Adam Driver praises Coppola's $120M ‘Megalopolis' flop as a bold act of artistic courage

San Francisco Chronicle​

29-04-2025

Francis Ford Coppola may have delivered one of the biggest box office flops of his storied career with ' Megalopolis,' but over the weekend, it was that very film that drew some of the highest praise from his peers — particularly from actor Adam Driver, who commended the director for betting it all on art over commerce.
As Coppola received the American Film Institute's 50th Life Achievement Award at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 26, Driver paid tribute to what he called a 'singular gesture' of creative conviction.
'His movies, for some, are the yardstick to be measured by, and at the very least, examples of the possibilities in film, like, in my opinion, 'Megalopolis,'' Driver said, according to Deadline.
He added, 'This is a principled life, and for a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimized, 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. 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.'
Though the self-financed 'Megalopolis,' a decades-in-the-making Roman epic set in modern New York, was widely panned by critics and earned just $14.3 million globally, Driver called it emblematic of Coppola's fearless approach to filmmaking.
Driver, who starred in the film, recalled Coppola's rallying cry on the first day of shooting: 'We're not being brave enough.'
The comment summed up the director's career-long ethos for Driver.
'Francis took $120 million and created a singular gesture for what he thought film could be, and I think that's pretty great,' Driver said. '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. 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.'
The ceremony honored the six-time Academy Award winner not only for his monumental influence on American cinema — with films like 'The Godfather,' 'Apocalypse Now' and 'The Conversation' — but also for his uncompromising artistic vision.
Tributes also came from fellow filmmakers and collaborators, including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert De Niro, Spike Lee and Harrison Ford.
Spielberg hailed 'The Godfather' as 'the greatest American film ever made,' while Lucas called Coppola a rule-breaker who helped redefine modern cinema when presenting the award.
Lucas, who lives in San Anselmo and has his Industrial Light & Magic visual effects company based at the Presidio, and Coppola have known each other for decades and cofounded their own production company, American Zoetrope, in 1969 in San Francisco.
'You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together,' Lucas said. 'We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system, and we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen.'
Coppola, 86, appeared moved as he accepted the award, calling the evening a 'homecoming.'
'This place that created me, my home, isn't really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,' he said. 'I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.'
The gala raised a record $2.5 million for AFI, with the award ceremony scheduled to air on June 18 on TNT. An encore broadcast is scheduled for July 31 on TCM.