Sofia Coppola looks back on Marie-Antoinette’s flop: “I’m happy he found his place”

“The fact that he’s still alive and people are talking about him is very satisfying,” she adds.

In full promotion of his new photo book (Sofia Coppola Archive: 1999–2023), Sofia Coppola returned to her filmography in a long interview with Vanity Fair. Among the archives that the filmmaker evokes: Marie Antoinettefeature film worn by Kristen Dunst which she wrote and directed in 2006. The cast also included Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City), Rose Byrne (Insidious) and Jamie Dornan (Belfast)

“I’m always happy to be able to make the films I want. I was glad we got to do this one, but no one saw it”, she explains to the American media. After receiving a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival, the $40 million budget film generated $60 million at the worldwide box office. It still won the Oscar for Best Costume Design in 2007.

“It was a flop. So the fact that he’s still alive and that people are talking about him is very satisfying, because we’ve worked a lot. I am happy that he has found his place, and that he is appreciated”she continues.

In 2006, in a production note, she also explained that she wanted to avoid “to make a boring period film, with distant and cold shots”. “I wanted to make an impressionist portrait, that the public has the impression of being in Versailles during this period“, she added.

Today, the film visibly continues to influence the filmmaker’s work. In October 2022, she notably compared Marie-Antoinette to Priscillaher biopic on Priscilla Presley expected for October 2023. For her, the two stories are very similar. “I was really interested in Priscilla’s (Presley) story, her point of view, and what it’s like to be a teenager in Graceland”she explained to vogue. Graceland is the residence of Elvis Presley, in which Priscilla lived for ten years: five years before their marriage and five years after, until their separation in 1972. “She lived through all the stages of adulthood, as a woman, in an amplified world, just like Marie-Antoinette”.

Cailee Spaeny And Jacob Elordi who carry the film, are expected in Venice despite the actors’ strike. The Festival will take place from August 30 to September 9.