As a longtime fan and admirer of Francis Ford Coppola’s work, I must admit that this story about Whitney Cummings‘ audition for his latest film, Megalopolis, left me both amused and bewildered. It seems that the audition process was far from conventional, which is something we have come to expect from the maverick director.
Despite not making a significant impact at the box office, Francis Ford Coppola’s grand production titled “Megalopolis” remains an intriguing subject for many discussions.
While tuning into the latest installment of my favorite podcast, “Good For You,” I stumbled upon a snippet that made its way onto TikTok. In it, the seasoned stand-up comedian shared an eerie tale about her audition for Coppola’s recent movie production – a chilling experience she labeled as a “horror audition.
She shared that this experience was deeply significant for her,” said the versatile individual who has spent years as an actress, author, director, and producer. She continued by revealing that she received a call asking her to try out for a film – though she doesn’t mention it explicitly in the clip, it’s evident she’s discussing Coppola’s long-awaited production which earned $13 million at the worldwide box office on a budget roughly estimated to be around $120 million. Cummings shared that she devoted numerous days to preparing for the audition and spent more than three hours in hair and makeup.
However, upon reaching Coppola’s set for her audition, she discovered it deviated greatly from the usual experience. “It’s eerily silent,” Cummings explained. “There’s no sense of ‘This is an audition. Hi, how are you?’ or ‘What’s up?’ It’s just really awkward.” She went on to say, “I enter, and I ask, ‘So, where should we begin first?’ He responds, ‘Oh no, no, we won’t be doing the scene.’ I thought, ‘Alright, Alright. This is three days of my life.’
Following the premiere of Megalopolis at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, something that the film’s actors have discussed since then is this: Francis Ford Coppola employed an unconventional audition technique where he asked them to spontaneously perform scenes based on cues he would provide on the spot.
Cummings stated that he would merely hurl items at her, further explaining that he initially instructed her to bid farewell to their son who was departing for war using a British accent. As a response to her husband leaving for her sister, he switched to an Australian accent. Intrigued because of her involvement in the show Punk’d, she thought if she was being pranked, this was truly brilliant.
The audition was so, ahem, unique and unexpected that Cummings said she “disassociated the entire thing. I started glazing over, and then he was, like, ‘That was great.’ I don’t know where I went. I just completely disassociated.”
Cummings suggests she’s used to improvising with a scene partner, and she felt lost next to the iconic auteur. “I am improvising my head off to just nothing,” she said. “Why am I acting with him? He’s, like, ‘It’s going to be me and we’re going to improvise the scene.’ I’m, like, ‘But you don’t [improvise].’ Has anyone ever told you the truth since Apocalypse Now? Right? Has anyone told you the truth? No.”
When it was all said and done, Cummings claimed she was on the verge of tears and “so embarrassed” by the process. But she did get a parting gift. “He gives me a signed copy of his new book. He signed it in front of me as if I had shown up to an autograph signing as if I wanted [it]. Like, thank you. And then gave me a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola wine. It was just so humiliating — that’s the only [word] — and so confounding in that moment.”
I’ve eagerly awaited news about Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film, “Megalopolis,” starring a talented ensemble including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman, and Jason Schwartzman. I can’t help but wonder if I, too, could be part of this exciting project – though I don’t know yet which role I might have auditioned for. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and patiently waiting to hear back from the production team!
In the video you’ve seen, Cummings inquires if the movie was released, to which his co-host confirms that it did but it didn’t fare well. Cummings then jokes, “I guess I won this round.” Besides receiving negative reviews and poor box office performance, Megalopolis has also been a subject of multiple lawsuits.
@realwhitneycummings
Horror audition story for Megalopolis 🤦🏻♀️
♬ original sound – WhitneyCummings
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2024-12-17 18:24