His father's background helped his career: the elder Bertolucci had helped the Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini publish his first novel, and Pasolini reciprocated by hiring Bertolucci as first assistant in Rome on Accattone (1961).
Očeva pozadina pomogla mu je u karijeri: stariji Bertolucci pomogao je talijanskom filmašu Pieru Paolu Pasoliniju da objavi svoj prvi roman, a Pasolini je uzvratio angažiravši Bertoluccija kao svog pomoćnika u Rimu na filmu Accattone (1961.).