News

Now, it’s time for late actress Maria Schneider’s story to be fully shared onscreen.

Schneider, who famously starred in controversial “Last Tango in Paris” at age 19 alongside Marlon Brando, is portrayed by “Happening” breakout Anamaria Vartolomei in biopic “Being Maria.” Originally titled “Maria,” the film is adapted from the memoir “My Cousin Maria” by Vanessa Schneider. Molly Ringwald wrote the English translation for the book, which detailed Schneider’s life after filming an exploitative simulated rape scene for “Last Tango in Paris” in 1973. Per the memoir, “Last Tango in Paris” director Bernardo Bertolucci did not tell Schneider the full extent of the film’s plot until right before production.

Matt Dillon portrays Schneider’s “Last Tango in Paris” co-star Brando, with Giuseppe Maggio as Bertolucci. Yvan Attal, Marie Gillain, Stanislas Merhar, Céleste Brunnquell, Jonathan Couzinié, and Alexis Corso co-star. The film, which debuted at Cannes and will make...

Matt Dillon is taking on the legacy of Marlon Brando for a biopic about the making of Bernardo Bertolucci’s controversial “Last Tango in Paris.”

Dillon portrays Brando alongside Anamaria Vartolomei as Maria Schneider for Jessica Palud’s upcoming “Maria,” which is set to debut at Cannes later this week in the Cannes Premiere section. “Maria” follows Schneider’s life after starring in “Last Tango in Paris” at age 19, during which she filmed an unsimulated rape scene with Brando in 1973 at director Bertolucci’s (Giuseppe Maggio) instruction. The film is based on Vanessa Schneider’s 2018 memoir “My Cousin Maria Schneider,” which was translated by Molly Ringwald.

Per the memoir, Bertolucci did not tell Schneider the full extent of the film’s plot until right before production. Schneider allegedly was unaware of the pivotal scene in which Brando’s character anally rapes her character using a stick of butter as lubricant.