Before the premiere of “Megalopolis” at the Cannes Film Festival last May, investigative journalists accused the film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, of behaving inappropriately toward some women on the set.
Eyewitnesses He told the Guardian newspaper: At the time, Coppola, 85, “came onto the set and tried to kiss some topless, semi-sheer actresses” while filming a scene in a nightclub.
Several sources told the newspaper that Coppola may be “old school” in his treatment of female cast members and actors, even pulling a few of them to sit on his lap.
Friday, Variety has obtained two videos. Which seems to confirm the witnesses’ claim about kissing.
The scene in question was filmed in February 2023 at the Tabernacle, a concert hall in Atlanta.
According to the call sheet reviewed by the agency, the extras playing the female park attendants “were approved to appear topless,” while others in the scene were approved to appear in semi-transparent clothing.
An insider who was present at the nightclub shoot told Variety that there were between 150 and 200 people on the set.
While Coppola was directing, he was allegedly constantly jumping in to kiss and hug various women, often inadvertently inserting himself into the shot and thus ruining it.
The source described this behaviour as “unusual”.
After several takes, Coppola allegedly took to the microphone and announced to everyone in the room, “Sorry – if I come near you and kiss you, just know that it’s for my pleasure only.”
The Guardian reported that the director’s wife, Eleanor Coppola, fell ill while filming “Megalopolis.” A company spokesman said she was on the set during the filming “until her illness prevented her from being there.” She died in April.
A source close to Francis noted that the film was on schedule and on budget despite Eleanor’s death.
Francis’s representative declined to comment on the videos and allegations of his behavior. Sixx also reached out to him for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
However, Francis appeared to deny the allegations last month when he The New York Times asked Regarding the Guardian report detailing the incident, he told the newspaper: “I’m not sensitive” because “I’m very shy.”
Meanwhile, co-executive producer Darren Demeter tried to defend the director in a statement in which he actually admitted to the physical touching.
“There were two days when we shot a Studio 54-style party scene, where Francis would walk around the set setting the mood by giving hugs and kisses on the cheek to the actors and background players,” he said in part.
“It was his way of helping to inspire and establish the atmosphere of the club, which is very important to the film.”
Dimitri added that he was “never aware of any complaints of harassment or misconduct during the implementation of the project.”
The Guardian report pointed to other unprofessional behavior by Francis on the set, who financed the entire $120 million project himself.
A source told Variety that crew members looked at each other nervously as Coppola kissed and hugged the extras, but no one openly objected or tried to intervene.
“Since Coppola financed the film, there was no HR department to monitor things,” a second source said. “Who were they supposed to talk to? Complain to Coppola and report Coppola to himself?”
Neither of the two intimacy coordinators who worked on the film were on set the day of the nightclub scene, with one telling the outlet, “I can’t really speak to why they chose to bring us in when they did and not when they didn’t.”
In the days following the scene, a production source said senior cast members became concerned about the kissing videos going viral, so they reminded everyone that their non-disclosure agreements stipulated that they would not share footage of any behind-the-scenes work.
Megalopolis will be released in theaters in September.
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