Francis Ford Coppola, 85, accused of trying ‘to kiss topless and scantily clad female extras’ on set of his forthcoming film Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola is accused of trying to “kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” who worked on his upcoming film Megalopolis.

A report published on Tuesday by The guard detailed the Oscar-winning director’s, 85, behavior during the making of the film, citing multiple insiders who “felt Coppola could be ‘old school’ in his behavior toward women.”

Eyewitnesses told the network that during the production of a scene in a club, the famous filmmaker “came to the set and tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras.”

The Detroit-born director, who made both The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now (which also had a famously chaotic production), will premiere the film at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

Darren Demetre, a producer on the film, explained to the network that Coppola had tried to set the tone for the audience with his actions during the production of the club scene.

“There were two days where we shot a festive Studio 54-esque club scene in which Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving friendly hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players,” Demetre said.

Demetre said the filmmaker’s hugging and kissing of performers was “his way of helping inspire and establish the club atmosphere that 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 complaints of harassment or bad behavior during the course of the project.”

Demetre said Coppola was successful in his performance in all aspects of the making of the film, which stars Adam Driver at the helm of an ensemble cast.

“Francis successfully produced and directed a massive independent film, making all the tough decisions to ensure it was delivered on time and on budget, while staying true to his creative vision,” he said.

The Guardian’s report found that several crew members were dissatisfied with their experiences on the set of the film, which saw significant turnover in the visual effects and art teams.

“It sounds crazy to say it,” said one crew member, “but there were moments when we all stood there thinking, ‘Has this guy ever made a movie before?’

Another crew member said of the atmosphere on set: “We were all aware that we were taking part in what could be a very sad end to his career.”

Coppola was photographed with fellow filmmakers Oliver Stone, Brett Ratner and James Toback in LA in July 2008. Ratner and Toback have not directed films since facing sexual misconduct allegations in 2017 amid the rise of the #MeToo movement

Coppola – who was described by some insiders as “old school” in his behavior around women – was pictured with Rosanna Arquette and James Toback at the event.

Coppola’s new film stars Adam Driver at the helm of an ensemble cast

One crew member said the creative process for the film was frustrating and inefficient amid Coppola’s disorganization and insistence on oversight of all aspects of production.

One crew member said the creative process for the film was frustrating and inefficient amid Coppola’s disorganization and emphasis on oversight of all aspects of production.

‘He would often show up in the morning before these big sequences and because there was no plan in place, and because he wouldn’t allow his staff to draw up a plan, he would often sit in his caravan for hours. at the end, didn’t talk to anyone and often smoked marijuana,” the crew member said.

The crew member said that “hours and hours would go by without anything being filmed. And the crew and cast were all waiting.

“And then he came out and came up with 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 went along with it, trying to make the best of it to make.’

Every day, the confused crew “walked away, shaking our heads, wondering what we had been doing for the last twelve hours,” the crew member said.

While making the film, Coppola also had to deal with the illness of his wife Eleanor Coppola, who died last month at the age of 87. Eleanor was present on the set of the film “until her illness prevented her from being there,” a spokesperson told The Guardian.