Francis Ford Coppola put one of his film’s stars under the spotlight when noting their “different politics” after the director raised the alarm about what he sees as a growing trend toward the “neo-right” and fascism.

During a Thursday panel at the Cannes Film Festival discussing his self-financed epic Megalopolis, Coppola was asked if he fears a second Donald Trump term in the White House.

“Men like Donald Trump are not at the moment in charge, but there is a trend happening in the world … there is a trend happening toward the more neo-right, even fascist tradition, which is frightening because anyone who was alive during World War II saw the horrors that took place, and we don’t want a repeat of that,” the Godfather director said. “Again, I think it’s the role of the artist, of films to shine a light on what’s happening in the world.”

Coppola then pointed to Jon Voight, one of the many actors of Megalopolis who joined Coppola on the panel.

“Jon, you have different political opinions,” Coppola said.

“How did you find that out?” Voight asked, earning laughter from his co-stars.

Voight remains a prolific actor, but he’s received arguably equal attention in recent years for his vehement support of Trump. In social media videos, the Oscar-winning actor has compared Trump to Jesus and blasted his critics. Trump awarded Voight the National Medal of Arts in 2019.

At Cannes, Coppola said his cast represented a variety of political thought, though he only singled out Voight.

“One of the things about our wonderful cast is that they reflect all sorts of political ideas. This is not just one notion,” the director said.

He then turned to Voight and asked how people can come together and “make a beautiful world for the children.”

“Your longing to contribute to that has created this film,” Voight said.

The actor kept his thoughts to the film and did not go into specific politics. He called Coppola’s Megalopolis “very moving” and said its message is relevant in that it shows human beings can solve every problem they are facing. The movie follows an architect played by Adam Driver who intends to rebuild New York City as a utopia after a disaster. Coppola self-financed the project for approximately $100 million.

All-new teaser trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s #Megalopolis. pic.twitter.com/FqCgDLtGVl

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) May 14, 2024

“Where are we going? I think we’re all at this moment asking that question of ourselves. Where are we going and what can we do? I’m a little older now –some of you may have noticed that — and, of course, I have a limited amount of time, and I think to myself, what can I do to encourage us toward a better world to protect these kids?” Voight said. “That’s exactly what I’m doing, it’s in my head every second of the day to see what can we do to make this world better, and I know it’s possible. I agree with this film.”

Watch above via Variety.

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