Child labor coodinator Benjamin Cawood claimed he saw Francis Ford Coppola kiss a 13-year old girl on the set of his film, “Megalopolis,” according to the Daily Beast.
Cawood claimed to witness the 85-year-old director plant a kiss on the girl’s cheek then kiss others on set in February, he told The Daily Beast. He said he reported the alleged incident to the child’s mother and his bosses, but a spokesperson for Coppola insisted that no such complaints were logged.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 16: (L to R) Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver and Francis Ford Coppola attend the “Megalopolis” red carpet during the 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Cawood said his role was to be responsible for the wellbeing of child actors on set, and that the girl appeared “shocked” after the alleged incident occurred. He said he does not know the name of the 13-year-old, who was an extra, and that she wasn’t listed on the call sheet of children for whom he was responsible that day, according to the outlet.
The child labor coordinator also claimed to see Coppola looking at the extras before filming the movie’s New Year’s Eve scene, and that he had allegedly paid extra attention to the girl in question, the outlet reported.
“Everybody was dressed up very glamorously and [Coppola] seemed to be leering at the girl,” Cawood told the outlet. “He actually said ‘Hey there,’ [and] complimented how she looked, [in] kind of innocent way basically because of the costumes—like, ‘It’s a great costume’ or something kind of general.”
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 17: Director Francis Ford Coppola attends the “Megalopolis” Photocall at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
He also claimed Coppola told the girl she looked “like a bird.”
Cawood alleged the girl “was just like ‘What?’—like big eyes, just kind of looking down, didn’t say anything,” during the alleged exchange.
The child labor coordinator claimed that Coppola proceeded to ask the girl how old she was and that “She was literally the only person he sort of singled out.” He said things became “worse” when filming began, the outlet reported.
“Eventually [Coppola] was like, ‘Guys this is New Year’s Eve, it’s literally the one of those moments where you can just kiss somebody,’” Cawood told the outlet.
He alleged that “Coppola just started kissing people.”
“There was an attractive thirty-something extra and he was trying to encourage them, [so] he stood up and walked over and he kissed her,” Cawood told the outlet.
“I couldn’t tell from the angle if he kissed her on the mouth or on the cheek. But then immediately went to the [13-year-old] girl and kissed her,” he said. The alleged kiss was on the cheek, Cawood claimed.
“I could just imagine being in her shoes. I thought—that might have literally been the first time somebody that’s not in that girl’s family has kissed her,” Cawood said.
He also claimed that the director then “turned and kissed some man on the cheek.”
Cawood said he reported the alleged incident to the girl’s mother and to his employer, an “educational consulting service” for entertainment productions called On Location Education (OLE), and supplied the email to The Daily Beast.
Variety first published video footage of Coppola allegedly kissing extras on set. The director vehemently denied the allegations and filed a $15 million libel suit against the publication.
A woman who was also on set also spoke in Coppola’s defense, saying he “did nothing to make me or for that matter anyone on set feel uncomfortable,” according to Deadline. (RELATED: Francis Ford Coppola Sues Media Outlet For $15 Million: REPORT)
“Contrary to the prior false media reports, on the Megalopolis production there were multiple levels of guidelines and reporting channels concerning any claimed harassment, sexual or otherwise. There were no such claims reported at any time during the production,” a spokesperson for Coppola told The Daily Beast.
Daily Caller has reached out to Coppola’s representatives for comment.
