Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has denied branding actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino "lazy" and lacking ambition. The iconic director - who worked with both De Niro and Pacino on The Godfather - was quoted in an interview with men's magazine GQ last month attacking the pair, and was reported to have made disparaging remarks about Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson.

But Coppola insists his comments were taken out of context by the publication - and even credits his critical acclaim to the efforts of De Niro and Pacino.

He says, "It's not true. (The quotes were) obviously bent out of shape. Why would I do that? They're my friends, all three of them. It's not logical. I think those three guys are among the greatest living actors we have. They've always been kind to me. In the case of De Niro and Al, I feel I didn't make them. They made me. And in the case of Jack Nicholson, he's one of a kind - super-intelligent."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)