Unfortunately, the allegations of Francis Ford Coppola’s misconduct on the set of Megalopolis aren’t going away. Instead, Variety has obtained video that seems to substantiate some of the stories that he was touching and kissing extras while filming his expensive, long-gestating epic. The behind-the-scenes footage was taken during the filming of a nightclub party scene, where female extras were listed on the call sheet as “cleared for topless nudity” and “cleared for scantily clad.”You can see the video for yourself here. In the clips, the 85-year-old filmmaker wanders through the crowd embracing female extras. A source told the outlet that Coppola “kept leaping up to hug and kiss several women, often inadvertently inserting himself into the shot and ruining it.” After multiple takes, Coppola allegedly got on a microphone and “announced in earshot of everyone in the room, ‘Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.’” Another source alleged that senior crew members issued a reminder that they’d signed non-disclosure agreements preventing them from sharing footage taken on set when they became aware of videos being taken.Coppola denied the allegations in the wake of the initial Guardian report, saying that he’d been raised better and that he wasn’t “touchy feely” because he’s “shy.” However, in his statement on the issue, executive co-producer Darren Demetre admitted that some touching did indeed take place: “There were two days when we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque club scene where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players. It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project.”According to Variety’s production sources, though, one possible reason that nobody complained is that there was no outlet for complaints. “Because Coppola funded it there was no HR department to keep things in check,” one of the sources said. “Who were they supposed to talk to? Complain to Coppola and report Coppola to himself?” These sources characterized his behavior as uncomfortable, unprofessional, and unusual for a director, but no one spoke up about it in the moment. In response to the videos, Demetre reiterated his previous statement. First assistant director Mariela Comitini asserted to Variety that “I watched as Francis created a vibrant, professional, and positive environment on set. As one of the industry’s most well-respected master filmmakers, Francis was undaunted by the enormity of this undertaking.” Meanwhile, Variety reported that “a source close to the filmmaker noted that despite the death of Coppola’s wife, Eleanor Coppola, in April, ‘Megalopolis came in on time, on budget.’”
