‘I don’t like to show weakness in public’

The Jakarta Post   |  Tue, 01/22/2008 3:08 PM  |  20/20

Actress Sophia Latjuba bid goodbye to a couple of longtime companions at the end of 2007. The onetime confirmed carnivore, who is currently studying for her degree in holistic medicine, decided to forsake meat and go green as a vegetarian. “It’s for ethical reasons, because I love animals and I learned about the ways they are raised,” says the mother of two. She also gave up her nerve-calming bad habit of smoking. “I guess I don’t have any vices anymore,” she quips. Her cause today is education for all; she says it comes from her own love of school and the pursuit of learning. Here she expounds on a holy childhood hero, her high anxiety and why stupid is as stupid does.

My first memory is ...
Crying on my first day in kindergarten in Germany, because I was in a different class from my cousin.

My childhood hero was ...
Jesus, because he looks so peaceful in all the images of him. And then after that Barry Gibb, because he looked a lot like Jesus!

In high school I was ....
Fun.

Friends describe me as ...
Naughty.

Describe yourself in three words.
That’s a tough one ... Helpful, sarcastic and fun.

I would never ...
Cry in public, I don’t like to show my weaknesses.

The proudest moment of my life ...
Having my two kids.

I laugh at ...
Stupidity.

And cry at ...
Stupidity!

My happiest moment was ...
There are so many. But my childhood, having two kids and getting married.

I always have with me ...
My wallet and my cellphone.

I look up to ...
My grandmother, she’s a tough woman and a good cook. She went through a lot and came through it.

Favorite food ...
Eastern European food, Austrian food. Home-style food.

Favorite place in the world ...
Vienna, they speak German, the food is great, the people are very classic and it’s full of culture.

A perfect weekend is ...
Dinner at home with friends, and a couple of glasses of wine.

My greatest fear is ...
Flying. I make myself calmer by having a drink. I’ve tried every drug from the doctor to calm myself down – Valium, Xanex – but alcohol is the only thing that works for me. I fly a couple of times a year but only when I really have to.

Favorite song?
The Riddle by Nik Kershaw.

And movie?
Dead Poet’s Society. The first time I saw it was in Germany and it was like a cult thing, a cool thing to watch. And it has Robin Williams, who is one of my favorite actors. It’s very classic and full of poetry.

My wish for the world ...
Peace, of course! Do I sound like Miss Universe?

I still want to ...
Finish my degree and do something with it for other people.

I’d like to have drinks and a chat with ...
Charles Darwin, Da Vinci (not the furniture!) and Siddharta Gautama.

What is unforgivable ...
Nothing.

The ugly side of being beautiful is ...
Having to prove to people that you actually have a brain. And knowing who your true friends are. But I’m 37 so I’ve passed that last one. I’ve gone through a lot of things and I know who my real friends are now.

Do you fear aging?
Of course, knowing that my time on this earth is getting shorter.

I am thankful for ....
All the things I have.

Regrets?
I don’t regret the things I have done, but the things I haven’t done. That’s a line from some movie. [1995’s Empire Records].

How would you like to die?
Well prepared.

Thanks Sophia.
So, did I pass?

You sure did.

+ Bruce Emond

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