French actress Catherine Deneuve was booed during a stage performance in Italy by people demanding a refund.
Deneuve, 65, and Italian actor Michele Placido performed a reading in French and Italian at the cultural festival in Marina di Pietrasanta, Tuscany, which was greeted by whistles and boos, the ANSA news agency said Thursday.
Police had to intervene to calm down about 200 people shouting, "Thieves! We want our money back," ANSA said. Organizers responded by offering free tickets to another show at the La Versiliana festival as compensation, the news agency said.
ANSA said Deneuve declined to comment, while Placido, who also is a director, downplayed Wednesday's incident.
"These things happen," he told SkyTg24 TV channel. Placido also suggested it might have been "a mistake" to have Deneuve read her part in French without subtitles.
The two actors performed a reading from George Perec's book "Je me souviens" (I Remember) — a recollection of memories from postwar decades accompanied by music.
Deneuve was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 1992's "Indochine."