I wanted to work with him because he is tall 
Sofia Coppola might not have been much cop as an actress in Godfather III, but she proved that she can direct when she made her feature debut with the dreamy The Virgin Suicides. Her acclaimed follow up, the Tokyo-set Lost In Translation, proves that that film was no flash in the pan.
A director's second movie is always considered 'difficult'. Was this hard for you?
I remember people saying, 'Watch out! Second movies are bad', and I remember being a little intimidated by that. But I always wanted to do something in Tokyo, and I wanted to write an original screenplay because Virgin Suicides was an adaptation. The idea of writing from scratch was challenging and daunting. But I wanted to do that and try to capture this experience in Tokyo.
Why Tokyo?
I had been to Tokyo a lot and it made a big impression on me. People I met there showed me photography that I hadn't seen before, and I listened to different music. It's just an exciting and stimulating place, and I wanted to capture the feeling of that. Also, being an American in Tokyo, you can't read the signs and communicate. It's hard to find your way around. It’s not like anything I had ever experienced before.
Did you ever worry that some of the comedy elements might offend the Japanese?
I wasn't worried about that because I have friends that live there, the crew is Japanese, and I think you can make fun of some things while being there. Just like we make fun of the Americans being there.
Why did you cast Bill Murray as the romantic lead?
I have really liked watching him in movies. I sent him the script and hoped he would consider it. I can't remember the first time I saw him. I vaguely remember seeing him in Saturday Night Live as a kid but then, just things like Tootsie, Groundhog Day and Rushmore - I thought he was a great actor and I wanted to work with him. I also wanted to work with him because he is tall.
How much of the real you do we see in this movie?
I think you see me in the movie. It's my choices and tastes and things. But, you know, there's parts of me when I was younger in Scarlett, combined with friends of mine and characters from books. Then there's parts of me in Bob Harris, too.
It's hard to picture what parts of you there might be in Bob Harris - a character played by Bill Murray...
It's too private to say what they are. I just think there’s a feminine side and a male side, a dark side, in everybody.
You're very calm and quiet. Are you like this when you direct?
Yes. The thing is, to me, doing a movie you're asking people to help you make something you have in your head. So to ask them nicely makes sense as opposed to being a tyrant.
