“I don’t know if I want to see her as me”: Sofia Coppola Refuses to Watch Movie That Started Joaquin Phoenix’s Love Affair With Rooney Mara for a Heartbreaking Reason
It is common for people who have experienced breakups to express their feelings and memories of their past through art. Creativity can be a way of expressing emotions and reflecting on the past. In the cases of prominent filmmakers Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze, their personal experiences have influenced their creative work. When Coppola made Lost in Translation, which reminded her of her ex-husband, Jonze said she couldn’t watch Her because she feared that it might trigger bad memories of him.
Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, A reflection of her personal life
Sofia Coppola, who is part of the renowned Coppola family, gained fame for her directorial debut in The Virgin Suicides (1999). Perhaps her most famous work, Lost in Translation, was her breakthrough, earning her an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and recognition as an exceptional filmmaker in the industry.
The movie is beloved for its reflection of Coppola’s personal life as it follows the story of Charlotte ( Scarlett Johansson) and her boyfriend, John, who travel through Tokyo, where she finds her boyfriend is more interested in Anna Faris’s character Kelly. Charlotte then finds herself in a striking bond with Bob Harris, played by Bill Murray.
Coppola and Jonze got divorced months after Lost in Translation’s successful premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Many were quick to draw parallels between the movie and Coppola’s relationship with Spike Jonze, pointing out that the main character’s boyfriend, played by Giovanni Ribisi, was likely based on Coppola’s then-husband. And Anna Farris’s character was meant to be a dig at Cameron Diaz.
The director soon rejected the rumor about Anna Farris’s character saying,
“It wasn’t based on her. It was a combination of a bunch of people. It was a type, so it wasn’t a diss on her.”
Some cinephiles also believe that the 2013 romance Her was a response from Jonze, narrating his side of the story.
Sofia Coppola admits she hasn’t seen Her says it’s based on her divorce
On the 20th anniversary of her iconic movie Lost in Translation, Coppola told Rolling Stone that she never saw Jonze’s Her, which she believed was a response to her movie Lost in Translation, since both movies had the same production designer K.K. Barrett.
“But I haven’t seen it. I know people like that movie, but I haven’t seen it. “From the trailer, it looks the same too. We have the same production designer. know people like that movie, but I haven’t seen it I don’t know if I want to see Rooney Mara as me”., it looks the same too”.
In Jonze’s 2013 romance, Her, Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly, falls in love with an AI named Samantha, reaches a head, and tries to proceed with divorcing his wife, Catherine, played by Rooney Mara.
Coppola compares her to Twombly’s estranged wife and admits her embarrassment at watching the character of Mara, who might resemble her. Coincidentally, the main characters who portrayed divorced couples in her film eventually became real-life couples themselves.
Coppola’s upcoming feature, Priscilla, is currently scheduled to release in theaters on November 3, 2023.
Source: Rolling Stone
