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Videos have emerged of director Francis Ford Coppola trying to kiss female extras on the set of his new film Megalopolis.
Variety obtained footage of the film-maker taken by a crew member during a nightclub scene on set last year. The Guardian had originally reported that the 85-year-old was seen as “old school” in his behaviour around women while shooting, pulling women to sit on his lap and kissing extras to get “them in the mood”.
New sources have now come forward to call the director’s conduct unprofessional with him “leaping up to hug and kiss several women, often inadvertently inserting himself into the shot and ruining it”.
“I’ve worked with really important directors and that behavior is uncommon – the most I’ve ever seen any director do is say something like, ‘high energy, guys,’” a source said. “I’ve never seen anyone on set, and this extends to a camera operator, so much as touch an actor.”
Reportedly after multiple takes, Coppola announced on a microphone: “Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.”
“Because Coppola funded it there was no HR department to keep things in check,” a source told Variety. “Who were they supposed to talk to? Complain to Coppola and report Coppola to himself?”
The film’s executive producer, Darren Demetre, said in a statement, originally published by the Guardian, that it was “his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere”. He added: “I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behaviour during the course of the project.”
The film’s first assistant director, Mariela Comitini, called it “a vibrant, professional and positive environment”.
A crew member said to the Guardian earlier this year: “It was like watching a train wreck unfold day after day, week after week, and knowing that everybody there had tried their hardest to help the train wreck be avoided.”
When asked about the allegations by the New York Times in June, Coppola said: “My mother told me that if you make an advance toward a woman, it means you disrespect her, and the girls I had crushes on, I certainly didn’t disrespect them.” He added: “I’m not touchy-feely. I’m too shy.”
The self-funded epic drama, which cost Coppola a reported $120m, stars Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza and Jon Voight and is described as “a Roman epic set in modern America”. It premiered at this year’s Cannes film festival to middling reviews, with the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw calling it “a bloated, boring and bafflingly shallow film”.
The Guardian has reached out to Coppola’s representatives for comment.