After all, its coming out of his pocket.
Investing in himself isnt just frivolous affectation for Costner.
Its in his DNA.
Francis Ford Coppola on the set of ‘Megalopolis’Phil Caruso
But I did it without a thought.
It has thrown my accountant into a f*cking conniption fit.
But its my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.
I tell him later this must have been how General Patton did it, and he laughs.
(Costner declined to comment on that evolving situation.)
Kevin, how did you come to be on the hook forHorizon?
KEVIN COSTNER: The story will speak loudly to Francis; others will scratch their heads.
I commissioned this story in 1988.
Single movie, two-hander.
A conventional Western with a beginning, middle, and end.
I couldnt get anybody to make it.
Then, right after I madeOpen Rangeand it performed pretty well, I had a chance with Disney.
We had a $5 million difference.
Now, Im stubborn, and I think probably Francis is too.
So I reverse-engineered everything from 1988.
I thought it was really good.
But I still couldnt get anybody to make it.
DEADLINE: You believed in it enough to gamble your waterfront property?
Im not a very good businessman, so, scratch your head, if you will.
I dont know why, but I have not let go of this one.
Ive pushed it into the middle of the table three times in my career and didnt blink.
This is my fourth.
DEADLINE: Francis, does any of what Kevin said sound familiar to you?
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA: It does.
You want to say, I got to do it.
COSTNER: Thats how I feel about it.
DEADLINE: The themes ofMegalopolishave been in your mind for decades, also.
At least by trying, you have the possibility you could pull it off.
DEADLINE: I would guess DP or actor?
COPPOLA: Actor, by far.
I mean Charles Laughton, Laurence Olivier and, in the old days, G. W. Pabst.
Kevin is an example of a great tradition.
DEADLINE: Kevin, how helpful was your acting background when you jumped to filmmaker?
But I kept my eyes open.
Everything came to me late.
No one would make it.
It went around twice to the studios.
Im a plodder; it took me a long time.
I didnt burst on the screen as a 19-year-old.
I thought, Man, I just got here.
But I had my eyes open for years, watching.
And watching what Francis did, and some other smart people.
Because everybody tries to make a great film, and a lot arent good at all.
Look at the movies that stand the test of time.
There are moments, words spoken, and gestures that youll never forget.
Youll find them in Francis movies and other movies I studied.
COSTNER: You feel like youre in the careful hands of a real storyteller.
My background is hunting and fishing.
Ive sat around campfires with my father and watched older men talk.
I got to know who the real storytellers were.
Time doesnt matter if your story is interesting.
DEADLINE: Francis, you had famous fights with Paramount onThe Godfather.
COPPOLA: You used the word authorship the idea of auteur theory, where theres one voice.
But even that one author is basically standing on the shoulders of previous giants.
Theres no avoiding it.
So authorship only means the film is honest to the theme and the premise.
We go in brave and certain about what we feel, but those voices can get inside you.
Theres fear about doing something thats a little bit original.
Like, we know in a romantic comedy that, first base, they gotta hate each other.
Second base to third base, maybe theres something between them.
And then you get to home and you have your movie.
Theres a formula in comedy.
Nothing wrong with the formula.
COSTNER: And God forbid they go test screen it.
Then holy hell breaks loose.
Thats when the movies are at their most vulnerable when we start giving them scores.
Because, really, these are emotional experiences, not intellectual ones.
But movies can have a life long after that.
DEADLINE: Francis, youve said financingMegalopoliswasnt about creating a piece of commerce or winning yet another Oscar.
It was to leave behind something future generations could find and discuss.
What was the conversation like for you, ending with selling part of your wine holdings to do this?
COPPOLA: Oh, I didnt do it that way.
Sofias not gonna suddenly run a big wine empire, or Roman.
The wine business has changed.
A lot of consolidation and distributors have gotten bigger and fewer.
That is in the billions now, not in the hundred millions.
At my age, I wanted it to be acquired by people I knew and liked.
By combining with them, we became the fifth-largest winery.
Which means were in the game.
So I won the bet.
I am as happy as I could be.
A trade report onMegalopolispainted a picture of an out-of-control production.
Aside from deja vu, how did that affect you compared to the attacks onApocalypse Now?
COPPOLA: Well,Apocalypse Nowwas out there being edited for months and months and months.
And because it had been made in the Philippines, it was sort of mysterious.
[WithMegalopolis]it was much the same thing.
