Sophia Bush Idolizes Penelope Cruz, Talks Fashion

Sophia Bush opens up for a Last Word interview in the OK! out  now. The One Tree Hill star, 27, is wearing a gorgeous pink frock.

Looking good seems to come naturally for the brunette beauty, but she looks to her idols when it comes to standing out.

“Penelope Cruz is so sensual and beautiful without ever being vulgar,” she tells me. “She’s stunning to me. I think she’s our modern-day Sophia Lauren. And Cate Blanchett is the best thing since sliced bread to me. She amazes me with her choices in her career and in fashion. I really think she’s amazing. I also really admire wonderful, kind of quirky beauties like Zooey Deschanel, who always owns her own little thing.”

Of course, Sophia’s got her own admirer in Mario Lopez.

“I really like Sophia Bush from One Tree Hill,” he tells me. “She’s cool. She’s pretty in a throwback, old-school movie star way. She portrays herself very much like a lady. She comes across very ladylike. She’s classy. She’s a classic beauty.”

Sophia must be pleased to know she’s catching flattery.

What’s her style mantra?

“Always having fun with it,” she tells me. “Putting on something that makes you feel great, whether you’re in the mood to be casual and throw on jeans and a v-neck t-shirt, or you want to get done up and put on a dress and the heels and throw the hair up in bobby pins. Regardless of what it is, you’ve gotta feel good. If other people are pushing you into fashion decisions, I don’t think that’s the way to go. That’s why I generally choose to dress myself.”

She continues, “What makes me feel most comfortable is feeling like I’ve been taking care of my body. It’s so important as an actor. For me as an actor, having healthy skin is just as crucial as having the big white smile. For me, when I’ve been taking care of my skin and really treating myself well in that way, I always feel good at events because I’m not worried ‘do I have to cover something up?’ or ‘do I have dark circles?’ if I’ve been loading up on my antioxidants, drinking my green tea, taking my Omega 3 fish oils. I know that all of that’s going to be taking care of, and it makes it easier to get ready, throw on the dress and then go have a good time and not be concerned about anything else. I don’t want to waste my time thinking about my appearance. I want to get ready and be done with it.”

The pix:

Pick up the OK! on newsstands now for a Last Word interview with Sophia Bush. The cover line is Britney Spears/"Oops, I Did It Again!”