Sofia Coppola is relieved she didn’t get “kicked out” of Tokyo while shooting Lost in Translation.
Sofia Coppola directed the 2003 movie
The 55-year-old director helmed the 2003 romantic-drama movie, but Sofia admits that she didn’t have permission to film throughout the Japanese capital.
Asked which scene carried the biggest risk of getting arrested, Sofia told the Guardian newspaper: “We had permission for most of it, but we had to grab the scenes with Scarlett [Johansson] on the subway with real people around.
“The same with the overhead shot of her at that famous Shibuya crossing – we just went into Starbucks because it had this incredible view, but we would have never got permission to film there. So we stole a few things in the spirit of guerrilla film-making. And I’m glad we didn’t get kicked out, yes.”
The closing scene of Lost in Translation sees Bob, Bill Murray’s character, whisper something in the ear of Charlotte, his on-screen love interest, played by Scarlett.
Speculation has surrounded what was said for more than two decades, but Sofia is remaining tight-lipped.
The acclaimed director – who is the daughter of filmmakers Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola – explained: “I like what Bill always says. He says, ‘It’s between them,’ so I’ll leave it at that.”
Sofia always harboured ambitions of shooting a movie in Tokyo after visiting the city during her younger years.
The director told IndieWire: ” For a while, I’ve wanted to do a movie in Tokyo. I knew the setting. I wanted to shoot at the Park Hyatt hotel, and I wanted [to shoot] the neon at night, and I wanted to make something romantic. I wanted to make a love story without being nerdy. But it mostly came from time I spent over there when I was younger.”
Asked why she spent time in Tokyo, Sofia shared: “I was taking photos, and also my friend and I had this clothing company called Milk Fed.”
Sofia also recalled staying at the Park Hyatt hotel, where most of Lost in Translation was filmed.
The director admitted that the hotel is a “weird combination of different cultures”.
She explained: “I stayed there during a Virgin Suicides promotional/press tour. It’s just one of my favourite places in the world.
“Tokyo is so hectic, but inside the hotel it’s very silent. And the design of it is interesting. It’s weird to have this New York bar … the jazz singer … the French restaurant, all in Tokyo. It’s this weird combination of different cultures.”