Sofia Coppola

[Label Basher]

LOVE her premiere look. She is so effortless.

Those sandals on Taissa Farmiga are quite cool (They're Louis Vuitton and Sofia has them too which is not surprising).

 

[YoninahAliza]

Once again a cool and sophisticated look from Sofia! I love the embroidered jacket, it's a bit shiny without being tacky.

 

[FrenchCactus]

Another picture from Cannes

Le Figaro

 

[dajrekshn]

she always has the most perfect shoes ever. so simple and yet so effective. love it!

 

[5 8 6]

Love her and her subtle style! Although I wish she'd stop wearing Louis Vuitton for a while.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

^ I agree: I love her style but I'd like to see her in some different designers more often.

 

[pixiedust1603]

she always has the most perfect shoes ever. so simple and yet so effective. love it!

Completely agree. I absolutely love her shoe collection.

 

[KoV]

Well said. There's nothing negative about someone being publicly open about a health issue (as long as it's not done in a trashy way). Celebrities who speak up about illnesses should be praised for raising awareness and being brave about fighting their problems, not told to keep it private (unless it's their personal choice).

I think it depends what you're talking about. Some celebrities will say anything to keep in the spotlight or generate buzz for a project and then some are legitimately trying to raise awareness. Angelina Jolie doesn't need to talk about health problems to get press, so when she does it, it's more convincing that she is trying to raise awareness. Michael Douglas telling everyone he got cancer from going down on someone (didn't he even specifically reveal who they were?) seems less noble and like a press-grab, since he had a project to promote.


I like how in interviews Sofia says she thinks her own style is a bit boring. I kind of agree. Even though I love her red-carpet choices, when you see her in candid photos it's always something like... a blue button down with straight black pants.

 

[wild roses]

I think it depends what you're talking about. Some celebrities will say anything to keep in the spotlight or generate buzz for a project and then some are legitimately trying to raise awareness. Angelina Jolie doesn't need to talk about health problems to get press, so when she does it, it's more convincing that she is trying to raise awareness. Michael Douglas telling everyone he got cancer from going down on someone (didn't he even specifically reveal who they were?) seems less noble and like a press-grab, since he had a project to promote.

I think you missed the part where FrenchCactus said: "There's nothing negative about someone being publicly open about a health issue (as long as it's not done in a trashy way)." Trashy being the key word: the poster wasn't saying everyone who discloses personal health issues does it for noble reasons (like your own Michael Douglas example).

I like how in interviews Sofia says she thinks her own style is a bit boring. I kind of agree. Even though I love her red-carpet choices, when you see her in candid photos it's always something like... a blue button down with straight black pants.

I do think Sofia's style is a bit boring myself, but she looks always natural and effortless. She's not a try-hard and her style doesn't have that ...unabtainable factor to it. For comparison, Anna Wintour's style is also fairly predictable but Anna makes a point to emphasize the ~costly~ details of her wardrobe (the fur, the haute couture pieces, the ready-to-wear designer outfits that are uber-expensive....despite being accessible). Sofia's wardrobe is costly but because it's relatable (button down shirts with a nice pair of jeans or slacks), it doesn't seem like she's flaunting her wealth or trying to make herself into an untouchable fantasy.

 

[KoV]

Well said, regarding Sofia's stye. I hadn't really thought about the not flaunting her wealth aspect of it. I think perhaps that has something to do with why other famous and wealthy people admire her style.

Regarding the health disclosure issue, I replied to FrenchCactus not because I wanted to refute, but just because they'd been the most recent to comment on that particular topic. I am just explaining my own defense for what Sofia said. She didn't decry any famous person who reveals health issues, she seemed to be referencing a particular individual and because she didn't want to name someone in particular and throw them under the bus, it came across as more of a generalization than I think she meant it as.

 

[wild roses]

Well said, regarding Sofia's stye. I hadn't really thought about the not flaunting her wealth aspect of it. I think perhaps that has something to do with why other famous and wealthy people admire her style.

