Claudia Cardinale: Here’s what the Italian film icon looks like at 86 1
Initially turning down the offers, Cardinale explained in an interview, “It’s like a man. When he’s going after you, if you say yes immediately, after a little time he goes away. If you say no, he desires you for a long time.”
The reason she rejected most offers, was because she was pregnant.
But there was one producer whom she couldn’t refuse. Franco Cristaldi, a prominent Italian producer, credited with feature films from the 1950s to the 1990s, captured the interest of the young Cardinale and signed her under an 18-year contract.
There was also a personal contract, the pair married and Cristaldi, sculpting her into an Italian Brigitte Bardot, took full control, dictating her movie roles, hairstyle, weight, and social life.