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Francis Ford Coppola puts Jon Voight in the hot seat at Cannes Film Festival: ‘You have different political opinions’

By | Edited by Neeshita Nyayapati
May 17, 2024 09:56 PM IST

When the director of sci-fi film Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola, was asked at Cannes if he was afraid of the future, here’s what he said.

Director Francis Ford Coppola screened his upcoming film Megalopolis at the Cannes Film Festival this year. In an interaction with the press shared by Variety, when asked if he was afraid of the future, he had a response that also pulled actor Jon Voight into the conversation. (Also Read: Megalopolis first reactions: Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘delirious fever dream’ of a film divides audience)

Director Francis Ford Coppola poses during a photocall for the film Megalopolis in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2024. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)
Director Francis Ford Coppola poses during a photocall for the film Megalopolis in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2024. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)

‘Anyone who was alive during WWII saw the horrors’

While his sci-fi film presents hope, a reporter asked Francis how ‘afraid’ he really was of the future? “It's obvious that in your film, there's hope. But how afraid are you about our future? And what scares you the most, maybe that men like Donald Trump are in charge thinking?” asked a reporter.

Francis replied, “Well, men like Donald Trump are not in charge at the moment, but there is a trend happening in the world. And I don't want to monopolise, but you know, there is a trend happening towards the more neo-right. Even fascist tradition, which is frightening because anyone who was alive during World War two saw the horrors that took place, and we don't want, we don't want to repeat that.”

He also said that the role of artists is to shine a light on what’s happening in the world before putting Jon on the spot. “Maybe, Jon, you have different political opinions. And you know, if I may say, one of the things about our wonderful cast is that they reflect all sorts of political ideas. This is not just one notion. How do you feel about the future? How can we make a beautiful world I know you have children and grandchildren; how can we make a beautiful world for the children?” he added. Jon has previously made conservative statement about politics and society.

He defended former US president Donald Trump, saying that he was “the only man that can destroy the negative propaganda that has been sworn into this office.” After Coppola passed the baton to him, Jon decided to stay more neutral. “Where are we going? I think we’re all at this moment asking that question of ourselves. Where are we going and what can we do? I’m a little older now –some of you may have noticed that — and have a limited amount of time. And I think to myself, what can I do to encourage us toward a better world to protect these kids? That’s exactly what I’m doing, it’s in my head every second of the day to see what can we do to make this world better. I know it’s possible."

About Megalopolis

Megalopolis is written, directed, and produced by Francis. Set in an imagined New York City following a devastating disaster, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman. The film premiered at Cannes and left critics polarised.

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