Regarding the health disclosure issue, I replied to FrenchCactus not because I wanted to refute, but just because they'd been the most recent to comment on that particular topic. I am just explaining my own defense for what Sofia said. She didn't decry any famous person who reveals health issues, she seemed to be referencing a particular individual and because she didn't want to name someone in particular and throw them under the bus, it came across as more of a generalization than I think she meant it as.

Sofia didn't even say anything that needed to be defended. Merely pointing out other reasons why stars might share their health issues isn't critiquing her, it's merely providing another fame of reference for thinking about an issue. (Next you'll be saying I shouldn't critique Lee Radziwill cuz she's BFFs with Sofia...)

Another thing I like about Sofia's style is that she so loyal to a few brands. Because of that, she doesnt wear what is trendy or is styled to the moment, but has her fashion sense. It actually reminds of the older days, when a socialite/designer would be BFFs for life basically.

 

[KoV]

Needless hostility? A user said something along the lines of "celebrities should be praised for talking about their illness, not told to keep quiet", which is in opposition to what Sofia said. So I don't think it's inappropriate at all for me to side with what Sofia said, since I didn't attack that user's viewpoint or even say they were wrong, I merely explained my own/attempted to explain what I thought Sofia meant. This is a total non-issue, I'm not quite sure why you're being so defensive and making fun of me (with that last Lee/BFF comment).

 

[Naen]

Sofia Coppola interviewed by Naomi Campbell for Interview Magazine Russia

NAOMI CAMPBELL: Let’s start with your new movie, the Bling Ring, a true story about teenagers robbers?

SOFIA COPPOLA: Yes, it was a big new story a few years back about a series of robberies in the Hollywood Hills of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson. Millions of dollars were stolen, police put all the evidence together and and realized it was a bunch of 17-year-olds.

CAMPBELL: Did they catch them?

COPPOLA: Yes they did eventually – but only after they started looking on Facebook and saw a group of teenagers who had posted photos of themselves wearing the stolen celebrities clothes. These kids were stealing and bragging about it, they went to Paris Hilton’s house about 6 times.

CAMPBELL: Six times? They kept going back?

COPPOLA: Yes they just kept going back and hanging out there. They would look online when she was hosting a party somewhere.

CAMPBELL: Were they very strategic and smart with the planning?

COPPOLA: Yeah and they had the guts to do it, but I think when you’re a kid you don’t really think about it.

CAMPBELL: So are they in jail right now?

COPPOLA: Yes some of them are in jail and one girl got off early.

CAMPBELL: They went to Juvenile?

COPPOLA: I think two kids in jail right now were tried as adults and got a couple of years. This story interest me so much because it’s about bad behaviour but I also think the story is so much about our times. They were following these people online and I think they felt they knew them almost, because with Twitter and everything they felt like they were their friends and hanging out. They had no barriers.

CAMPBELL: If the Bling Ring were to break into your house, what would they steal from your closet?

COPPOLA: It’s so funny because while we were making this, our apartment in Paris was broken into and they stole some Chanel bags and I’m like oh my god, this is just like the movie! You feel invaded so it’s a strange feeling.

CAMPBELL: Was there something in the house you’d thought they would have taken but didn’t?

COPPOLA: In the movie, what was interesting was that they were so obsessed with these celebrities that they wanted to be them almost so they stole their clothes, their underwear! They stole Paris Hilton’s bra and would wear it, so that’s the stalkery part, but they also stole luxury bags so I think they were obsessed with all those luxury brands and also wanted to be these girls that they thought were so stylish.

CAMPBELL: Any special ways you work with an actor or with an actress? Is there a method to how you work with them or when you’re on set and or the first week of shooting?

COPPOLA: I like to do rehearsals for a week or two before we start shooting. With the Bling Ring, it was a group of friends so they had to seem like a group so I had them do everything together for a week before and improvs and had them break into a house.

CAMPBELL: No!

COPPOLA: Yeah, my friend’s house, I had them break in.

CAMPBELL: They didn’t know? Was she aware?

COPPOLA: Oh yeah! I asked my friend if she could go out that night. Just so they could know what it really feels like.

