Megalopolis filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola said the upcoming epic purposefully cast actors who were “canceled” because he didn’t want his film to be written off as “some woke Hollywood production.”
Though the road to the film’s Sept. 27 release by Lionsgate has not been estranged from controversy — from divisive critical opinion at the Cannes premiere in May to reports of on-set departmental disagreements — Coppola told Rolling Stone in a new interview that he hopes it will commence a conversation.
“What I didn’t want to happen is that we’re deemed some woke Hollywood production that’s simply lecturing viewers,” the Apocalypse Now director said. “The cast features people who were canceled at one point or another. There were people who are arch conservatives and others who are extremely politically progressive. But we were all working on one film together. That was interesting, I thought.”
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The $120 million film stars Adam Driver as an ambitious, future-facing architect Cesar Catilina who aims to turn a glittering city into a utopia, with the help of his inventive new material called megalon and a cast of less-than-morally-upright characters. The sprawling narrative, which Coppola modeled after a Roman epic and the roots of which have been gestating for four decades, also features Giancarlo Esposito and Nathalie Emmanuel as leads.
However, it’s the casting of supporting actors like Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman that has raised eyebrows. LaBeouf is currently facing a lawsuit filed by former girlfriend and singer-songwriter FKA Twigs (née Tahliah Debrett Barnett) over allegations of physical and sexual abuse, with the musician previously stating that her relationship with the actor was the “worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life,” claiming that he kept a loaded firearm by their bed and made her watch documentaries of murdered women. A trial date is set for Oct. 14. Similarly, Hoffman was accused of sexual harassmendt of a 17-year-old intern with whom he worked on the set of 1985’s Death of a Salesman TV film. Meanwhile, Voight is known for his far-right beliefs and staunch support of former President Donald Trump, which has been a point of contention in his fraught relationship with daughter Angelina Jolie.
“This steers me toward politics, and my publicist will yell at me if I start talking about politics,” he said, laughing. “This movie won’t cure our ills. But I honestly believe that what will save us is the fact that we’ve got to talk about the future. We want to be able to ask any questions we have to ask in order to really look at why this country is divided right now, and that’s going to provide an energy that will defeat those people who want to destroy our republic. I made this film to contribute to that. And all I want is for this movie to start a conversation. You can’t have a utopia without a conversation.”
Ironically, Megalopolis — which is rounded out by a cast that includes Aubrey Plaza, Chloe Fineman, Laurence Fishburne, Coppola’s sister Talia Shire, nephew Jason Schwartzman, granddaughter Romy Mars and America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal — has Voight portraying a Caligula-esque character satirizing a Trump-like figure, though the veteran actor has publicly disagreed with that interpretation.
Coppola has previously discussed his appreciation for the breadth of political opinions showcased by the performers in his film. “One of the things I might say about our wonderful cast is that they reflect all sorts of political ideas,” the Oscar-winner said at a press conference following the Cannes premiere, singling out Voight, who replied that the director’s goal is to “make a better world.”
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