But, by then, Bardot had already established her place in Cannes history; just like Marilyn Monroe — chosen for the poster of the festival’s 2012 edition without ever having been to France, let alone the south of it — she represented a moment in time.

Tom Cruise was last at Cannes in 2022, when the film festival gave him an honorary Palme d’Or and, in return, got one of the last bona fide Hollywood stars to grace their red carpet as he launched “Top Gun: Maverick.”