The controversial actor Francis Ford Coppola called the second coming of Dennis Hopper: “He deliberately sets up a tension”
When the cast of Megalopolis was announced, many people expressed their frustration and disappointment over Shia LaBeouf starring in the project after his ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against him for abuse. The singer gives detailed and extensive descriptions of the torment she endured at the hands of the actor, saying, “What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in my whole life”. But, despite the ongoing trial and long list of insidious abuse that multiple partners had experienced with the actor, Francis Ford Coppola decided that he would be the perfect addition to his passion project.
Coppola is not known for playing it safe, but unfortunately, this also means he seemingly shows little care about the safety of his female collaborators, repeatedly choosing to work with notorious abusers and reaffirming the toxic global narrative that men can do whatever they want to people and also be rewarded for this. There are many people who claim that cancel culture has gone too far, but when actors are being given the opportunity of a lifetime in response to nearly killing a woman, it feels as though this so-called culture of retribution doesn’t exist, especially not in Hollywood.
The director famously worked with Dennis Hopper on Apocalypse Now, which was one of his most chaotic and disorganised productions, with a documentary even being made about the fabled filmmaking mess. Hopper was one of the most egregious men in Hollywood at the time, known for his erratic and violent behaviour. He famously married Michelle Philips for only two weeks, with the singer describing how he locked her in the house and tried to shoot her, claiming she was a witch.
Interestingly enough, Coppola saw many similarities between Hopper and LaBeouf, saying, “Shia [LaBeouf] really took to it. I had no experience working with him prior to this, but he deliberately sets up a tension between himself and the director to an extreme degree. He reminds me of Dennis Hopper, who would do something similar, and then you’d say, ‘Just go do anything,’ and then they go off and do something brilliant”.
Great minds think alike and all that. It’s unsurprising that two of the most unhinged and dangerous men in Hollywood have similar working habits—a very astute observation from Coppola. LaBeouf is known for his instinctive and free-spirited acting style, which might be beneficial to the creative process when trying to approach new angles and ways of working but also makes for an unpredictable working environment.
The trial against LaBeouf has been set for September 29th, 2025, which was originally scheduled for 2023 despite Twigs filing the lawsuit in 2020.
When discussing the trial, Twigs said, “My second worst nightmare is being forced to share with the world that I am a survivor of domestic violence. My first worst nightmare is not telling anyone and knowing that I could have helped even just one person by sharing my story.”
