Francis Ford Coppola admits to kissing women on Megalopolis set but denies allegations of unprofessional behavior

Just a month after reports and videos from the set of Megalopolis revealed that director Francis Ford Coppola behaved inappropriately on set, the filmmaker is speaking out.

The 85-year-old filmmaker, who self-financed the $120 million project, is alleged to have kissed extras and made some feel uncomfortable on set.

A few days later, two short videos surfaced showing the director kissing women during a nightclub scene in the film, which opens in theaters September 27.

The Godfather director has now finally responded to the many allegations in a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, in which he claimed that the original report of The guard was, ‘completely untrue.’

“If you read that piece, you’ll realize that regardless of who the sources were — and I honestly don’t know who the sources were — they’re the same people who provided quotes for that Hollywood Reporter article that said all these people were being fired or resigning, and there was a mass exodus and so forth,” Coppola said.

A few days later, two short videos surfaced that appeared to show the director kissing women — including Rayna Menz (above) during a nightclub scene in the film, which hits theaters on September 27.

“And the truth is they were looking for some kind of dirt. The young women I kissed on the cheek, in relation to the New Year’s Eve scene, were young women I knew,” he insisted.

The director added: ‘It’s all so ridiculous. Look at the timing of that article. It’s just before we premiere the film at Cannes. They’re just trying to damage the film.’

When asked why anyone would try to “damage the film,” Coppola explained that it is because he does not play by the “rules” set forth in Hollywood.

“There’s a tendency in Hollywood to say that if you play by our rules, you’ll have a better chance of success,” he began.

“Well, what about Francis? He doesn’t play by your rules.” “Well, look, what’s going to happen to him, he’s going to fail,” he said of those opponents.

“I’m trying to do something different here. Film is change. I mean, the films your grandchildren are going to make are not going to look anything like what we see now,” he said.

The initial report included a source who claimed that after kissing multiple women during the scene, Coppola said into a microphone, “Excuse me if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know that it’s for my pleasure only.”

Because Coppola financed the entire production himself, there was no involvement from the HR department or the studio.

There were intimacy coordinators on the film – Samantha McDonald and Ashley Anderson – although 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.”

“And the truth is they were looking for some kind of dirt. The young women I kissed on the cheek, in relation to the New Year’s Eve scene, were young women I knew,” he insisted.

The initial report included a source who claimed that after kissing multiple women during the scene, Coppola said into a microphone, “Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you, know that it’s only for my pleasure.”

One of the women featured in the two videos, Rayna Menz, released an Instagram statement saying, “None of the claims about @francisfordcoppola are true; it was an honor working with such a legend,” she wrote. “This video was shot on a CLOSED set that was forbidden from taking calls [sic] specifically for the safety of all actors. I am disgusted by these accusations and hope that everyone will see the truth for what it is’

However, another actress, Lauren Pagone (above), claimed he pulled her close and hugged and kissed her.

“I was in shock. I didn’t expect him to kiss me and hug me like that. I was overwhelmed. And I can tell you, he came over a couple of times.”

One of the women featured in the two videos, Rayna Menz, released an Instagram statement saying, “None of the claims about @francisfordcoppola are true; it was an honor working with such a legend,” she wrote. “This video was shot on a CLOSED set that was forbidden from taking calls [sic] specifically for the safety of all actors. I am disgusted by these allegations and hope that everyone will see the truth for what it is.’

However, another actress, Lauren Pagone, claimed that he pulled her towards him, hugged her and kissed her.

“I was in shock. I didn’t expect him to kiss me and hug me like that. I was overwhelmed. And I can tell you, he came over a couple of times.”

She added of Menz’s statement: “I don’t appreciate anyone speaking for me. I would never speak for that actress. I kept my mouth shut. I kept my mouth shut. But it’s frustrating that she’s saying, ‘Hey, it was great for everyone,’ when she doesn’t know what other people were feeling. You can’t speak for anyone but yourself. My experience was different.”