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    50 Things You Might Not Know About Sofia Coppola And Her Movies

    Reading "The Virgin Suicides" novel made her want to become a director.

    If you're a big fan of Sofia Coppola's movies, there's a good chance you already know quite a bit about her.

    sofia coppola

    Like Wes Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson, she's one of those directors who attract fans (like myself) who like to know what goes on behind the scenes.

    Here are some things you might not know about Coppola and her films:

    1. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore recommended Jeffrey Eugenides's novel The Virgin Suicides to Coppola.

    A signed copy of The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

    2. Until then, she wasn't interested in taking part in the family business of filmmaking.

    sofia and francis ford coppola

    3. Reading The Virgin Suicides changed her mind.

    kirsten dunst in virgin suicides

    4. There was already an adaptation of The Virgin Suicides written when Coppola finished her script, but the production company wasn't happy with it and went with hers instead.

    sofia coppola

    5. The Virgin Suicides is the first of four collaborations between Coppola and Kirsten Dunst.

    sofia coppola and kirsten dunst

    6. Coppola also directed the music video for Air's "Playground Love," which followed the actors and their characters on- and off-set of The Virgin Suicides.

    View this video on YouTube

    Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

    7. Robert Schwartzman, who played Baldino, is Coppola’s cousin.

    robert schwartzman in virgin suicides

    8. According to Scarlett Johansson, Coppola wanted her to appear in The Virgin Suicides after seeing the young actor in Manny & Lo.

    scarlett johansson in manny and lo

    9. Johannsson was just 17 when she filmed Lost in Translation.

    scarlett johansson in lost in translation

    10. Coppola has said she wouldn't have made Lost in Translation if Bill Murray, who she'd written the lead role for, hadn't agreed to star in it.

    Bill Murray in lost in translation

    11. With Lost in Translation, Coppola became the first woman nominated for directing, producing, and screenwriting during the Oscars all in the same year.

    sofia coppola with her oscar for lost in translation

    12. Lost in Translation also won Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Awards.

    bill murray and scarlett johansson lost in translation

    13. Charlotte's husband, John, was loosely based on Spike Jonze, Coppola's former husband. There were rumors that Anna Faris’ character, Kelly, was based on Cameron Diaz (who starred in Jonze's Being John Malkovich), but Coppola has never confirmed this.

    Scarlett Johansson and Giovani Ribisi in lost in translation

    14. Nearly 20 years later, only Murray, Johansson, and Coppola know for sure what Bob whispered to Charlotte at the end of the movie.

    bill murray and scarlett johansson in lost in translation

    15. Marie Antoinette is the second of Coppola's collaborations with Kirsten Dunst.

    kirsten dunst in marie antoinette

    16. Dunst and Jason Schwartzman, who played Antoinette and Louis XVI, respectively, were both about a decade older than their teenage characters at the time of filming.

    kirsten dunst and jason schwartzman at the marie antoinette premiere

    17. Jason Schwartzman, who played Louis XVI, is Coppola’s cousin (and the aforementioned Robert Schwartzman's brother).

    jason schwartzman in marie antoinette

    18. Coppola was allowed to film Marie Antoinette at the actual Palace of Versailles.

    the palace of versailles

    19. Manola Blahnik designed hundreds of shoes for the movie.

    a bunch of beautiful shoes

    20. Popular French patisserie Ladurée, meanwhile, made the pastries for the film.

    a bunch of beautiful pastries

    21. The look of Count Axel Fersen, played by Jamie Dornan, was based on Adam Ant.

    22. Marie Antoinette was Dornan's onscreen debut.

    jamie dornan in marie antoinette

    23. Somewhere was loosely inspired by Coppola's own relationship with her very famous father, Francis Ford Coppola.

    sofia and francis ford coppola

    24. Coppola wrote the role of Johnny Marco, the main character in Somewhere, with Stephen Dorff in mind, because he had both a "bad-boy actor" vibe and "this really sweet, sincere side."

    stephen dorff in somewhere

    25. Dorff and Elle Fanning, who plays his daughter in Somewhere, bonded after Coppola instructed them to spend an afternoon together.

    elle fanning and stephen dorff in somewhere

    26. The first 15 minutes of Somewhere feature no dialogue.

    stephen dorff in somewhere

    27. The camera lenses Coppola used in Somewhere are the same ones her father used in 1983's Rumble Fish.

    diane lane and matt dillon in rumble fish

    28. Benicio del Toro's Somewhere cameo, was spoiled when Robert Schwartzman and other members of the band Rooney (who also appeared in the film) blogged about it.

    benicio del toro

    29. The Bling Ring is the third of Coppola's collaborations with Kirsten Dunst.

    30. Paris Hilton, who was a victim of the IRL Bling Ring burglaries, also cameoed as herself at the club.

    paris hilton in the bling ring

    31. Hilton let Coppola film inside her home.

    paris hilton at the bling ring premiere

    32. The Bling Ring is the first movie Emma Watson appeared in that wasn't based on a book (though it was based on a Vanity Fair article).

    emma watson in the bling ring

    33. The Bling Ring is A24's fourth-ever film.

    the cast of the bling ring

    34. The Beguiled is the fourth and most recent of Coppola's collaborations with Kirsten Dunst.

    kirsten dunst in the beguiled

    35. It's also Coppola's second time working with Elle Fanning, after Somewhere.

    elle fanning in the beguiled

    36. The Beguiled is Coppola's third film adaptation of a book, after The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette (based on Antonia Fraser's biography).

    nicole kidman and colin farrell in the beguiled

    37. Coppola became the second-ever woman to win the Best Director award at Cannes for The Beguiled.

    sofia coppola at cannes

    38. A number of The Beguiled scenes were shot inside Jennifer Coolidge's New Orleans home.

    the cast of the beguiled

    39. Coppola wrote The Beguiled screenplay with Nicole Kidman in mind.

    nicole kidman in the beguiled

    40. On the Rocks marks the third collaboration between Coppola and Bill Murray.

    bill murray and sofia coppola

    41. It's also her first film distributed by a streaming service.

    rashida jones and bill murray in on the rocks

    42. Rashida Jones, who plays Laura in On the Rocks, was a student in an acting class Coppola used to workshop her script for Lost in Translation. Jones played the role of Charlotte.

    rashida jones

    43. Coppola wrote the role of Laura with Jones in mind.

    rashida jones in on the rocks

    44. Coppola screened On the Rocks for her family — including her parents — during the COVID-19 lockdown.

    sofia coppola rashida jones and bill murray on the set of on the rocks

    45. On the Rocks is one of the rare occasions Coppola inserted a personal part of herself into a character.

    rashida jones in on the rocks

    46. Coppola prides herself on providing a feminine point of view with her movies.

    sofia coppola

    47. Coppola's husband, Thomas Mars, has appeared on every one of her film's soundtracks.

    sofia coppola and thomas mars

    48. Coppola's films are often reactionary to the movie preceding it.

    49. Coppola prefers to work with smaller budgets, which she's said provides more creative freedom than larger ones.

    sofia coppola

    50. While Coppola involves her father in her projects, it's important to her to remain independent (which is why she made a point to secure the rights to The Virgin Suicides without his help).

    sofia and francis ford coppola

    What's your favorite Sofia Coppola movie? Sound off in the comments!