Sofia Coppola

Happy Hour with Ina Garten

Ina Garten hosts Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola for a nostalgic conversation at her kitchen table. The pair discusses Sofia's

Key takeaways

• Sofia Coppola reflects on how being a 'new kid' moving frequently helped her relate to characters in her films.
• The discussion highlights Sofia's formative internship at Chanel under Karl Lagerfeld during the 1980s.

Main topics

• Filmmaking and creative process
• Fashion history and personal style

Notable quotes

I was always kind of ashamed of that movie because it's so kind of trashy, but then it's like my kid's favorite movie.

Conclusion

A heartwarming exploration of how personal history and creative passio

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:01) I'm Ina Garten, and each week on Happy Hour, I invite new and old friends for a drink and a fun conversation at my kitchen table in New York City. On this week's episode, I'm joined by Sofia Coppola. Sofia is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. Speaker 5 (0:17) I Speaker 4 (0:17) was always kind of ashamed of that movie because it's so kind of trashy, but then it's like my kid's favorite movie. Speaker 5 (0:22) I was like, really? That one? Speaker 4 (0:24) Her films include The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and Priscilla. We chat about the hilarious way that we met, our shared love of Paris. I'd love to go to get crepes at Cafe Brez, Odeon. Oh, I don't know that. and what influences her iconic personal style. Hey, Speaker 2 (0:49) everybody. Cassidy Hubberth here. This week on And Mom, we spoke with Grammy Award-winning musician Corinne Bailey Ray about taking her kids on tour, becoming a widow at 29, and how she felt about having a home birth. Check out the latest episode of And Mom wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 4 (1:13) Sophia Coppola, welcome to Happy Hour. Thank you. And of course I know your movies, but who knew you had your own champagne? I feel Speaker 5 (1:20) very lucky because I grew up in Napa on a vineyard and my dad... When I was a kid, so when you're 21, you'll have your own champagne. And he actually did. Yeah, yeah. So it's really fun. Speaker 4 (1:29) It's delicious. Thank you. It's really good. And I love that Speaker 5 (1:31) it's Speaker 4 (1:32) called Sophia. I Speaker 5 (1:33) feel very lucky to have my own champagne. Speaker 4 (1:36) Everybody needs a good present for their 21st birthday. You know, the thing about birthdays is you always want it to be something you remember. Speaker 5 (1:44) Oh, yeah, that's true. Do you Speaker 4 (1:45) remember what you got for your 20th birthday? Never. Speaker 5 (1:47) Yeah, right, no. For Speaker 1 (1:48) your Speaker 5 (1:48) 21st birthday, you'll always remember. Yeah, Speaker 1 (1:50) exactly. Speaker 4 (1:51) So you and I saw each other the last time in the, I know this sounds really tawdry, in the bathroom at Air France going to Paris. I Speaker 5 (2:00) know, I was. Yeah, it was so fun to see you at the Air France lounge. And I was like, and I'm a shy person, but I was like, I have to ask you where you like to eat in Paris. Oh, is that what happened? Yeah. That's really sweet. I was so happy. I wonder where your favorite Speaker 1 (2:14) place in Paris is. Speaker 4 (2:16) And when was the first time you went to Paris? Do you remember? I Speaker 5 (2:20) don't remember the exact time, but we went as kids a lot because my parents loved it. And so I grew up, we visited a lot, and I have friends of my parents who are like aunts and uncles. So my parents had a little Speaker 4 (2:32) apartment in Saint-Germain, so that's the area that I know. Oh, so you know it really well. Yeah. Speaker 5 (2:36) And then as a teenager, I was an intern at Chanel when I was 15 and 16. What was that like? Oh, my God, it was like a dream. It was like 80s in Paris. with Karl Lagerfeld. Oh, my goodness. I remember going to Cafe Fleur and thinking it was really sophisticated. But it just, like, opened the world to Speaker 4 (2:52) me because I grew up in the country in Napa Valley. Well, you're not exactly a country girl. Speaker 5 (2:56) My friends were so excited that I was coming to your place. Oh, thank Speaker 4 (3:01) you. Speaker 5 (3:01) And Speaker 4 (3:01) I have to Speaker 5 (3:01) tell you that I'm not confident about how to... make dinner and like about roasting a chicken and we followed your recipe and I was so proud. My roast chicken turned out really good. Isn't that great? And Speaker 4 (3:12) you know, it's really about good ingredients and following a recipe that you trust. And I mean, I just follow my recipes like I, you know, every half a teaspoon of salt and just otherwise, you know, I work on them so hard so that you'll be able to make it. And it feels Speaker 5 (3:29) good, doesn't it? Yeah. I was so proud because I always like. It's fried. Yes, I feel confident now that I know how to roast a chicken, so thank you. My dad would try to show me things, and he's always improvising. He's like, you just feel it. I was like, I don't feel it. I need someone to tell me exactly. I think Speaker 4 (3:42) that's an Italian background. You grow up with your mother cooking, but none of us really did. We need a recipe to follow. I need a recipe to follow. I don't throw things together ever. That's good to Speaker 5 (3:53) hear. What do you like to cook? Well, now I feel calm. I only have a few Speaker 2 (3:58) things that I can make. You don't need a lot Speaker 5 (3:59) of things. Yeah, no, but my husband makes really good pasta and he grills a steak great, so I feel