Francis Ford Coppola was filmed “trying to kiss young female extras” in shocking new footage from the Oscar-winning director on the set of his upcoming sci-fi film Megalopolis.
Earlier this year, in May, the 85-year-old filmmaker was accused of trying to kiss “topless and scantily clad female extras” during production of the film, which is set to hit theaters later this year on September 27.
And on Friday, Variety was given access to two videos shot by a crew member on the set of Megalopolis last February during the filming of a nightclub scene.
The clips show Coppola walking across a crowded dance floor full of female extras, as loud music blares from the speakers. She appears to be trying to kiss and hug a few of them.
The scene, which also features one of the cast’s leading ladies, Nathalie Emmanuel, was filmed at the Tabernacle concert hall in Atlanta, Georgia.
Francis Ford Coppola, 85, was seen ‘trying to kiss young female extras’ in shocking new footage of the Oscar-winning director on the set of his sci-fi epic Megalopolis; seen in Cannes in May
According to a call sheet also obtained by Variety, background actors playing female partygoers were “given permission for topless nudity,” while others were “given permission to be scantily clad.”
There were about 150 to 200 people on set to film the nightclub scene, including Coppola and other crew members.
Sources told the outlet that Coppola had acted with “impunity” on set and that he had also behaved “unprofessionally.”
An insider further claimed that Francis tried to approach the female extras during the filming of a scene and accidentally ended up in the frame.
“I’ve worked with some very important directors and that behavior is unusual. The only thing I’ve ever seen a director do is say, ‘Get energetic, guys,'” the source told Variety.
“I’ve never seen anyone on set, and that includes a cameraman, or even an actor, touch anything.”
The insider also claimed that at one point during filming of the scene, Coppola said into a microphone, “‘Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you, just know that it’s for my pleasure only.'”
Because there was no outside studio or streaming service involved in the production, there was no HR department during filming.
And on Friday, Variety obtained two videos shot last year by a crew member on the set of Megalopolis during the filming of a nightclub scene
And on Friday, Variety obtained two videos shot last February by a crew member on the set of Megalopolis during the filming of a nightclub scene; set to screen in Cannes in May
Another source explained, “Because Coppola was financing it, there was no HR department to keep an eye on things. Who were they supposed to talk to? Complain to Coppola and report Coppola to himself?”
Intimacy coordinators Samantha McDonald and Ashley Anderson did work on the film, but neither were on set during the nightclub scene.
McDonald told Variety: “I can’t really explain why they brought us in then and why they didn’t.”
A few months earlier, in May, a report was published by The guard described Francis’ behavior during the filming of the film in detail, quoting several insiders who “felt that Coppola could be ‘old school’ in his behavior toward women.”
Eyewitnesses told the newspaper that during production of a scene in a club, the famed filmmaker “came onto the set and attempted to kiss several topless and scantily clad female extras.”
The Detroit-born director, whose credits include the Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now (also a famously chaotic production), premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Darren Demetre, a producer on the film, explained to the media that Coppola was trying to set the tone in the room with his actions during the production of the club scene.
“There were two days where we shot a Studio 54-style party club scene where Francis walked around the set to enhance the mood of the scene by hugging and kissing the cast and background players on the cheek,” Demetre said.
According to Demetre, the filmmaker’s hugging and kissing of the performers was “his way of inspiring and creating the atmosphere in the club, which was so important for the film.”
Demetre, who said he was “one of the first assistant directors and an executive producer” on Megalopolis, added that he was “never aware of any complaints of harassment or misconduct during the execution of the project.”
Demetre said Coppola was successful in every way in making the film, which stars Adam Driver.
“I’ve worked with some really big directors and that behavior is unusual — the only thing I’ve ever seen a director do is say something like, ‘Great energy, guys,'” the source told Variety; seen in LA in 2022
Demetre said Coppola was successful in every way in making the film, which stars Adam Driver.
“Francis successfully produced and directed a massive independent film, making all the difficult decisions to ensure the film was delivered on time and on budget, while still staying true to his creative vision,” he said.
The Guardian report found that several crew members were unhappy with their experiences on the film’s set, with high turnover among the visual effects and art teams.
“It may sound crazy to say,” said one crew member, “but there were times when we all stood there and thought, ‘Has this guy ever made a movie before?’”
Another crew member said of the atmosphere on set: ‘We all knew we were involved in what could be a very sad end to his career.’
A crew member said the film’s creative process was frustrating and inefficient because of Coppola’s disorganization and his insistence on overseeing all aspects of the production.
“He would often show up in the morning for these big scenes. Because there was no plan and he wouldn’t allow his crew to make a plan, he would often sit in his trailer for hours, not talking to anyone, and often smoking marijuana,” the crew member said.
The crew member said that ‘hours and hours went by with nothing being filmed. And the crew and cast were all standing around waiting.
“And then he would come up with something that didn’t make sense, that didn’t match what others had said or what was on paper, and we would just go with it and try to make the best of it.”
The confused crew walked away every day “shaking their heads, wondering what we had done for the last 12 hours,” the crew member said.
While Coppola was busy making the film, he also had to deal with the illness of his wife Eleanor Coppola, who passed away in April of this year at the age of 87.
A few months earlier, in May, a report by The Guardian detailed Francis’ behavior during the filming of the movie, quoting multiple insiders who “felt that Coppola might be ‘old school’ in his behavior toward women”; seen in Hollywood in 2019
Another crew member said of the atmosphere on set: “We were all aware that we were part of what could be a very sad end to his career”; seen in Hollywood in 2022
Eleanor was present on the set of the film “until her illness made it impossible for her to be there,” a spokesperson told The Guardian.
In addition to Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel, Dustin Hoffman, Giancarlo Esposito, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Chloe Fineman and DB Sweeney have also been cast in the upcoming project.
The premise is this: “An architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia after a devastating disaster,” according to an official Summary from IMDB.
Coppola not only directed Megalopolis, but also wrote the screenplay and financed the film himself with a whopping budget of $120 million.