It's a tried and true parental tactic to hold up an example of someone whose behavior a child should attempt to emulate, leaving so many of us with the question of why can't you be more like so-and-so rattling around our brains long after childhood ends. For film producer Regina K. Scully, the message was just a bit different than usual.

"My mom would say to me, 'What would Sophia Loren Do?'" Scully says now. "It was meant to remind me to always remember my values and where I came from." The advice from Scully's Italian immigrant mother not only served her well, but inspired a new short film, What Would Sophia Loren Do?, premiering January 15 on Netflix.