CAMPBELL: Are teenage girls more badass than boys these days?

COPPOLA: I don’t know… in this the ringleader is a girl and a boy has gone along with her. They seem more complicated!

CAMPBELL: How bling was your Hollywood youth?

COPPOLA: I grew up in Northern California in the country so I wasn’t really … originally when I was younger a little bit but I grew up outside of that.

CAMPBELL: Do you mind if I ask you something about your dad? Did he teach you a lot growing up?

COPPOLA: Oh yes definitely. I always spent a lot of time of time on his sets so I felt like I learnt so much.

CAMPBELL: Does he turn up on your sets?!

COPPOLA: He visits sometimes!

CAMPBELL: Is it true your birth was filmed?

COPPOLA: Yes there’s a home movie, an old black and white video and my dad drops the camera when they say it’s a girl! But it’s fun to have!

CAMPBELL: Did you film your children?

COPPOLA: Not when they were born but I try to take home movies, but am not as good at it as I wish.

CAMPBELL: What would your dad have said it you wanted to work on Wall Street?

COPPOLA: That’s funny because everyone in my family works on movies so it would be so foreign but I’d be excited if my kids did something else!

CAMPBELL: So film is a family Coppola business. How important is family for you nowadays?

COPPOLA: I don’t know if it’s an Italian thing or our family are just close – we were just all together for Easter with all my cousins and their kids – it’s something important.

CAMPBELL: Was becoming famous something you wished for when growing up?

COPPOLA: No I never thought about it and I hear my daughter and her friends talking about being famous and I don’t remember being aware of that.

CAMPBELL: When you have a family like yours surrounding you I think it really is about the artistry in your family.

CAMPBELL: What would the 16 years old Sofia say about the woman sitting here today?

COPPOLA: I don’t know that’s a funny question, I think I always wanted to do things and be independent. I think I’d be happy! It’s funny I always wanted to be magazine editor.

CAMPBELL: What’s more nerve wracking, when you show your film to your family or to the critics?

COPPOLA: It’s always scary when I show my parents, even though you’re an adult you always want your parents to like what you do so that’s always a relief when they do. Of course your parents always say they like what you do, so I guess the critics are more scary. I try not to read reviews.

CAMPBELL: Although you’ve always got great reviews! But I think you’re the kind of woman that when you do something you do it with full conviction so they’re not going to change that. I heard a rumour that you ended a fight between your parents by shouting ‘Cut!’

COPPOLA: That’s so funny. Yes, that’s a story my dad likes to tell.

CAMPBELL: What was your first memory on set of your dad?

COPPOLA: I can’t remember my first memory but probably my earliest memories would be in the Philippines on Apocolypse Now. He’s very larger than life and charismatic on set.

CAMPBELL: Which of his movies is the one that blows you away the most?

COPPOLA: I remember seeing Apocolypse Now as an adult as I’d seen it a lot as a kid and I was really impressed with that. So I was really proud. I also love Rumble Fish.

CAMPBELL: When you became a mother did it change your way of cinema and how you view the film world and directing in any way?

COPPOLA: I’m not sure, I definitely feel I want to make something with more meaning to it, I think something about having kids makes you think about what you’re putting out there, and definitely with this movie, it’s showing a scary part of this culture, I think looking at it as a mother thinking about my kids growing up with facebook and the whole social media thing can be a little scary.

interviewrussia.ru

 

[Naen]

Interview pt. 2

CAMPBELL: Do you feel like you have a fascination with the topic of celebrity?

COPPOLA: Yeah people say that because all my movies have an element of that and I don’t think about it consciously, but probably from growing up around that must have made a big impact on me, but especially today, I think our culture is overly obsessed with it so that was interesting about this movie to me, just kind of how out of balance our culture is.

CAMPBELL: When you read the Virgin Suicide did you immediately say I want to make this movie?

COPPOLA: I loved that book and then I heard that someone was making a movie of it and I kept thinking ‘I hope they don’t mess it up, I hope they do it like this’ and then I heard how they were doing it, it was a guy doing it, and I thought ’oh, it’s not how you should do it’ and I just got really protective of it and so I started working on a script of it on my own, I didn’t have the rights or anything.

