Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola facing allegations of sexual harassment in Atlanta lawsuit

ATLANTA — An extra from the set and production of “Megalopolis,” the soon-to-be-released feature from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola filed a lawsuit with allegations of sexual harassment against the film icon in Fulton County Superior Court.

According to the lawsuit, Lauren Pagone, who worked as an extra on the film’s set while it shot scenes in Atlanta, was sexually harassed and assaulted by Coppola and is accusing his production company and multiple casting agencies of not stepping in to stop the alleged abuse.

In Pagone’s lawsuit, the extra alleged Coppola kissed her cheek and touched multiple parts of her body without her permission during a scene filmed in February 2023.

On Feb. 14, 2023, the lawsuit says Pagone was fitted and dressed for a scene that had asked for a topless performance, but that she had asked for an intimacy coordinator. Instead of a coordinator coming to set, Pagone was provided a spaghetti strap shirt, according to the lawsuit.

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“Plaintiff was not provided with any rider that explained the details for sexual content and/or nudity guidelines on set nor was there any description as to what she or other actors would soon experience on set,” the court record says.

It adds that an intimacy coordinator was never brought to set, nor was there a crew member to go to for concerns about the sexual content and nudity guidelines for the scene.

Then, the lawsuit claims Coppola came to the set and “began touching, hugging, kissing and feeling some of the women in the cast who were acting in the scene,” and that Coppola had approached Pagone on set, told her she was beautiful, then grabbed her and pulled her toward him before “hugg[ing] Plaintiff without her consent, kiss[ing] her cheek without her consent and touch[ing] plaintiff’s butt without her consent.”

Pagone claims in the lawsuit that she felt Coppola’s saliva on her face when he kissed her cheek and was “shocked and confused” by the director’s actions, before asking another woman on set if she’d seen what had happened.

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The lawsuit says Pagone ”was in shock because it was her understanding from Defendants Rose Locke Casting and CL Casting that there would be no sexual content in the scene, including no sexual touching.”

During filming, Pagone tried to put distance between herself and Coppola, but later in the filming process, he “spoke into a microphone and announced to the cast, ‘Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure’ or words to that effect. Defendant Coppola directed the cast that they should do what they feel in the moment and kiss who they want or words to that effect,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says the direction of Coppola on set to have cast and crew get “in the mood” for the scene included Pagone’s receiving “unwanted and uncomfortable sexual comments from background actors, and there were no guidelines provided for what” she should do if it happened. The lawsuit also claims Coppola “continued to direct the cast to sexually interact freely with one another” and that throughout the process, no intimacy coordinator was brought to the set.

Pagone’s lawsuit also claims Coppola repeatedly sought her out in the crowd and kept grabbing her and pulling her toward him, kissing her, surprising her “with how forceful Defendant Coppola was being.”

After continued interactions with Coppola of a physical nature, Pagone’s lawsuit says she felt sick to her stomach and thought she may pass out, before she went to a bathroom to compose herself.

“By Defendants’ design, there was no Intimacy Coordinator with whom Plaintiff could discuss her unwanted sexual interactions with regarding Defendant Coppola,” the lawsuit claims.

Footage from the set shows some of Coppola’s interactions with Pagone, according to the lawsuit.

Pagone spoke in limited detail about the alleged incident in a Vanity Fair interview in August. Her lawsuit was filed on Monday.

According to the court record, Pagone is seeking damages for claims of civil battery, civil assault, negligent failure to prevent sexual harassment, negligent and wrongful hiring and supervision and punitive damages for her experience on set, in addition to costs of litigation. She’s demanding a trial by jury in Fulton County.

In response to a request for comment from Channel 2 Action News, an attorney for Coppola said “The lawsuit has no merit and we will be filing an answer disputing all claims.”

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