Sofia Coppola Got ‘Scolded’ at ‘Lost in Translation’ Premiere by Spike Jonze’s Friend Michel Gondry, Who ‘Apologized’; She’s Never Watched ‘Her’

Fresh off the world premiere of her last directorial effort, Priscilla, at the Venice Film Festival (where star Cailee Spaeny won best actress), Sofia Coppola joined Rolling Stone to reflect on the 20th anniversary of her beloved Lost in Translation.

Coppola, whose script for Lost in Translation won the Oscar for original screenplay, partly used the dissolution of her marriage to fellow director Spike Jonze as inspiration for the film, which follows a college graduate (Scarlett Johansson) who accompanies her celebrity photographer boyfriend (Giovanni Ribisi) on a trip to Tokyo. While hes out flirting with a Hollywood actress (Anna Farris), she befriends a faded movie star (Bill Murray) whos in town to shoot a commercial.

Since the film premiered in 2023, viewers have associated Johanssons character with Coppola and Ribisis with Jonze. Coppola remembered Michel Gondry who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kaufman who also penned Jonzes Being John Malkovich and Adaptation scolding her at the Lost in Translation premiere out of support for Jonze.

He apologized to me about that, Coppola said about Gondry. He scolded me at my premiere, but he apologized. I think he was being a good friend. He thought he was defending Spike, but he was putting me down at my premiere. It came out of him trying to be a good friend to Spike.

Variety reached out to Gondrys rep for additional comment.

Jonzes directorial effort Her released in theaters 10 years after Lost in Translation, and many moviegoers took it as a response to Coppolas film in that it represents his perspective on the end of a marriage. In Her, Joaquin Phoenix plays a depressed man who becomes romantically involved with an AI software amid a brutal divorce. Rooney Mara plays Phoenixs ex in the film. Coppola has never watched the film.

I never saw it! From the trailer, it looks the same too, Coppola said. We have the same production designer. But I havent seen it. I know people really like that movie, but I havent seen it. I dont know if I want to see Rooney Mara as me [laughs].

Coppola was also asked about Anna Farris Lost in Translation character, which some have theorized is based on Jonzes Being John Malkovich star Cameron Diaz. That film opened in 1999, the same year Jonze and Coppola got married.

No. It really wasnt based on her, Coppola said about Diaz. It was a combination of a bunch of people. It was a type, so it wasnt a diss on her. Someone else was more the personality of [Anna Faris character].

Coppola also revealed that when she showed Lost in Translation to her kids for the first time, their main takeaway was not any of the potential connections between the film and their mothers personal life.

I showed it to my kids a few years ago when we were going to Tokyo and staying at the Park Hyatt, and that was the first time Id watched it in a while, and they were like, Why is she so young and hes so much older?' the director said. I had made it when I was closer to Scarletts age and didnt think that much about it. That was something that they noticed the most.

Johansson was 17 years old when she filmed Lost in Translation, while Murray was 52.

Im not going to think about it, Coppola told Rolling Stone about the films age gap. I was just doing my thing at the time it was made. I did notice that watching it with my kids, because theyre teenagers and they were like, Whats going on with that? But Bill is so lovable and charming. Part of the story is about how you can have romantic connections that arent sexual or physical. You can have crushes on people where it isnt that kind of thing. Part of the idea was that you can have connections where you cant be together for various reasons because youre at different points in life.

Lost in Translation is available to stream on Netflix.