CAMPBELL: It’s a great film. I love everything about it, the soundtrack, the clothes!

COPPOLA: Oh thank you!

CAMPBELL: Directors often say that making your own film is like raising your own child. Do you agree with that.

COPPOLA: They are like your babies and people ask what’s your favourite one and you care about them all. I put my heart into them.

CAMPBELL: Are you stricter as a director or a mother?

COPPOLA: As a mother! (laughs)

CAMPBELL: What do you remember about being in Asia as a kid while your dad filmed Apocolypse Now?

COPPOLA: I remember being in the Philippines, I was around 5 and I thought it was really fun. We’d be in helicopters, or in the jungle, I thought it was exciting. My parents went to Japan a lot as a little kid and I think that’s where I got the connection as I’ve always loved Japan and wanted to go back there.

CAMPBELL: Talking of Japan, when were you last Lost in Translation?

COPPOLA: That’s a good question. I don’t remember.

CAMPBELL: I get lost every day somewhere! Hollywood seems to get faster and faster and your movies are great expectations, like you’re not part of the trend of what people are doing, you do what you want to do, regardless.

COPPOLA: I try to, I enjoy doing my own thing, and also there are so many movies that are similar out there that I feel lucky that I’m able to do my own thing, I try to make them for small budgets so I have creative freedom.

CAMPBELL: So you don’t have to answer to anyone.

COPPOLA: Yeah. What is getting harder and harder is that movies are getting more and more conservative. I think it’s because of the financiers - they want to bet on a sure bet to put their money into something they know is safe and proven and I think they don’t want to take risks as much.

CAMPBELL: So do you find you’re getting more of your backing from America or from Europe?

COPPOLA: We always raise the money from foreign sales.

CAMPBELL: You tell stories mostly through pictures and not through long dialogues, do you trust pictures more than words?

COPPOLA: I have just always been interested in the visual side of it, I love photography and so I like trying to tell stories through the images.

CAMPBELL: You kind of also want to leave it up to the person, the audience to kind of have their own interpretation of things.

COPPOLA: And not tell them everything I think. I feel like in real life people don’t really express their feelings, so in movies it seems unnatural to me. I like showing something with more of a gesture.

CAMPBELL: Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If you express your feelings you’re an emotional mad person and then when you don’t…. I actually prefer the person that expresses their feelings, I’d rather know straight up what I’m dealing with.

CAMPBELL: You won an Oscan and a Golden Lion in Venice. Which one does your daughter like better? Oh and where do you keep them by the way?

COPPOLA: I don’t think she’s noticed! I left them in Paris because I though it’d be exotic in Paris. I remember when we came to stay at my husband’s parents, and I said “oh we got a Golden Lion” and she was very excited that we had a gold Lion.

CAMPBELL: You’ve tried a lot of things, you’ve done acting, photography and you’re a clothing designer. I read that you did an internship with Karl when you were still in school.

COPPOLA: Yeah when I was 15-16 in the summer. It was really funny, it was Chanel in the 80s, so it was really exciting with models like Marpessa. I thought it was so glamorous and he was really nice and it was fun to see him working.

CAMPBELL: Marc Jacobs named a bag after you, there’s even a wine named Sofia Coppola, what next? I know you’ve got a few clothing things you’re doing, are you allowed to talk about any of those?

COPPOLA: Oh yeah I’m doing the bags for Louis Vuitton, I did my Coppola bag and that was really fun to do.

CAMPBELL: And did you not do something for H&M?

COPPOLA: Oh no, I directed a commercial for them but I never designed things for them.

CAMPBELL: Are you still into directing videos?

COPPOLA: I’m actually going to do a video for my husband’s band Phoenix. I don’t do it very often but I’m looking forward to doing that.

CAMPBELL: He will take direction from you?

COPPOLA: I never did a video for them, I’m kinda worried because I want to do a good job for anyone, but especially for them.

