Sofia Coppola:'Somewhere'director's as elusive as Stephen Dorff's Johnny Marco in Chateau Marmont

Sofia Coppolais somewhere inside the person talking about her new movie, but she's not about to give herself up.

Like the central character she wrote forBill Murrayin"Lost in Translation" -- and even more likeStephen Dorff'sJohnny Marcoin the filmmaker's latest release,"Somewhere" -- she appears disconnected from her surroundings.

Or maybe the daughter of legendary directorFrancis Ford Coppolais simply estranged from the press like Johnny, the Hollywood star who evades questions with a charming smile and a cocked eyebrow before retreating into his hotel room to playGuitar Herowith his daughter.

Johnny seems to be such a product of the Hollywood system -- a hip alcoholic womanizer who drives a sports car and neglects his family -- it's hard to believe he feels empty, as his silences seem designed to suggest. Sometimes silence isn't profound -- it's just silence.

In the end, you have to take the creator's word for it.

Coppola sits quietly in the middle of a large empty room. Known to shun make up, today she wears a little too much blush and lipstick. Her coolness, juxtaposed with the garish make up, recalls the scene in"Lost in Translation"when Bob (Murray) sits in the hotel bar flirting withCharlotte(Scarlett Johansson), oblivious to the hair clips holding his suit in place at the back.

Stephen Dorff andElle Fanningstar in 'Somewhere.' (Franco Biciocchi)

"I like your bag,"I tell Coppola as she rummages through a boxy looking leather satchel.

"Thanks!"she says, appearing genuinely pleased."I designed it."

"Who for?"

"Louis Vuitton."

"Oh,"I say, crestfallen. Those bags turn out to cost more than $3,000.

"I know,"Coppola says apologetically, perhaps pre-empting criticism by criticizing herself first.

It's a surprising stance considering Coppola is such an accomplished filmmaker. The New York-born writer and director was the first American woman to be nominated for anAcademy Awardfor directing in 2003 for"Lost in Translation"and, in September, she became the first American woman to win the Golden Lion at theVenice International Film Festivalfor"Somewhere."

"You're considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity,"she toldVanity Fairfour years ago.

That frivolity acts now as a sort of punctuation. She carries a bright pink notebook with the gold initialsS.C.embossed on the cover. Her phone rings and she reveals her brother, Roman, is taking her 4-year-old daughter, Romy, to TheRockettesand she's coordinating. She then confesses that she watched"The O.C."while living inParis, where she wrote"Somewhere"following her daughter's birth.

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