Francis Ford Coppola admits kissing women on Megalopolis set, denies 'false' misconduct allegations

Director Francis Ford Coppola has acknowledged kissing women on the set of “Megalopolis” but denies allegations of unprofessional conduct.

Shortly before the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, a report surfaced accusing him of inappropriate behavior towards some women on set.

Witnesses informed the Guardian at the time that Coppola, 85, “came on to the set and tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” during the filming of a bacchanalian nightclub scene.

Several sources suggested that Coppola could be “old school” in his interactions with female cast and crew, with some claiming he even pulled a few to sit on his lap.

When asked by Rolling Stone on Monday whether he “kissed and touched extras in a way some people found inappropriate,” Coppola responded, “You’re talking about the Guardian piece, which is totally untrue.”

“The truth of the matter is they were looking for some sort of dirt,” he asserted. “The young women I kissed on the cheek in regards to the New Year’s scene — they were young women I knew.”

Coppola believes those who made the allegations and reported on them were “just trying to damage the picture” before its Cannes premiere.

“It’s all so ridiculous,” he added. “Look at the timing of that article.”

According to Coppola, “there’s a prevailing tendency in Hollywood to say, ‘If you follow our rules, you’ll have a better chance of success.’”

He explained that he’s “trying to do something different here,” emphasizing that “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.

In July, Variety acquired two videos that supported the Guardian’s eyewitnesses’ claims about the kissing incident.