Interview with Ilona Staller (Cicciolina)!

Ilona Staller, internationally known as Cicciolina, was born on November 26, 1951, in Budapest, Hungary. She began her career as a model and performer, becoming famous in the 1970s and 1980s as a pornographic actress and sex symbol, with a strong presence in Italian media.

In 1987, she was elected as a Member of the Italian Parliament with the Radical Party, causing major international attention. Her political activity focused on freedom of expression, civil rights, and anti-militarism. Ilona Staller remains an iconic and controversial figure, balancing pop culture, provocation, and politics.

Interview with Ilona Staller – Cicciolina

Athenscalling.gr: How would you describe your childhood, and how much did it influence the person you are today?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I had a fairly happy childhood, even though we were not rich. My mother was a midwife and also had a second job to supplement her income, while my father worked as an official at the Ministry of the Interior. Since we didn’t have much money, at the age of 14 I started working as a photo model at the MTI agency. I was very beautiful, I earned well, and in this way I helped support my family financially.
Athenscalling.gr: How was “Cicciolina” born as a public and artistic persona?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I arrived in Italy in 1972. At first I lived in Milan and continued working as a photo model to support myself. I worked with an important agency and did advertising campaigns for Wella in France, for Laurent Perrier champagne, for lingerie, blue jeans, and cosmetics. In 1974 I left Milan and moved to Rome, to a small penthouse.
In 1975 Radio Luna was born, where I whispered words of love to listeners. The show “Do you want to come to bed with me?” was a huge success. That’s where my stage name was born: Cicciolina. I called all the listeners “cicciolini.”

Athenscalling.gr: What was the decisive moment in your career?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: From that moment on, journalists and major TV programs started looking for me. I worked for eight episodes on Rai 2 in the show “C’era due volte”, directed by Enzo Trapani. I was the protagonist and had extraordinary guests such as Peter Tosh and Riccardo Cocciante.

Athenscalling.gr: How did you deal with the criticism and attacks you received over the years?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: At a certain point I decided to try pornography as well. I liked the idea, but at the time many TV moralists harshly criticized me for what they considered a risky choice.
Athenscalling.gr: Can eroticism be a form of freedom and political expression?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: For me, eroticism is a form of art, freedom of expression, and also political. In those years I shifted the common sense of modesty. I performed many shows in the most important nightclubs, always sold out, singing with transparent veils, stage sets, and smoke effects. I recorded about 50 songs in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, which are still used today on TV and in clubs. As a child, I also played the violin, which I studied until the age of 13.

Athenscalling.gr: What pushed you to enter politics?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I have always been involved in politics. In 1979 I founded the Party of the Sun.
Athenscalling.gr: What role did politics play in your life?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: In 1987 I was elected with the Radical Party with about 20,000 votes. It was a worldwide success; all international newspapers talked about it. From 1987 to 1992 I served as a member of the Italian Parliament for five years, presenting around twelve legislative proposals and many parliamentary questions.
Athenscalling.gr: Today, with which party would you like to run?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: It’s hard to say. Maybe I would like to create a new free party, based on love for the people.
Athenscalling.gr: Do you think today a figure like Cicciolina would have the same impact?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I am still a global icon, a historical figure like Marilyn Monroe or Brigitte Bardot. Icons remain in history forever.
Athenscalling.gr: Is there anything you regret?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: In 1991 I married the American artist Jeff Koons, and in 1992 my beautiful son Ludwig was born in New York. Everything I have done in my life, I would do again. I have no regrets.
Athenscalling.gr: How do you see the role of women today?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: Today there is real female emancipation, and I am happy about it. Women have finally conquered their space.
Athenscalling.gr: What is your relationship with music?
Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I have recorded many songs and would like to record new ones as well. As a teenager I lived in Budapest, so I followed Hungarian music closely. A song I love very much is “Gyöngyhajú lány” by the band Omega.

Athenscalling.gr: What message would you like to leave to the new generations?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I love young people: they are full of energy and ideas, they are the future.
Athenscalling.gr: A message for Greece?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: I adore Greece and the Greek people, joyful and full of empathy. Maybe one day I will even find a husband in Greece I would love that. I love Greeks.

Athenscalling.gr: Future projects?

Ilona Anna Staller – Cicciolina: For now, they are top secret. I would like to do reality shows for TV networks around the world. I am a flower child, optimistic, I love nature and animals. I paint, I am active on social media, and I am preparing a new website to raise funds and create a major film about my life.