like if I have friends over, I can grill. Speaker 4 (4:09) You were one of the first people to see Marie Antoinette as more than just a privileged young girl who was saying things about brioche and cake. What did you see in her that you thought, I mean, I love that you thought you were the only one who could show this side of her. Speaker 5 (4:25) Well, she was such a villain. And a friend of mine was reading a biography about her and said that she was 14 when she went to Versailles. Incredible. Yeah, Speaker 1 (4:32) and Speaker 5 (4:32) I had no idea that she was so young. And so that made me curious. And Antonia Fraser had just Speaker 4 (4:38) come out with her. Yeah, Speaker 5 (4:39) she just came out with a great biography on Marie Antoinette. So I read her book, and it was so interesting to me that she made her human and showed all these details of her as a young girl and that they really took away. mops her pug when she arrived and what it was like to be an outsider, which I feel like everyone can relate to be going into this world where you're learning how to fit in. And I was always a new kid at school because we moved around so much. So I just, I was really taken by just all the details of how she went through all these transitions that everybody goes through in life, except for on this crazy circumstance during, and then the French Revolution. So I wanted—I just was—and that era, the way they lived and the way they dressed just seemed so decadent and fun and over the top. So I just always loved that period and got really into learning about her in a way that I didn't know anything about. It's so gorgeous. Absolutely so Speaker 4 (5:37) gorgeous. I Speaker 5 (5:38) think you need a little more Speaker 4 (5:39) champagne. Speaker 5 (5:39) Okay, thank you. Speaker 4 (5:40) Are you the perfect person for me to ask this question? Is it true that the coupe was designed after Speaker 1 (5:45) Marie Antoinette's— Speaker 4 (5:47) That's what I've heard. I didn't know if you knew it was actually true or it was just a rumor. I don't know for sure, but I've heard that too. And I remember telling Kirsten Dunst and she thought it was a flute, a champagne flute. She was like, what? But Speaker 5 (6:00) I've heard that. I don't know. I'll ask the curator at Versailles. Oh, that'd be great. That'd be fantastic. So take Speaker 4 (6:07) me back. You, when you were in school, I think it's interesting. When we're in our 20s, we're interested in all different kinds of things that don't seem like they go together. And you were interested in art. You were interested in fashion. And you were interested in photography. So how did that play out when you were in school? Speaker 5 (6:25) Yeah, I was really frustrated in my 20s and lost. I'm like, I don't know what to do because I can't pick one thing. And I'm not, I know a little bit about different things. I have so many interests, but I'm not. an expert at one thing. I didn't want to just study one thing. And then I made a short film and I realized it was really helpful to know a little bit about each department. And then you get to work with experts and it's so fun to talk to the cinematographer or the costume department. Speaker 5 (6:51) So, yeah, it was kind of right in front of me, but you don't see it until you... And Speaker 4 (6:55) how old were you when you made the first movie? Speaker 5 (6:57) I made a short film in my 20s. I was probably like 25, 26. And then I made my first film, Virgin Suicides, when I was 29. But I really was stuck and dabbling and trying different things. And, yeah, I was so happy when I... did Speaker 4 (7:12) something Speaker 5 (7:13) that kind of brought it all together. And it all Speaker 4 (7:14) brought it together. I sort of did the same thing when I was working in the government in my 20s. I would renovate old houses and I'd go to the bank and borrow money. And then I got a business degree and I taught myself how to cook. And I was like, what am I doing with this other than I just like doing all of them. Speaker 5 (7:31) And Speaker 4 (7:31) just like you, I didn't do any of them really well. And then when I bought a specialty food store, I realized I needed all of that. Speaker 5 (7:37) You know, I Speaker 4 (7:38) needed to go to the bank and borrow money and I needed to know how to cook, but I didn't have to cook. I wasn't the chef. Speaker 5 (7:44) So Speaker 4 (7:44) it's so satisfying when it all comes together and it's all of your interests. Yeah, that's so Speaker 5 (7:50) cool to hear. And I think with young people, my daughter Cosima, who's 16, is like, I think about college, I don't know what I... I mean, she likes so many different things. How do you pick one? And it's so true. You Speaker 4 (8:01) don't Speaker 5 (8:01) have to yet. Yeah. You just have to kind of see where it follows. Speaker 4 (8:05) Yeah. Speaker 5 (8:05) It's so hard to do at that age. It's this great Speaker 4 (8:07) expression that I just love. And I think it's from J.P. Morgan. It's go as far as you can see. And when you get there, you'll be able to see farther. Oh, yeah. As in you don't need to figure out what the end game is. Because you haven't got there yet. Just do what you're doing. Do it really well. And see where it goes. Yeah. Speaker 5 (8:22) And I Speaker 4 (8:22) think that's the best outcome. That's how you ended up in. Yeah. Don't make it. Speaker 5 (8:26) And I feel like, yeah, thank you. And I always feel like you end up doing what you're meant to be if you follow those impulses or urges, like what you're drawn to. What just pleases Speaker 4 (8:37) you. Speaker 5 (8:38) Jeffrey Speaker 4