A rumor starts out; there was a report about chaos.
But the source was no source.
I love my actors, and there is not one of them I would change.
The movie has a style that went beyond my expectations.
Thats sincerely how I feel.
The most important thing is the life the film might have when eventually it cuts together and blossoms.
OnGodfather II, that happened three weeks before a devastating preview.
AndPeggy Sue Got Marriedhad a terrible preview, then two weeks later, it came together.
Movies can change their chemistry.
COSTNER: Its tough when you put a pencil in an audiences hand.
Its really not what the experience is about.
DEADLINE: Why didnt that happen?
COSTNER: They each had kind of very pronounced ideas about what they wouldnt leave in the movie.
Theyre very well-known directors.
Another said, The white girl, its a cliche.
Well, it wasnt a cliche.
In the West, slaves were traded.
They were very valuable in the commerce of the West.
I finally directed it by default.
What I knew was, I wasnt as good as any of those other directors.
But I wasnt gonna leave anything out.
You just have to trust what you think youre doing.
Somebody figured out how to get 10 minutes out of the movie.
DEADLINE: Francis, you told me your wine business has made you more than your films.
How does the experience of taking an entrepreneurial risk help when you are staking $100 million inHorizonandMegalopolis?
COSTNER: It didnt for me.
It was just a feeling.
DEADLINE: Francis, how about you?
COPPOLA: Oh, Ive been displaying this behavior for 70 years, trying to learn about cinema.
And the film wont tell you which way to go.
Ive enjoyed my career.
As for the risk stuff, what are you risking?
Youre risking something that youre lucky to have, which is the ability to finance a movie.
I had that fall in my lap.
I wasnt entrepreneurial for any reason other than that it was fun.
I like having fun with people.
Were all there, going to seeLawrence of Arabiatogether.
COSTNER: Im not a gambler.
People might look at this and say, Oh, this is a gamble.
Im not that kind of gambler.
I gamble on the love of story.
Im gambling on people, in a sense.
Thats what I count on, like that guy at the campfire.
DEADLINE: Francis, you went into Chapter 11 afterOne From the Heart.
It took a number of movies to make you whole.
Bankruptcy is a worst-nightmare scenario for most.
What was the biggest lesson that you learned about gambling on your vision and failing?
Im obviously not young now.
I couldnt do it again, nor would I care to.
We are happy in saying were doing this because we enjoy it so much.
This was after you went to bat for him onAmerican Graffitiwhen Universal hated the film.
Quantify a friendship like the one youve had with Lucas.
Friendship is far more valuable than money will ever even begin to be.
DEADLINE: Kevin, have you ever had that kind of camaraderie with somebody in the film business?
So I have an enormous amount in this.
And it really scared me, because Im more afraid for my friends money than my own.
And thats why, on these first two, I deferred everything [laughs].
Its not the smartest move, but I started this conversation by saying Im not the greatest businessman.
I believe in the movies, the power of them, the longevity.
And then you asked for it back a week later for a business opportunity.
COPPOLA: Well, yeah, there have been highs and lows [laughs].
My feeling is that as long as I make her happy, Im doing OK with her.
My children, also.
It wouldnt exist if I hadnt taken some of my own advice.
Sometimes my wifes advice is very useful.
When she says no to something, thats usually a good reason to do it [laughs].
My wife is valuable to me in many, many ways, but that is one of them.
Did you know that I once bought the Chateau Marmont for $6 million?
DEADLINE: When was this?
COPPOLA:Around the time ofThe Godfather Part II.
The reason you probably dont know is because my wife didnt want me to do it.
And I got out of it by invoking a termite clause.
DEADLINE: Kevin, when will we seeHorizon?
Warner Bros and New Line are releasing it?
I hope it comes out in the fall.
Id like to take it to the Venice Film Festival.
Thats what I want if I get the chance.
Im most interested right now in arriving at the edit when its the film I want.
My guess is its not coming out this year, so well see.
DEADLINE: Last question.
Francis was up for Best Picture and Director for the thirdGodfather, and Martin Scorsese was up forGoodfellas.
What do you remember about winning in such a great year for movies?
You hear your name called, and its a bit of a blur.
Its a forever moment, but its just a moment.
I was so grateful to the Academy, but Ive tried to not let awards inform my work.
I make these movies for people, not for myself.
Thats how I look at it.
But Ill tell you what.
Im never gonna do this again [laughs].
Im never putting my f*cking money in another movie after these four.
