The 85-year-old filmmaker has been accused of inappropriate behaviour while working on the set of his self-funded sci-fi epic, 'Megalopolis'.
ADVERTISEMENTPrior to the premiere of his latest epic Megalopolis at Cannes Film Festival, veteran filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather) faced reports that that he ran a chaotic set, which included him smoking marijuana, leaving cast and crew stranded for direction, and behaving in “an old school manner” with female extras on set.
Now, two videos obtained by Variety have emerged, showing the director attempting to kiss female extras on set. The videos were reportedly taken by a crewmember.
The famed director can be seen roaming around a bacchanalian nightclub scene, approaching multiple female extras dancing in minimal clothes, and hugging and kissing them.
These videos seem to confirm a report from The Guardian earlier this year, which detailed similar inappropriate behavior. According to one source, after several takes, Coppola addressed the cast over a microphone, saying: “Sorry if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.”
At the time, Coppola denied the allegations, telling The New York Times: “I’m not touchy-feely. I’m too shy.”
Megalopolis executive co-producer Darren Demetre also refuted the claims, stating: “I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behaviour during the course of the project."
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "There were two days when we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque club scene where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players. It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behaviour during the course of the project.”
Megalopolis, the dystopian drama which received a mixed response from audiences at its premiere in Cannes, stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, an architect-scientist dedicated to improving a fictional version of New York City known as New Rome. The cast also includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jon Voight.
Euronews Culture's resident film critic David Mouriquand was certainly not a fan, describing it as "one of the most hubristically misguided and awful passion projects" he'd ever seen.
After a months-long search for a distributor, Megalopolis was finally acquired by Lionsgate in June and is set to hit cinemas on 27 September 2024.
