BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - It now appears shooting of a new film by Francis Ford Coppola in Argentina never stopped, contrary to claims by the actors union in the country, a union official and a spokeswoman for the director both said Tuesday
The union had claimed it forced Coppola to suspend shooting for six days over what it called contract violations.
But union leader Norberto Gonzalo admitted that it was "probable" filming continued despite the union's order to stop the production.
That's exactly what happened, said Coppola spokeswoman Kathleen Talbert.
She said shooting continued with scenes involving American Vincent Gallo, Maribel Verdu of Spain and Klaus Maria Brandauer of Austria - as well as Argentine actors who chose not to follow the union's request.
Talbert had first dismissed the union's claim of disruptions as "rumours" and said "there are no actor problems or issues whatsoever on the film."
But she later said there was a dispute, which started when several actors complained to their agents about working conditions.
Since Coppola personally financed the $15 million film, many of those involved had agreed to work for less pay than they would get on big-budget films.
"At one point during a tough, all night shoot, a couple of actors complained to their agents about fact that they didn't have dressing rooms, etc (not required and for a small production like TETRO, even Francis does not have the typical trailers)," Talbert said in an e-mail.
"It was then discovered that the contracts weren't signed and on file, and I believe, to save face the union declared to the press that 'Tetro' must stop production. We never stopped production, not even for a day - or even an hour. The contracts were signed and registered in a matter of days," Talbert said.
Gonzalo said the union's stop order should have applied to all actors in the film and that it sent inspectors to the set to confirm shooting had stopped. But he also acknowledged that production could have continued without the union knowing about it.
Talbert said the Argentine Actor's Association is legally responsible for making sure the contracts were filed before shooting started and that Coppola's producers had sent the contracts as required. But she said the actors' agents weren't satisfied and that negotiations continued for weeks after the production began.
The film "was not only shooting, but also the actors were being paid regularly through the union, and so we had no idea there was any issue," Talbert said. "In the USA the actor's deals are agreed upon verbally or with deal memos, but the actual contracts are not often signed until months later, even after the film is done."
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