Adam Driver has defended Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded epic sci-fi movie.
The Star Wars actor praised the Godfather filmmaker as Coppola was being presented with the American Film Institute (AFI)’s 50th Life Achievement Award. Driver starred in Coppola’s Megalopolis last year, a $120 million movie that the filmmaker started developing in 1983.
The movie was received tepidly, with a critics’ score of only 45% on Rotten Tomatoes and a box office return of $14.3 million – less than 15% of the film’s budget.
Speaking at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles last Saturday, Driver celebrated Coppola’s cinematic bravery.
The actor looked back on “the best piece of direction I ever heard” on the first day of filming Megalopolis, revealing that Coppola told the room, “We’re not being brave enough” (via Deadline).
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“This is a principled life, and for a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimised, and our industry is seemingly out in the open, then the only metric to judge a film’s success is by how much money it makes,” Driver said.
“I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration, who live through their convictions, through big moves, all in service of pushing the medium forward.”
Driver further said: “Francis took $120 million and created a singular gesture for what he thought film could be, and I think that’s pretty great. That kind of move has an aftershock that certainly will be felt in his films, will be felt throughout time, and is obviously felt in this room.”
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“So, I know you have complicated feelings about awarding Francis, but to echo what everyone else has been saying, you more than deserve this moment.
“Congratulations on all you’ve achieved, and I’m honoured to be here to celebrate you, your generosity and your bravery.”
The film had controversy upon release when a trailer using fake quotes from critics was pulled by distributor Lionsgate.
Megalopolis is available on digital on Apple TV+ and other platforms in the UK.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).