Shia LaBeouf Reflects on Challenging Experience with Francis Ford Coppola on Megalopolis: ‘I Became a Nuisance’

Shia LaBeouf Reflects on Challenging Experience with Francis Ford Coppola on Megalopolis: ‘I Became a Nuisance’

Shia LaBeouf recently opened up about his time working with legendary director Francis Ford Coppola on Megalopolis, revealing that his incessant questions and struggles to understand Coppola’s vision led to tension on set, making him feel like “a nuisance” to the director.

In a candid interview alongside playwright and filmmaker David Mamet, LaBeouf shared how his creative differences with Coppola sparked frustration during the production of the ambitious sci-fi epic, which had long been Coppola’s passion project but ultimately failed to make a significant impact at the box office.

LaBeouf, reflecting on Coppola’s directing style, said, “Coppola thinks he’s Dave,” referring to Mamet. “He really believes he’s this theater director guy. He’s not, but he believes he is. He thinks he’s the actor’s guy—but he’s not. That’s not to say he’s not a genius, it’s just not the way his genius works. It wasn’t always helpful for the actors to receive such overt notes.”

According to LaBeouf, Coppola’s approach to direction was precise, but often unclear. “He was very specific, but that specificity wasn’t on the page,” the actor explained. “So I couldn’t fully share his vision. With Coppola, everything needed extensive discussion. It felt like we had to dig into his mind just to figure out what the hell we were even talking about. It wasn’t straightforward—it was more like this archaic rhythm he was chasing.”

The actor acknowledged that his constant questioning became a point of tension. “It became a lot of questions on my end, which required answers, which frustrated our relationship,” LaBeouf admitted. “I became a nuisance.” He went on to say that the final product was “way wackier” than he had expected. “I never thought we were going for wacky. I thought my character was wacky, and I played into that. But I didn’t realize the whole movie would be so offbeat.”

Megalopolis, released in 2024, draws inspiration from Roman history and centers on a visionary architect (played by Adam Driver) who aims to transform a dystopian New York City into a utopian metropolis. The film featured a star-studded cast and had a $120 million budget, but it was met with mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office, grossing less than $15 million worldwide.

LaBeouf confessed that he was initially “very scared” by the direction Coppola had given him, particularly because the material didn’t make sense to him at the time. “I didn’t feel comfortable,” he said. “I had done one rehearsal, and Coppola gave me a look, and after that, I never asked him another question about the character. But Driver had his own questions, which seemed to exhaust Coppola. By the time he was available to me, the energy had shifted. I had to be respectful of that, but I also wanted to do a good job.”

Coppola’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment from Entertainment Weekly.

Following Megalopolis, LaBeouf is working with Mamet on Henry Johnson, an adaptation of Mamet’s 2023 play. The film, which marks Mamet’s return to filmmaking after more than a decade, sees LaBeouf portraying an incarcerated man wrestling with his moral compass.

LaBeouf, whose personal life has been marred by controversy—including a lawsuit from ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs accusing him of abuse—hopes the role will serve as a “gateway to rehabilitation.” He has acknowledged past mistakes but denies the allegations of battery and abuse. The case is set to go to trial in September.

“I hope my whole life is about squaring things and getting it right,” LaBeouf told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. And there’s a lot to get right.”

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