LONDON: Several crew members on Francis Ford Coppola’s” Megalopolis” have alleged that the veteran filmmaker tried to “kiss some of the topless female extras” and make the team wait for “hours and hours” without filming anything.
The complaints, reported by Guardian, come weeks before the picture, fronted by Adam Driver, has its world debut at the continued Cannes Film Festival. Multiple sources told the publication that Coppola ( 85 ), best known for” The Godfather” trilogy and” Apocalypse Now”, was “old school” in his behaviour toward women.
” He reportedly pulled women to stay on his shoulder, for example. And Coppola tried to kiss some of the naked and scantily clad sexual extras while one hedonistic nightclub scene being shot for the movie, according to witnesses. He allegedly claimed to be” trying to get them in the mood” in the document.
These allegations were countered by Darren Demetre, an administrative co- manufacturer on” Megalopolis”, which is Coppola’s personal- financed love project. He told the UK- based release the director, 84, gave “hugs and hugs” to the cast and context people but no one ever complained.
Coppola would expend a lot of time away from the movie set, according to the staff members, Guardian. ” He would often just sit in his trailer for hours on end, would n’t talk to anybody, was often smoking marijuana”, one member said. Another said,” This sounds ridiculous to state, but there were times when we all thought: ‘ Has this person actually made a video before?'” On claims of incompetence, Demetre- who has worked with the director for 35 years- said Coppola” properly” mounted a large- budget indie film like” Megalopolis”. Contrapola himself has never made any comments on the assertions. PTI