CAMPBELL: How do you get inspired?

COPPOLA: I think it’s different things, like I read this article in Vanity Fair about these kids that I based the story on, I think you never know what will interest you so I try to be open.

CAMPBELL:I also heard you’re close to your brother Roman who is a filmmaker, do you guys talk about news when you get together or just do normal family stuff?

COPPOLA: We do family stuff but I’m glad I can always call him and ask him questions and he knows a lot technically about stuff so I can always ask him about lots of cool things, it’s good to have a big brother who knows about film.

CAMPBELL: I know you’re related to Nicholas Cage, do you ever hang out with him at all?

COPPOLA: He’s my cousin, we saw each other a lot growing up, but I haven’t seem him lately but he’s a really great guy.

CAMPBELL: You directed an advert for Christian Dior, is the approach to making commercials different to making movies?

COPPOLA: Yeah definitely, I enjoyed it because it’s just a few days shoot and especially with beauty it’s just about being fun and beautiful, you don’t have to tell so much of a story.

CAMPBELL: Do you do a storyboard?

COPPOLA: I put a lot of reference photos together, I feel like it’s more free and open because it’s just about beautiful images.

CAMPBELL: You worked with a historical writer, Antonia Frasier on the film Marie Antoinette and seem very interested in historical dramas, could you see yourself getting more involved with filming another one of her books such as the Gunpowder Plot or something?

COPPOLA: I haven’t read that, I haven’t read all her books, that was interesting for me because she’s such an interesting woman and I was never a good student so getting all historical facts was more of a challenge for me but I loved that period in Versailles.

CAMPBELL: That was Kirstin Dunst?

COPPOLA: Yeah I love Kirstin.

CAMPBELL: How many movies have you done with Kirstin?

COPPOLA: Two.

CAMPBELL: Are there any other actors you’ve worked with more than once?

COPPOLA: That’s a good question. I must have but I, yeah I can’t think of any. I love Elle Fanning, I’d love to do something with her.

CAMPBELL: She’s beautiful, she’s so natural and pure.

COPPOLA: I’m excited to see her as she grows up.

CAMPBELL: Emma Watson takes the lead in Bling Ring, were you a fan of the Harry Potter movies?

COPPOLA: I haven’t seen them all, I saw one, so I’m really not that familiar with them, but I really liked her and met her and thought she was really smart and nice. I was impressed by her.

CAMPBELL: Do you like Francois Truffaut?

COPPOLA: Yes Truffaut and Godard.

CAMPBELL: It seems you have the feminine version of that.

COPPOLA: I love French cinematography and the atmosphere so that was definitely something, and seeing Breathless as a kid had a big impact on me.

CAMPBELL: Which part of directing do you like the most? The writing, filming or the editing?

COPPOLA: I think the writing for me is the hardest part, I like being on set, on my own set probably my favourite is editing as you don’t have the stress of time frame, you can just sit back and play with things.

CAMPBELL: - Do you prefer to live in Europe or America?

COPPOLA: I love Paris, and New York these days. I was in Paris for a while and got homesick.

CAMPBELL: We’re faster here, if you forget something at the pharmacy you can go and get it (laughs)

COPPOLA: Yeah yeah, things are much easier

CAMPBELL: Thank you so much!

COPPOLA: Thank you for having me.

interviewrussia.ru

 

[5 8 6]

I always enjoy her interviews. Thanks for posting.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Wow, how strange that her place was broken into while she was working on The Bling Ring.

 

[5 8 6]

Sofia Coppola at The Bling Ring New York City screening:

(Zimbio)

 

[FrenchCactus]

Sofia is on the cover of Le Figaroscope this week.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

^ That cover is fantastic!

Not sure I am down with the lighter hair at the NYC screening; I prefer it at least a bit darker.

 

[SugarMe]

COPPOLA: And not tell them everything I think. I feel like in real life people don’t really express their feelings, so in movies it seems unnatural to me. I like showing something with more of a gesture.

I'm glad she articulated this because I always felt like this was something I really enjoyed about her films but was never able to put my finger on.