Many Megalopolis women extras have accused filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola of alleged harassment. Executive producer Darren Demetre told the Hollywood Reporter that he had never heard of these issues.
An article from The Guardian described how many cast and crew members complained that Coppola was too “old-fashioned” for the industry. In this case, he was accused of allegedly pulling women to sit on his lap and kissing them without total consent. For instance, when they were shooting a nightclub scene, Coppola reportedly tried to kiss the topless and scantily clad women extras. He then supposedly claimed he was “trying to get them in the mood” of the scene.
Demetre seemingly confirmed this allegation in his statement, but he explained that he was “never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project.” To him, Coppola’s alleged kissing was essential to shooting the scene and ensuring the actors played their roles adequately. ”Francis successfully produced and directed an enormous independent film, making all the difficult decisions to ensure it was delivered on time and on budget while remaining true to his creative vision,“ Demetre gushed.
Megalopolis is an upcoming sci-fi drama written by Coppola over the last thirty years. It follows a post-apocalyptic America where an idealist architect (Adam Driver) must butt heads with a pragmatic mayor (Giancarlo Esposito).
It will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, though there is no set release date for the wider public. While he might not have an American distributor yet, Coppola was still able to attain a foreign distributor
Leave a Comment