Hollywood horrified 'Last Tango' rape scene abused 19-year-old star Maria Schneider
Also in Tattle: Box office, Luke Cage, Britney Spears
FORTY-FOUR years after its X-rated release, Last Tango in Paris - the story of a mourning, middle-aged businessman seeking an anonymous sexual relationship with a young French woman - is making headlines again.
But for the wrong reasons.
A recently unearthed 2013 video interview with director Bernardo Bertolucci has led to outrage over what happened to actress Maria Schneider during the infamous butter rape scene.
Bertolucci said that neither he nor star Marlon Brando told Schneider of their plans to use a stick of butter during the simulated rape scene - a concept they came up with the morning of the shoot - because he wanted her to react "as a girl, not as an actress." He wanted her, he said, to feel "the rage and the humiliation."
Schneider was 19 at the time and largely unknown.
Brando was 48, a movie star for decades, coming off a starring role in The Godfather.
Schneider, who died in 2011 after a lengthy illness, spoke a number of times about the scene, even saying in a 2007 Daily Mail interview that she "felt a little raped" by Brando and Bertolucci.
"They only told me about it before we had to film the scene, and I was so angry," Schneider said. "I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script. But at the time, I didn't know that."
And no one cared when Schneider did speak up. The last decade, however, has led to a heightened sensibility about abuse and Bertolucci's words struck a chord on social media.
Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain tweeted that she felt "sick" that "the director planned her attack."
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar) called it "inexcusable."
"As a director, I can barely fathom this. As a woman, I am horrified, disgusted and enraged by it," DuVernay wrote.
Chris Evans (a/k/a Captain America) said it was "beyond disgusting," while Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, Pitch Perfect) said that she "used to get eye-rolls" when she brought the incident up to people previously and that she was "glad at least it will be taken seriously now."
Schneider said that the "whole circus" of suddenly being famous made her turn to drugs and she even attempted suicide a few times. She stayed friends with Brando until his death in 2004, but she said that "for a while, we couldn't talk about the movie."
Bertolucci and Schneider lost touch. He said in that interview, two years after her death, that he knew she hated him for life. And while he doesn't regret the scene, he said he does feel guilty about it.
Films all in the family
Two family-friendly films topped the post-Thanksgiving box office, with Moana bringing in $28.4 million and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them earning $18.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Moana, in only its second weekend in theaters and second weekend at No. 1, has grossed $119.9 million, while the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts has earned $183.5 million in three weeks.
The sci-fi mindbender Arrival took third with $7.3 million, while the WWII spy thriller Allied placed fourth with $7.1 million. Doctor Strange rounded out the top five with $6.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $215.3 million.
The weekend's only new opener, the micro-budget horror film Incarnate, fell short of modest expectations and took in only $2.6 million. The film, which stars Carice van Houten and Aaron Eckhart, was expected to earn in the $4 million range.
In limited release, the Jacqueline Kennedy biopic Jackie, starring Natalie Portman, earned $275,000 from five theaters. Another awards contender, Manchester by the Sea expanded to 156 theaters and brought in $2.4 million.
'Luke' who's back
Variety.com reports that Marvel's Luke Cage is officially getting a second season.
Netflix announced the news via social media on Sunday.
Luke Cage joins Daredevil and Jessica Jones as Marvel shows returning on the streaming service.
Next up for Marvel/Netflix are Iron Fist and The Defenders, which will join all four heroes together.
Mike Colter plays the bulletproof Luke Cage, co-starring with Rosario Dawson, Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, Alfre Woodard and Erik LaRay Harvey.
TATTBIT
* Britney Spears turned 35 on Friday.
Yeah, you're old.
- Daily News wire services contributed to this report.
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