Sophia Loren confronted O.J. Simpson in 1978 after he beat up his future wife Nicole Brown — and warned him to seek counseling before his temper spun completely out of control. The football great had battered Nicole so severely that her face was bruised and swollen. And Sophia — who was filming the movie “Firepower” with Simpson and James Coburn — was so upset that she ripped into him in a restaurant, even though others could hear!
“If this is how you treat women, you need to get help,” Sophia told Simpson. “You better see someone before you go too far!” The Italian screen goddess didn’t stop there — she bawled out Simpson on several more occasions and warned him: “You can’t go around hitting women!” a friend of the actress disclosed. “Sophia was furious and outraged by what Simpson had done. She tried to convince him that he needed to get psychological counseling to deal with his aggressiveness toward women…”
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The beating occurred in April 1978 while Sophia and Simpson were filming on the Caribbean island of Curacao. Nicole, then 19, had been dating the 30-year-old Simpson for almost a year. She flew to Curacao to join him — and got into a loud argument with Simpson in the casino at the Curacao Hilton hotel, said a "Firepower" insider who witnessed the scene.
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"I was sitting at a table when I became aware of Simpson speaking very loudly to this young, attractive blonde woman — Nicole Brown. "He yelled at her, 'I don't have to sit here and take this bullsh*t from you anymore!' Nicole walked rapidly out of the casino, right past me. She was obviously shaken. Her eyes were moist. Her lips were drawn tight. She walked to the elevators and disappeared upstairs, while O.J. remained at the gaming table.”
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"The next morning the hotel was abuzz with talk. I asked a bellman what was going on. He told me, 'Late last night, O.J.'s girlfriend came down to the lobby with a suitcase. She was crying and her face was bruised and swollen. She asked me to get her a taxi. She said she was going to another hotel and leaving for California in the morning. I asked her what happened and she said, 'O.J. beat the [crap] out of me.'"
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A source at the hotel revealed: "A room service waiter told me that as he passed along the corridor outside O.J.'s room the night of the argument, he'd heard O.J. shouting and yelling inside the room. He was cursing and calling out Nicole's name. The waiter said he heard frightening noises, like furniture being slammed."
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Edoardo Cardoso, who was a front desk clerk at the hotel at the time and is now chief bell captain, confirmed: "Nicole was supposed to stay longer than she did. She was with us only a few days when she suddenly packed up and left. I heard from others on the staff that O.J. beat her up — that was why she left and why she looked so bad as she departed."
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In the days after Nicole left, Sophia and Simpson were often seen together, said the insider — who asked the actress if she'd talked to Simpson about the incident. “She said she'd spoken to him a number of times. She told me, 'O.J. said he was madly in love with Nicole but there were times when she infuriated him by demanding his attention when he was busy. He said she didn't like to see him gamble.'"
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Sophia disclosed to the insider: "I told him he had to learn to control his temper. 'Men do not hit women,' I said. O.J. just sighed and said, 'I know, I know. But there are times when she makes me so angry I can't control myself.'"
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A head waiter heard Sophia scolding Simpson one day at lunch, the hotel source disclosed. "She said that in her Italian homeland, a man who beat a woman would be ashamed to show his face in public. Sophia told him, 'You need to get help.' O.J. just sat there staring into space and listening."
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The insider added: "If losing Nicole for the duration of filming had an effect on O.J., it wasn't apparent. Within a day or so he connected with another woman involved in the film. The relationship quickly developed into a torrid romance. But it cooled off as soon as shooting finished. The girl went to Europe — and O.J., as everyone now knows, returned to Nicole."
The beating occurred in April 1978 while Sophia and Simpson were filming on the Caribbean island of Curacao. Nicole, then 19, had been dating the 30-year-old Simpson for almost a year. She flew to Curacao to join him — and got into a loud argument with Simpson in the casino at the Curacao Hilton hotel, said a "Firepower" insider who witnessed the scene.
"I was sitting at a table when I became aware of Simpson speaking very loudly to this young, attractive blonde woman — Nicole Brown. "He yelled at her, 'I don't have to sit here and take this bullsh*t from you anymore!' Nicole walked rapidly out of the casino, right past me. She was obviously shaken. Her eyes were moist. Her lips were drawn tight. She walked to the elevators and disappeared upstairs, while O.J. remained at the gaming table.”
"The next morning the hotel was abuzz with talk. I asked a bellman what was going on. He told me, 'Late last night, O.J.'s girlfriend came down to the lobby with a suitcase. She was crying and her face was bruised and swollen. She asked me to get her a taxi. She said she was going to another hotel and leaving for California in the morning. I asked her what happened and she said, 'O.J. beat the [crap] out of me.'"
A source at the hotel revealed: "A room service waiter told me that as he passed along the corridor outside O.J.'s room the night of the argument, he'd heard O.J. shouting and yelling inside the room. He was cursing and calling out Nicole's name. The waiter said he heard frightening noises, like furniture being slammed."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Edoardo Cardoso, who was a front desk clerk at the hotel at the time and is now chief bell captain, confirmed: "Nicole was supposed to stay longer than she did. She was with us only a few days when she suddenly packed up and left. I heard from others on the staff that O.J. beat her up — that was why she left and why she looked so bad as she departed."
Photo credit: Getty Images
In the days after Nicole left, Sophia and Simpson were often seen together, said the insider — who asked the actress if she'd talked to Simpson about the incident. “She said she'd spoken to him a number of times. She told me, 'O.J. said he was madly in love with Nicole but there were times when she infuriated him by demanding his attention when he was busy. He said she didn't like to see him gamble.'"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Sophia disclosed to the insider: "I told him he had to learn to control his temper. 'Men do not hit women,' I said. O.J. just sighed and said, 'I know, I know. But there are times when she makes me so angry I can't control myself.'"
Photo credit: Getty Images
A head waiter heard Sophia scolding Simpson one day at lunch, the hotel source disclosed. "She said that in her Italian homeland, a man who beat a woman would be ashamed to show his face in public. Sophia told him, 'You need to get help.' O.J. just sat there staring into space and listening."
Photo credit: Getty Images
The insider added: "If losing Nicole for the duration of filming had an effect on O.J., it wasn't apparent. Within a day or so he connected with another woman involved in the film. The relationship quickly developed into a torrid romance. But it cooled off as soon as shooting finished. The girl went to Europe — and O.J., as everyone now knows, returned to Nicole."
