Francis Ford Coppola denies asking Dracula cast to hurl abuse at Winona Ryder on set
‘Shouting or abusing people isn’t something I do as a person or as a filmmaker,’ said director
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Francis Ford Coppola has denied Winona Ryder’s claim that he instructed her male co-stars to hurl abuse at her on the set of Dracula in 1992.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Ryder had said that during the shooting of one scene, Coppola stood off camera repeatedly shouting “You whore!” in order to get her to believably cry and that he attempted to get the film’s male cast to join in, too. She said stars including Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins refused to do so.
Coppola has since denied Ryder’s claims, telling People: “While I think Winona is a wonderful actor, the incident she described is not how it happened, and shouting or abusing people isn’t something I do as a person or as a filmmaker.
“In this situation, which I remember clearly, I instructed Gary Oldman – in character as Dracula – to whisper improvised words to her and the other characters, making them as horrific and evil as he could. I don’t know what was said, but improvisation is a common filmmaking practice.”
In turn, Ryder corroborated Coppola's version of events. "Winona and Francis are in agreement and his recollection is correct," a spokesperson for the actor said in a statement.
"He asked the actors in character to say horrible things to Winona as a technique to help her cry for the scene. Although that technique didn't work for her, she loves and respects him and considers it a great privilege to have worked with him."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments