Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is shaping up to be his magnum opus—a film decades in the making, self-financed, and driven by pure creative passion. Coppola’s decision to risk so much of his personal capital on this project is a testament to his unwavering dedication to his craft. When asked why he took such a bold financial leap, Coppola’s response was telling: “I never cared about money.”
This isn’t the sentiment of a man with regrets. Coppola’s career has been defined by the risks he took for art’s sake, and his body of work reflects that courage. From The Godfather trilogy to Apocalypse Now, his films have often defied studio norms and pushed boundaries. His comment captures his philosophy perfectly:
“In the end there are so many people when they die that say, ‘I wish I had done this, I wish I had done that’. But when I die I’m gonna say ‘I got to do this. I got to see my daughter—Sofia—win an Oscar for Lost In Translation, and I got to make wine. And I got to make all the movies I wanted to make.’”
It’s a perspective that resonates deeply, especially in a world where creative vision often gets compromised by the bottom line. For Coppola, Megalopolis is more than just a film; it’s a statement on living life without regrets, seizing every opportunity to create, and leaving behind a legacy that speaks to one’s true passions. This is how he’ll meet the end—focused on the things he did, not what he missed.
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