Just a month after reports and videos from the set of Megalopolis claimed director Francis Ford Coppola behaved inappropriately on set, the filmmaker is speaking out.
The 85-year-old filmmaker – who funded the $120 million passion project out of his own fortune – reportedly kissed extras and made some feel uncomfortable on set.
Two brief videos surfaced days later, which seemed to show the director kissing women during a night club scene in the film, which opens in theaters September 27.
The Godfather director has now finally addressed the numerous allegations in a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, where he claimed the original report from The Guardian was, ‘totally untrue.’
‘If you read that piece, you’ll realize that whoever the sources were — and I honestly don’t know who the sources were — it’s the same people who provided quotes for that Hollywood Reporter piece that said all these people were fired or resigned, and that there was a mass exodus, all of that,’ Coppola said.
Just a month after reports and videos from the set of Megalopolis claimed director Francis Ford Coppola behaved inappropriately on set, the filmmaker is speaking out.
Two brief videos surfaced days later, which seemed to show the director kissing women – including Rayna Menz (above) during a night club scene in the film, which opens in theaters September 27
‘And the truth of the matter is, they were looking for some sort of dirt. The young women I kissed on the cheek, in regards to the New Year’s scene, they were young women I knew,’ he insisted.
The director added, ‘It’s all so ridiculous. Look at the timing of that article. It’s right before we’re about to premiere the film at Cannes. They’re just trying to damage the picture.’
When asked why someone would try to ‘damage the picture,’ Coppola explained it’s because he doesn’t ‘follow rules’ set forth in Hollywood.
‘There’s a prevailing tendency in Hollywood to say, if you follow our rules, you’ll have a better chance of a success,’ he began.
‘”Well, what about Francis? He doesn’t follow your rules.” “Well, look, what’s going to happen to him, he’s going to have a failure,”‘ he said of those naysayers.
‘I’m trying to do something different here. Film is change. I mean, the movies that your grandchildren are going to make are going to be nothing like what we see now,’ he said.
The initial report included a source who claimed that after he kissed several women during the scene, Coppola announced into a microphone, ‘Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.’
Since Coppola financed the entire production himself, there was no HR department or studio involvement whatsoever.
There were intimacy coordinators on the film – Samantha McDonald and Ashley Anderson – though both were not on set during the nightclub scene.
McDonald explained to Variety, ‘I can’t really speak to the reason why they chose to bring us in when they did and not when they didn’t.’
‘And the truth of the matter is, they were looking for some sort of dirt. The young women I kissed on the cheek, in regards to the New Year’s scene, they were young women I knew,’ he insisted
The initial report included a source who claimed that after he kissed several women during the scene, Coppola announced into a microphone, ‘Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure’
One of the women seen in the two videos – Rayna Menz – issued an Instagram statement that read, ‘None of the claims about @francisfordcoppola are true; it was an honor to work with such a legend,’ she wrote. ‘This video was taken on a CLOSED set that prohibited self phones [sic] specifically for the safety of all actors. I am disgusted by these allegations & hope everybody will see the truth for what it is’
However, another actress, Lauren Pagone (above), claimed he pulled her towards him and hugged and kissed her
‘I was in shock. I didn’t expect him to kiss and hug me like that. I was caught off-guard. And I can tell you he came around a couple times’
One of the women seen in the two videos – Rayna Menz – issued an Instagram statement that read, ‘None of the claims about @francisfordcoppola are true; it was an honor to work with such a legend,’ she wrote. ‘This video was taken on a CLOSED set that prohibited self phones [sic] specifically for the safety of all actors. I am disgusted by these allegations & hope everybody will see the truth for what it is.’
However, another actress, Lauren Pagone, claimed he pulled her towards him and hugged and kissed her.
‘I was in shock. I didn’t expect him to kiss and hug me like that. I was caught off-guard. And I can tell you he came around a couple times.’
She added of Menz’s statement, ‘I don’t appreciate anybody speaking for me. I would never speak for that actress. I’ve kept my mouth shut. I’ve kept quiet. But it’s frustrating that she’s putting out there, “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.’
