“Megalopolis” extra allegedly kissed by Francis Ford Coppola in set video speaks out: 'I was in shock'

"I was caught off guard. And I can tell you he came around a couple times."

A second Megalopolis extra is speaking out about Francis Ford Coppola’s behavior on set.

Lauren Pagone, who appeared as an extra in several scenes in the director's upcoming film, reportedly told Variety that she was kissed and hugged by Coppola while they were in the process of actively shooting a nightclub sequence for the sci-fi drama.

“I was in shock. I didn’t expect him to kiss and hug me like that,” the outlet quoted her as saying. “I was caught off guard. And I can tell you he came around a couple times.”

Representatives for Pagone and Coppola did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.

Related: See Adam Driver as a 'genius artist' in Francis Ford Coppola's long-awaited Megalopolis

Coppola was first accused of inappropriate behavior on set in a Guardian report back in May, which featured multiple unnamed sources who claimed the filmmaker "tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” while shooting a nightclub scene. Last week, Variety published two videos taken by a cast member that appeared to show Coppola mingling with extras on set during a party scene including Pagone, who the outlet reported can be seen in one of the videos with her back toward the director before he allegedly hugs and kisses her.

In the aftermath of Variety’s initial report, Rayna Menz — another Megalopolis extra who has also claimed to be featured in one of the two videos published by the outlet — told Deadline that Coppola “did nothing to make me or for that matter anyone on set feel uncomfortable.”

Pagone told Variety that she chose to break her silence about the incident after Menz’s remarks, noting that she was unhappy that the fellow extra had decided to speak for the film’s entire cast and crew. 

“I don’t appreciate anybody speaking for me. I would never speak for that actress,” she reportedly explained. “I’ve kept my mouth shut. I’ve kept quiet. But it’s frustrating that she’s putting out there, ‘Hey, it was great for everyone’ when she doesn’t know what other people were feeling. You can’t speak for anyone but yourself. My experience was different.”

Megalopolis has been a 40-year-long passion project for Coppola, who self-financed its $120 million budget. Set in a reimagined version of the U.S., the film stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, an ingenious architect who clashes with the evil Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) over how to best rebuild the metropolitan city of New Rome following a major disaster. It will arrive in theaters on Sept. 27.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.