It's amazing. I've made 50 films in my career and Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972) is 35 years old, but it's still the one that everyone asks me about. Show less «

[on Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)] I felt very sad because I was treated like a sex symbol, I wanted to be recognized as an actress, and the whole scandal and aftermath of the film turned me a little crazy and I had a breakdown. Show less «

[asked why she backed out of Caligola (1979)] I am an actress, not a prostitute!

[on the response of the French press to her being chosen as guest of honor at Créteil Films de Femmes 2001] Very interesting. Because finally after I've been doing this now for 30 years, finally I find some cheerful articles, and you know people kind of understand me better now today than they used to. Because the media threw stones at me. When you read the articles back in the 1970s they were terrible back then. And now seeing the kind of choices I made, they kind of understand me better. And respect me better, maybe it's the age, I don't know. Show less «

I've not really forgiven him [Bernardo Bertolucci] for the way he treated me and although we met in Tokyo 17 years ago [in 1990], I ignored him. Plus, he and [Marlon Brando] made a fortune from the movie and I made about £2,500. And Bertolucci was a Communist, too! Show less «

When I read "Last Tango In Paris", I didn't see anything that worried me. I was 20. I didn't want to be a star, much less a scandalous actress--simply to be in cinema. Later, I realized I'd been completely manipulated by [Bernardo Bertolucci and [Marlon Brando]. Show less «

[asked if the the sex scenes in Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972) were real] Not at all. There was no attraction between us. For me, he was more like a father figure and I a daughter. Marlon Brando said to me, 'You look just like Cheyenne (his daughter Cheyenne Brando, who committed suicide in 1995) with your baby face". He gave me advice about the movie industry. When I celebrated my 20th birthday during filming, my trailer was filled with flowers and there was a note saying, "From an unknown admirer". We stayed friends until the end, although for a while we couldn't talk about the movie. Undoubtedly, my best experience about making the film was my encounter with Marlon. Show less «

It is not so easy for actresses over 50, and the irony is that when a woman gets old enough to have something interesting to say, people don't want to hear her speak. Show less «

Marlon Brando was shy about his body, but nudity wasn't a problem for me in those days as I thought it was beautiful. Show less «

I almost refused to do the film [Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)]. I had an offer to star in another film, with Alain Delon, but my agency, William Morris, said: "It's a leading role with Marlon Brando--you can't refuse". I was so young and relatively inexperienced and I didn't understand all of the film's sexual content. I had a bit of a bad feeling about it all. Show less «

I like to see friends and go to the market and cook. But I never use butter to cook any more. Only olive oil. Show less «

[on the butter scene in Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)] That scene wasn't in the original script. The truth is it was Marlon Brando who came up with the idea. They only told me about it before we had to film the scene and I was so angry. 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 . . . Marlon Brando said to me, "Maria, don't worry, it's just a movie", but during the scene, even though what Marlon was doing wasn't real, I was crying real tears . . . I felt humiliated and to be honest, I felt a little raped, both by Marlon and by Bernardo Bertolucci. After the scene, Marlon didn't console me or apologize. Thankfully, there was just one take. Show less «

[Bernardo Bertolucci] is more of a gangster than a movie director. He's one of my enemies.

I wanted to paint, and I studied Latin and Greek. I was a good student, I wanted to make excavations and illustration for children's books, because it is an artistic craft. My mother was a librarian. I was living with her. Then there was May 68 and while my brother became bourgeois, a physician, and demonstrated with red flags, I cried because I could not study. I had quite a violent conflict with my mother, so I left home at fifteen and a half. I earned my living by selling drawings and illustrations for restaurant menus. I have also been a young model for jeans. Show less «