‘Megalopolis’ extra rebuts claims of bad behaviour on set by “gentleman” Francis Ford Coppola

An extra from Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis has rubbished allegations that the filmmaker behaved badly and said he was “nothing but professional, a gentleman”. 

Rayna Menz, who said she was on set with Coppola in the nightclub scene, has taken to social media to rebut claims of inappropriate behaviour in a Variety story earlier this week in which the outlet published two videos from the production that it said showed Coppola trying to kiss young female extras on set.

Menz posted that the allegations were false, saying: “A video involving me has been released with a misleading headline. None of the claims about @francisfordcoppola are true; it was an honor to work with such a legend.”

She continued: “This video was taken on a CLOSED set that prohibited self phones specifically for the safety of all the actors. I am disgusted by these allegations & hope everybody will see the truth for what it is.”

The extra told Deadline, which was first to publish her statements: “It was all false. In fact I was the one who asked him to dance. I asked him to dance in front of everybody else… And then we waltzed, to club music.”

Coppola has endured a rough time with his $120m self-funded film. The epic starring Adam Driver as a visionary architect in a futuristic city received a cool reception from US buyers when it screened in Los Angeles prior to its world premiere in Cannes.

Finally premiering on the Croisette, Megalopolis earned mixed reviews. Lionsgate acquired North America rights and will release in the US and Canada on September 27. Goodfellas handles international sales and buyers include Entertainment Film Distributors in the UK.

Screen had not heard back from Coppola’s representatives at time of writing. 

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