Director Francis Ford Coppola admits to kissing women on the set of “Megalopolis,” but denies allegations that he behaved unprofessionally.

Shortly before the film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, a report accused him of inappropriate behavior towards some of the women on set.

Eyewitnesses told the Guardian at the time that during the filming of a bacchanalian nightclub scene, 85-year-old Coppola “came on set and attempted to kiss some of the topless or scantily clad female extras.”

Several sources claimed that Coppola was “old-fashioned” in his dealings with female cast and crew members and reportedly even made some of them sit on his lap.

When asked by Rolling Stone on Monday whether he had “kissed and touched extras in a way that some people found inappropriate,” Coppola replied: “You’re talking about the article in the Guardian, which is absolutely untrue.”

“The truth is they were looking for some dirt,” he insisted. “The young women I kissed on the cheek in connection with the New Year’s Eve scene – those were young women I knew.”

Coppola said he felt that those who made these claims and reported on them were “just trying to damage the film” before its Cannes premiere.

“This is all so ridiculous,” he added. “Look at the timing of this article.”

According to the filmmaker, “There is a tendency in Hollywood to say, ‘If you follow our rules, you have a better chance of success.'”

Coppola explained that he was “trying to do something different here” and noted that “film is about change.”

“I mean, the movies your grandchildren will make will be very different from what we see today,” he said.

In July, Variety obtained two videos that confirmed the kissing claims made by The Guardian eyewitnesses.

The scene in question was filmed in February 2023 at the Tabernacle, a concert hall in Atlanta.

According to the shooting schedule, the extras playing the female party guests were “permitted to appear topless,” while others in the scene were “permitted to be lightly dressed.”

While Coppola was directing, he repeatedly jumped up to kiss and hug several women, often unintentionally inserting himself into the shot and ruining it. One insider described the behavior as “unusual.”

After several takes, Coppola reportedly grabbed the microphone and announced to everyone in the room: “I’m sorry – when I come up to you and kiss you, you know it’s just for my pleasure.”

Interestingly, the director initially denied the allegations in June when The New York Times asked about the Guardian report detailing the incident, telling the newspaper, “I’m not that sentimental” because “I’m too shy.”

Meanwhile, executive co-producer Darren Demetre attempted to defend the filmmaker in a statement in which he admitted to physical contact, as did Coppola’s recent statement.

“Over two days, we shot a celebratory Studio 54-style club scene where Francis walked around the set to convey the spirit of the scene by giving the actors and extras friendly hugs and kisses on the cheek,” he told Variety, among other things.

“In this way he helped inspire and create the club atmosphere that was so important to the film.”

Demetre added that he was “never aware of any complaints of harassment or bad behavior during the life of the project.”

A source told Variety that crew members looked at each other uncomfortably as Coppola – who financed the entire $120 million project himself – kissed and hugged the extras, but that no one publicly objected or tried to intervene.

“Because Coppola was funding the thing, there was no human resources department to keep an eye on things,” a second source said. “Who were they supposed to talk to? Complain to Coppola and report back to Coppola himself?”

Representatives for Coppola did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.