Megalopolis govt co-producer Darren Demetre denied claims printed this week that director Francis Ford Coppola tried to kiss feminine extras whereas on set.
“I used to be by no means conscious of any complaints of harassment or unwell behaviour throughout the course of the challenge,” Demetre informed The Guardian in the identical report which alleged that Coppola demonstrated “old skool” habits round ladies whereas on set of his Megalopolis ardour challenge.
Particularly, the report cited sources who stated Coppola pulled ladies to take a seat on his lap and tried to kiss a number of topless or scantily clad feminine extras whereas filming a nightclub scene.
Coppola didn’t reply to The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for remark.
“I’ve recognized and labored with Francis and his household for over 35 years,” Demetre stated. “As one of many first assistant administrators and an govt producer on his new epic, Megalopolis, I helped oversee and advise the manufacturing and ran the second unit. Francis efficiently produced and directed an unlimited unbiased movie, making all of the tough selections to make sure it was delivered on time and on funds, whereas remaining true to his inventive imaginative and prescient. There have been two days after we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque membership scene the place Francis walked across the set to determine the spirit of the scene by giving sort hugs and kisses on the cheek to the forged and background gamers. It was his means to assist encourage and set up the membership environment, which was so vital to the movie. I used to be by no means conscious of any complaints of harassment or unwell behaviour throughout the course of the challenge.”
Megalopolis is Coppola’s much-discussed, self-funded epic which has been within the works for 4 a long time. The director first started writing the challenge in 1983, and bought a portion of his wine empire in 2021 to self-fund the $120 million challenge.
The film, a Roman epic re-told in sci-fi America, will premiere on the Cannes Movie Pageant on Could 17, although it nonetheless doesn’t have a North American distributor (he secured international distribution final week).
The movie’s first trailer launched on Monday, that includes Adam Driver as an idealist architect up towards Giancarlo Esposito as a pragmatist mayor. The forged additionally contains Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney and Dustin Hoffman.