In December 2016, famous Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci got a lot of attention when a 2013 interview went viral. In the interview – which was published or translated in early December 2016 – Bertolucci admitted to conspiring with Marlon Brando to rape Brando’s costar on-film during filming of Last Tango In Paris. Brando’s costar was Maria Schneider, who was then only 19 years old. She thought she was going to be filming a difficult sex scene. The men “surprised” her by raping her with a stick of butter. We covered the issue here and here.

It felt like that pre-MeToo story was a long time coming, and that it had irrevocably tainted Bertolucci’s legacy as a director, and tainted his filmography. Like, he was already canceled, you know? But now Bertolucci has to remind everyone why they canceled him. This ancient old pervert.

Bernardo Bertolucci criticized fellow filmmaker Ridley Scott’s decision last year to replace Kevin Spacey in All the Money in the World with Christopher Plummer after Spacey was accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen men. During the world premiere of his restored film Last Tango in Paris on Saturday night at the Bari International Film Festival, Bertolucci had harsh words for Scott.

Bertolucci said that when he learned Scott had agreed to erase all of Spacey’s scenes in the film, his first reaction was to message Scott’s frequent editor Pietro Scalia, “to tell Scott that he should be ashamed,” said Bertolucci, who thought Scott was succumbing to pressure.

“And then I immediately wanted to make a film with Spacey,” continued the director, to much applause from the audience.

Bertolucci clarified that he agrees completely with the #MeToo movement and praised it for bringing awareness to violence against women around the world.

Bertolucci has been criticized over the years for revealing that crucial details of Last Tango’s butter rape scene involving Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider were withheld from the young actress until the actual shoot in order to elicit a more outraged reaction from her. The helmer admitted he had been horrible to Schneider at the time but denied feeling any regret over his actions. Schneider admitted years later that she felt “a little raped, both by Marlon and by Bertolucci,” and said that had she known her rights as an actress, she would have called her agent or lawyer at the time.

Bertolucci again discussed Schneider and the infamous scene in Bari. “On the set, she was happy,” he said. “Do not believe on social media when they say it was rape: The butter scene was pure simulation.” The filmmaker added that during the shooting, “Brando was very paternal and protective of her. There was a very good relationship between them.”

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

FFS, before her death, Maria Schneider said repeatedly that she felt raped, that she felt violated, that she didn’t give her consent, and that she was traumatized by what happened to her on that film. And now the only one of her rapists who is still alive is claiming that it was no biggie because she smiled on set a few times. But he supports #MeToo, you guys. He totally supports it, now let him tell you more about the time he conspired with Marlon Brando to rape a teenager.

As for the Kevin Spacey stuff… look, Bertolucci is clearly determined to be the absolute f–king worst. I tend to believe he genuinely believes he’s being a provocateur. He’s not. He comes across as senile. What bothers me is this: “…to much applause from the audience.” Yes, let’s applaud the old man who admitted conspiring to rape a teenager because he said he would love to work with an actor who was, by all accounts, a serial predator of young men and boys. Who were the people clapping at this? I need a list of names.

Photos courtesy of WENN.