A newly surfaced 2013 video of Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci confirms that the Last Tango in Paris filmmaker planned the movie’s controversial rape scene featuring then 19-year-old actress Maria Schneider without her consent or knowledge. According to Elle, co-star Marlon Brando was also involved in planning the scene. The 1972 film was given an X-rating for its explicit sex scenes.
Later in her career, Schneider became very vocal that she felt humiliated and violated by Bertolucci during the making of the movie. “I felt humiliated and to be honest, I felt a little raped, both by Marlon and by Bertolucci,” the star said in a 2007 interview. “After the scene, Marlon didn’t console me or apologize. Thankfully, there was just one take.”
In the video, Bertolucci explains that for the scene he “wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress.”
Schneider, who later in life suffered from mental illness, drug addiction, and attempted suicide in the ‘70s, died in 2011. Bertolucci’s most recent film, Me and You, was released in 2012.
Please use discretion before watching the video or trailer.