The famous director Francis Ford Coppola denied reports of misconduct on the set of his new epic film “Megalopolis”.

“I’m not outgoing” said the American director who shot his 140-minute film with his own funds and stars Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza.

On the eve of the premiere of “Megalopolis”, which is considered Coppola’s life’s work, the newspaper “The Guardian” published a report alleging “chaotic behavior” on set. According to the publication, the director was allegedly “pulling women to sit on his lap” and “trying to kiss them”.

In a new interview with the New York Times, Francis Ford Coppola responded to the allegations by first citing his mother Italia’s advice.

“My mother told me that if you aggressively flirt with a woman, it means you don’t respect her, and the girls I was in love with, I certainly did.” he said.

Addressing the allegations against him, Francis Ford Coppola said there was a photo of one of the “girls” he had kissed on the cheek and that her father had taken the picture. “I’ve known her since she was 9 years old,” said the director.

“I’m not outgoing. I’m very shy” he added.

In a statement in response to The Guardian’s report, Megalopolis executive producer Darren Dimitre said: “I have never heard of any complaints of harassment or misconduct during the project.

Francis successfully produced and directed a huge independent film making all the tough decisions to ensure it was delivered on time and on budget while staying true to his creative vision,” he noted.

“There were two days when we shot a celebratory club scene at Studio 54 where Francis walked around the set to create the spirit of the scene giving gentle hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and other actors. It was his way of inspiring and creating the atmosphere of the club, which was so important to the film.” underlined.