Francis Ford Coppola’s lifelong commitment to taking creative risks and betting on himself is culminating with “Megalopolis,” his self-financed passion project that recently wrapped production. The epic romance, which takes place in a futuristic city called New Rome, was dogged by rumors of on-set dysfunction that Coppola and his A-list cast denied. But the film’s staggering scale has impressed many cinephiles — including Jon Hamm.
In a new appearance on the Back to One podcast to promote his role in “Maggie Moore(s),” Hamm praised Coppola for taking such an ambitious swing.
“Look at what Francis Ford Coppola is doing right now,” Hamm said. “He’s making a $300 million movie that he just has wanted to make. I did a table read of it, I know how impossible this movie is to make. But he’s making it. And God bless him, that’s exactly what he should be doing.”
Hamm explained that he received an inside look at Coppola’s creative process when he was invited to participate in a table read of “Megalopolis.” While Hamm is not starring in the film, he joined a coterie of actors to help Coppola work through the script — and walked away shocked by the scope of the project.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know how he’s gonna make this movie,’” he said. “I sat at a table with Al Pacino, Shia LaBeouf, all these amazing actors. I thought ‘I don’t know know what this is gonna be, but I’m unbelievably happy to be here in this room on the Paramount lot where 45 years ago he made ‘The Godfather’ when Robert Evans was walking around. Like ‘okay, I’ll be part of this.’”
Hamm’s comments echo similar remarks from “Megalopolis” star Adam Driver, who recently praised Coppola’s creativity and willingness to take on such an ambitious project.
“‘Megalopolis’ is one of the most exciting things that I’ve ever been a part of, with Francis in particular,” Driver said. “It’s one of the best shooting experiences I’ve had. And the things that he’s made, there’s no frame of reference for it. It’s so unique and inventive and hopefully accessible by everyone. That it’s not so elusive that it’s for a certain audience, it’s for everyone. And he is everything that you hope he will be.”
