In a statement, released in Italian, the Oscar-winning director of The Last Emperor claimed that the reports were based on “a ridiculous misunderstanding”.
Bernardo Bertolucci has released a statement in response to widespread anger over an interview where he claimed to have conspired against a female actor in the filming of a rape scene in 1972 drama Last Tango in Paris.
It reads: “Several years ago at the Cinémathèque Française someone asked me for details on the famous butter scene.
Bertolucci also went on to add: “Maria knew everything because she had read the script, where it was all described.