Francis Ford Coppola finds Botox "scary".

The Apocalypse Now director, 86, has given his opinion on actresses who attempt to fend off the ageing process with wrinkle-freezing jabs with the moviemaker admitting he prefers women to age naturally because they are "beautiful" at every "decade".

When asked about Botox treatments, Coppola told The Telegraph newspaper: "Well, that's scary. The bloom of youth is 27.

"But at every decade women are beautiful. There's no age of woman that isn't beautiful. I always enjoyed inviting 90-year-old ladies, of whom I was fortunate to know a few, to lunch. They're fascinating, they'll tell you stories about their lives."

Coppola went on to add that he believes as soon as someone starts having anti-ageing injectables they continue until they "don't even look like a person".

He said: "Just don't try and look like a blossom when you're a flower. It starts just with a little bit here, and then that sags, and you do more, and by the time you're done, you don't even look like a person any more!"

In the interview, Coppola also spoke about the loss of his wife Eleanor, who died aged 87 in 2024, admitting he's been struggling "emotionally" since her death.

He added: "I lost her a year ago. My favourite time with her [Eleanor] was always in the mornings. All my life, there was someone to check in with, emotionally - so now, I … don't know where I am ...

"I just learned so much from talking to her every day. She told me about conceptual art, how anything could be art - someone peeling a potato could be art.

"I thought it was the dumbest thing I ever heard, but it was interesting, even if I didn't understand or agree with it."

Coppola went on to reveal he's changed his morning routine in a bid to help him cope with the loss of his wife explaining he now starts the day by writing a poem.

He said: "Every morning I write a list of 10 positive words, that I turn into a poem. And I learn a new word. It's hard to find a good new source of words."