Francis Ford Coppola has been accused of trying to “kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” who worked on his upcoming film Megalopolis.
A report released Tuesday by The Guardian detailed the 85-year-old Oscar-winning director’s conduct during the making of the film, citing multiple experts who “felt Coppola may be ‘old school’ in his behavior with women.”
Eyewitnesses told the outlet that during the production of a club scene, the famous filmmaker “entered the set and tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras.”
The Detroit-born director, who made the Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now (which also had a famously chaotic production), is scheduled to premiere the film at the Cannes Film Festival this week.
Darren Demetre, the film’s producer, explained to the outlet that Coppola had been trying to set the tone of the room with his actions during production of the club scene.
Francis Ford Coppola, 85, has been accused of trying to “kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” who worked on his upcoming film Megalopolis. Photographed in 2022 in Los Angeles
“There were two days when we filmed a celebration scene in a Studio 54-style club, where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene giving friendly hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background actors,” Demetre said.
Demetre said the filmmaker’s hugging and kissing of the performers “was his way of helping inspire and establish the atmosphere of the club, which was so important to the film.”
Demetre, who said he was “one of the first assistant directors and executive producers” of Megalopolis, added that he was “never aware of any allegations of harassment or misconduct during the course of the project.”
Demetre said Coppola was successful in his execution in all aspects of making the film, which features Adam Driver leading an ensemble cast.
“Francis successfully produced and directed a huge independent film, making all the difficult decisions to ensure it was delivered on time and on budget, while staying true to his creative vision,” he said.
The Guardian report indicated that several crew members were dissatisfied with their experiences on the set of the film, which saw significant turnover in its art and visual effects teams.
“It seems crazy to say it,” said one crew member, “but there were times when we were all standing around wondering, ‘Has this guy made a movie before?'”
Another crew member said of the atmosphere on set: “We were all aware that we were participating in what could be a really sad end to his career.”
Coppola was photographed in July 2008 with fellow filmmakers Oliver Stone, Brett Ratner and James Toback in Los Angeles. Ratner and Toback have not directed a film since facing accusations of sexual misconduct in 2017 amid the rise of the #MeToo movement.
Coppola, who some insiders described as “old school” in his behavior with women, was photographed with Rosanna Arquette and James Toback at the event.
Coppola’s new film features Adam Driver leading an ensemble cast
One crew member said the film’s creative process was frustrating and inefficient amid Coppola’s disorganization and insistence on overseeing all aspects of the production.
One crew member said the film’s creative process was frustrating and inefficient amid Coppola’s disorganization and insistence on overseeing all aspects of the production.
“He would often show up in the mornings before these big sequences, and because no plan had been put in place, and because he wouldn’t allow his collaborators to put a plan in place, he would often sit in his trailer for hours at a time. In the end , didn’t talk to anyone, smoked marijuana often,” the crew member said.
The crew member stated that “hours and hours passed without anything being filmed. And the crew and cast would stand there and wait.
“And then he would go out and make up something that didn’t make sense, and that didn’t follow anything that anyone had talked about or anything that was on the page, and we all just accepted it, trying it.” to make the most of it.’
Daily, the confused crew “walked away shaking their heads wondering what we had spent the last 12 hours doing,” the crew member said.
During the filming of the film, Coppola was also dealing with the illness of his wife Eleanor Coppola, who died at the age of 87 last month. Eleanor had been present on the film’s set “until her illness prevented her from being there,” a spokesperson told The Guardian.
