after her death
Isabella Rossellini paid tribute to her mother on Monday, August 29, which would have been the 107th birthday of the iconic Golden Era actress Ingrid Bergman. The Academy Award winner starred in timeless films including 'Notorious', 'Murder on the Orient Express', 'Casablanca', and 'Gaslight'. When the Hollywood star passed away from breast cancer at age 67, Rossellini, who so closely resembles her legendary mother, was just 30 years old.
Rossellini, 70, paid a heartfelt but humble tribute to her late mother on Instagram by posting a vintage black and white photo of the woman who raised her. She wrote, "Mama #ingridbergman was born today August 29th 1915 and died the same day in 1982. I miss and think of her every day." In an interview to People magazine, the 'Blue Velvet' actress pondered what she would like to tell her mother, expressing love, respect, and maturity as she acknowledged her mother's 40th death anniversary.
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Ressellini told People magazine, "If I could say anything to Mama, I would say, 'Thank you.' I think of her every day. When people pass, the relationship with the person remains at the moment when they passed. But they often don't evolve. But for me — 'as time goes by,' to quote Casablanca, I find myself understanding Mama even more. The admiration for my mom has augmented."
"Not admiration as an actress. That was always there, but just as a human being. I understood how hard she fought," Rossellini said. She talks about the controversy that erupted when the 'Casablanca' actress left her husband, doctor Petter Lindström, in 1950 to marry director Roberto Rossellini, violating social norms. The American public was incensed by the scandal. Senator Edwin C Johnson of Colorado referred to her as "a powerful influence for evil" and that she had "perpetrated an assault upon the institution of marriage."
Rossellini spoke fondly of her ambitious mother, "All that controversy and that attack, even the American Senate took a stand against my mom. And for her to stand her ground and say 'This is the man I want to marry. We're going to have three children.' She did have three children from my dad. That's pretty amazing, I think." Bergman gave birth to Roberto Ingmar Rossellini in February 1950, although she didn't marry the father of the child, Roberto Rossellini, until May of that same year. This was in the era when Hollywood stars who became pregnant without being married kept it a secret from the public.
The stunning Swedish woman went through a lengthy custody dispute for her daughter Pia Lindström and did not see her again until 1957, five years after the birth of twins Isabella and Isotta. The 'Green Porno' star said she now truly understands what it's like to be a working parent even though her mother was frequently gone from the house. "What I would really want to tell her is that I understand how difficult it must have been, to be working all the time," Rossellini said. "And I know that she felt guilty, as I felt guilty, for working. But I am the first one to tell my daughter, 'No, do not. It's an example to your children.' Independence comes first with financial independence." Rossellini said, "I remember, when she was filming, people would say, 'Your mother is working, are you feeling lonely?' 'Yes, I'm feeling lonely,' I would say. 'I want her to come home, I can't wait to have her home.' But, Mama, you gave me a gift. The gift of self-determination."