Monica Bellucci on her role in 7 Dogs and working in Saudi Arabia

Italian actor Monica Bellucci will play antagonist Julia Leone in the upcoming Arabic action film 7 Dogs, which releases in Indian theatres on August 21. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the film stars Bellucci alongside Egyptian actors Karim Abdel Aziz and Ahmed Ezz, as well as Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Martin Lawrence and Giancarlo Esposito.

Bellucci described Julia Leone as a powerful crime figure who operates across Europe, calling the role a new experience due to the action sequences. "I am not used to action scenes, so it was a kind of new experience. It was fun and interesting to play this woman in power and control," she said. She added that she chose to understand the character without judging her actions.

The film marked Bellucci's first time working in Saudi Arabia, where she said the studio was huge and the organisation impressive. She praised the directors for bringing energy to the set and described the film as a mix of action, thriller, and comedy with a comic-book visual style. The story follows a police officer and a temporarily released criminal working together to take down a syndicate.