Francis Ford Coppola Files Lawsuit Against Variety, Denies Claims Of ‘Megalopolis’ On-Set Sexual Harassment Against Extras
Francis Ford Coppola attends the Toronto premiere of 'Megalopolis' at Roy Thomson Hall. Courtesy of Robert Okine, 2024.
The endless controversy continues for Francis Ford Coppola and his $120 million self-funded film ‘Megalopolis,’ as the director sued Variety for defamation, amid the claims of his unprofessional behaviour and sexual harassment on-set of the film.
Coppola accused the publication (Variety) of falsifying statements and says the film took precautions to prevent sexual harassment from happening. However, an extra filed a lawsuit against Coppola for sexual harassment on Monday.
In July, Variety reported that Coppola acted inappropriately on-set, trying to tried kiss and hug topless female extras.
Two nameless sources that worked on the film came forward and provided more details about Coppola’s behaviour. The Guardian also reported the story prior to Variety before the film’s Cannes debut, and with a source later providing variety with video evidence of the director’s behaviour.
Coppola says that the above video was wrong in the context of allegations made against him, and denied claims that the production didn’t have a human resources department to deal with claims of sexual harassment.
More unprofessional behaviour shows Coppola ruining shots by walking into them (as seen in the video). A complaint on behalf of Coppola states:
“The true facts are that there were four cameras shooting during the above-referenced scene and three of the cameras were mobile, with the crew often changing positions. Therefore, due to the multiple camera angles, at different times, members of the crew and Coppola were in some of the shots. That was anticipated and unavoidable. That is one reason why shots are edited.”
Coppola seeks at least $15 million in compensation for the NDA breach by crew members and says Variety should be aware of unreliable sources.
A lawsuit (Georgia state court) filed by Lauren Pagone, who acted as an extra during the nightclub scenes, will face Coppola head on against his own innocence plea. Pagone says that Coppola kissed and touched her without consent and says an intimacy coordinator was not provided for the production.
‘Megalopolis’ recently made it’s TIFF premiere and releases on September 27, 2024.
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