Megalopolis: Videos of Francis Ford Coppola's inappropriate behavior published

“Sorry, if I came up to you and kissed you. Just know it was a pleasure.”

Megalopolis is so much so his life's work that he would have established a familiar atmosphere with his actors on the set… and there is a misconduct that did not go unnoticed and whose videos have recently resurfaced. Shared by Varietythese two videos show Francis Ford Coppola trying to hug and kiss on the cheek the mostly scantily clad extras, or even topless during a nightclub sequence. The scene was filmed by a crew member during the filming of the main structure, in Atlanta, in 2023.

Causing a stir on social media, these videos actually emerged a few months after the first rumors about the director's inappropriate behavior. The affair had arisen during the Cannes Film Festival, during which the feature film was screened, following the publication of a report by the British media The Guardian. In the latter, it was a question of behaviors “old school”old-fashioned, from the director who allegedly asked women to sit on his lap and even kissed some of them while he was filming a scene in a nightclub, to “get them in the mood.”

A description that is confirmed by the content of the videos shared by VarietyAt the time, Francis Ford Coppola responded to the New York Timesand executive producer Darren Demetre did not deny the acts stated:

“For two days, we shot a celebration scene in a Studio 54-style club, and Francis walked around the set setting the mood by hugging and kissing the actors, actresses and extras on the cheek. It was his way of inspiring and establishing the atmosphere of the club, which was so important to the film.”

Coppola Responds to Allegations of Inappropriate Behavior on the Set of Megalopolis

According to Varietythe absence of an external studio involved in the production of Megapolis may be one reason for the director's freedom. While he personally funded the project, he was its head, and there was no outsourced human resources office. In addition, the intimacy coordinators working on the film were not required to be present for the nightclub sequence.

One of the anonymous sources to whom the American media was able to speak confided:

“I have worked with great directors, and this kind of behavior is unusual (…) I have never seen anyone on a set, and that includes the director of photography, so physically close to an actor.”

She added that after the scene seen on video was filmed, Coppola allegedly took a microphone and said: “Sorry if I came up to you and kissed you. Just know it was a pleasure.”

So far, no complaints have been filed – and this has not been the case since the first rumours. Megalopolisit will be released in France on September 25.