'Casablanca' Star Ingrid Bergman's Grandson Tells All

Justin Daly is opening up about the scandal that nearly destroyed the career of his late grandmother, 'Casablanca' star Ingrid Bergman.

She was one of cinema's most beloved stars but even that was not enough to stop her from facing backlash after having a son with director Roberto Rossellini before formally divorcing her husband, Dr. Peter Lindstrom. In a tell-all interview with Fox News, Daly opened up about the 1950 scandal that tarnished his grandmother's reputation.

"Even the Senate tried to denounce her as a moral threat," he recalled after news of the ordeal broke. "The fact is, she fell in love … [And] the press took it out on her. It really affected her career. People said and wrote many cruel things about her. Her films were boycotted."

Daly said his grandmother was "incredibly disappointed" and heartbroken by how the public reacted. It hurt her and her career badly but at the same time, Bergman was not prepared to apologize for what had happened. "Career-wise, she paid a high-price. But she didn’t want to repent for falling in love," Daly said. "She was with my grandfather for [nearly] 10 years after that. And she waited a long time before she returned to Hollywood because she wanted to come back on her own terms."

In a 2015 interview with Reuters, Bergman's daughter, Isabella Rossellini, said that despite the backlash, her mother was able to find peace. "She was hurt by the scandal, she felt she paid such a high price for it but eventually it was resolved. She made peace with it," she said.

Bergman established herself as a Hollywood icon in the 1940s and appeared in dozens of films before passing away in 1982 on her 67th birthday from cancer. She worked for several years after receiving her diagnoses and did not let the disease slow her down. Looking back at those "busy" final years of her life, Daly said her passion kept her going.

"She loved acting and the people she connected with in that world," he said, "She only slowed down because of her health, but she loved working."

Although Bergman had an illustrious career that included appearances in various hit films, she was best known as Ilsa Lund in "Casablanca." Daly said he did not want his grandmother to forever be pinned to just that role. "I think [younger] audiences remember 'Casablanca,' but I don’t think they know her other films as well," he said. "She wasn’t your typical Hollywood blonde. And I’m not just saying this because I’m her grandson and I’ve always been proud of her, but she’s truly one of the greatest actresses who ever lived. Her films prove that."

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