director of ‘The Godfather’ Francis Ford Coppola He reportedly has an “old fashioned” approach to filmmaking and women.
His most recent and possibly final film, “Megalopolis,” premiered at Cannes last month. Before that, reports of disturbances on set began to emerge.
The Guardian published a report in May alleging a number of behind-the-scenes issues, including his behavior toward several female cast members.
Multiple sources told the outlet that Coppola may be “old school,” having allegedly forced women to sit on his lap.
A report in The Guardian alleged that Francis Ford Coppola behaved in an “old-fashioned” way toward women on the set of his film “Megalopolis.” (Stephen Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
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They also claimed that while shooting a nightclub party scene, the 85-year-old tried to kiss some of the female cast members who were topless or in skimpy clothing. According to their claims, he was “trying to get them in the mood.”
In a statement provided to The Guardian, “Megalopolis” executive co-producer Darren Demetre said, “I have known and worked with Francis and his family for more than 35 years. As one of the first assistant directors and executive producer of his new epic, ‘Megalopolis,’ I helped oversee and advise the production and ran the second unit. Francis successfully produced and directed a huge independent film, making all the difficult decisions to ensure it was completed on time and on budget, while staying true to his creative vision.”
“There were two days when we shot the Studio 54-esque celebratory club scene where Francis walked around the set and lovingly hugged and kissed the cast and background players on the cheeks to establish the spirit of the scene. It was his way of inspiring and helping to establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was not aware of any complaints of harassment or bad behavior during the project.”
Representatives For Coppola There was no response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the report.
In a statement to The Guardian, “Megalopolis” executive co-producer Darren Demetre said Coppola “walked around the set affectionately hugging the cast and background actors and kissing them on the cheeks to establish the emotion of the scene.” (Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images)
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Coppola’s account was recently published in The New York Times, and she was asked about The Guardian’s report.
He began talking about his mother, Italia, first noting that she resembles Hollywood glamour icon Hedy Lamarr and then adding, “But my mother told me that if you make a move on a woman, it means you’re disrespecting her, and the girls I had crushes on, I definitely didn’t disrespect them.”
Coppola further stated that one of the “girls” whose cheeks he kissed was photographed by his father, who said he had “known her since she was 9.” The article does not make it clear whether he was referring to the girl he had a childhood crush on or a woman on set whom he allegedly kissed.
“I’m not sentimental. I’m very shy,” Coppola told the outlet.
“I’m not sentimental. I’m very shy,” Coppola told The New York Times when asked about The Guardian’s report. (Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Megalopolis” is Coppola’s first film in 13 years and 23rd overall. He spent $120 million of his own money on the epic and has been working on it for decades.
Set in a futuristic New York, the film follows an architect, played by Adam Driver, who has grand dreams of a more harmonious metropolis that is also capable of starting and stopping time.
The film also stars Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LaBeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza and Nathalie Emmanuel.
According to the Associated Press, Reviews from Cannes It ranges from “a huge stupidity” to “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Francis Ford Coppola and Adam Driver (Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
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The Guardian’s report also details the years-long process of bringing the film to life, including the collision between his most classical approach, “finding the magic in the moment,” and the needs of modern digital and CGI filmmaking.
“I think Coppola still lives in that world where as a writer you’re the only person who knows what’s going on, and everybody else is just there to do what he tells them to do,” a crew member, who asked not to be named, told the outlet.
Other crew sources reported that Coppola’s vision was constantly changing, making visual effects preparation and collaboration difficult.
Another crew member spoke of his waste of time on set, with sources claiming he was dedicated to using practical effects rather than digital ones, and “literally took half a day to do something that could have been done in 10 minutes.”
Other reports in The Guardian alleged that Coppola and some members of his technical team did not work well together. (ANGELA WEIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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In January 2023, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the entire visual effects team was either fired or quit in December 2022, followed by the resignation of some other key positions such as the production designer and supervising art director.
Filming for “Megalopolis” was completed in March last year and is dedicated to Coppola’s late wife. Eleanor Coppola.
A US release date has not yet been set as the film seeks domestic distribution, though it has already been purchased in some European territories.
