Sofia Coppola On ‘Making Marie Antoinette’, Redefining Period Dramas & Keeping The Bad Reviews – “All By Men”

Sofia Coppola is exactly as you’d expect her to be. Ensconced in a cosy suite at London’s St Clement hotel, as sheets of drizzle obscure the view of the Thames just below us, she is perfectly put together – a crisp pink shirt, pale blue Levi’s, pink and black Chanel ballet flats, gold hoops, a glossy pink manicure and a Cartier tank on her wrist, the eternal uniform of the Oscar-winning, New York-born director who’s transformed cinema with the likes of The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation and Somewhere.

Today, the 55-year-old visionary is here to speak about the 20th anniversary of one of her most beloved releases: Marie Antoinette, the gloriously decadent, Versailles-set romp which cast a young Kirsten Dunst as the doomed French queen and Jason Schwartzman as her husband, the out-of-his-depth Louis XVI. The initially divisive period piece, which grew into a genre-defining cult classic, has been restored and is set to return to the big screen – but there’s another movie that fans of the original should also be making a beeline for: Making Marie Antoinette, a feature-length, intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the film’s production, courtesy of the director’s own mother, documentarian Eleanor Coppola.

Eleanor captured some 80 hours of footage over 57 days on set in France back in 2005, and returned to it during the pandemic, stitching it together into a fascinating and candid portrait of her daughter and her head-spinningly ambitious undertaking. It features everything from Eleanor meeting Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars – then Sofia’s new boyfriend, and now her husband of 15 years – for the first time, to Asia Argento, in costume as Madame du Barry, reading all of her co-stars’ palms with a frightening degree of accuracy, to Sofia standing her ground on creative decisions which her all-male crew disagree with. It even includes instances of a sleep-deprived Sofia snapping at her mother’s endless questions, and sections of Eleanor’s private journals in which she wonders if, instead of documenting her family making art, she could have made more art of her own.

Eleanor worked on Making Marie Antoinette up until her death in 2024, at the age of 87. After that, Sofia made it her mission to finish and release the film. Following screenings at the London Film Festival, it will land in cinemas on 23 October, before streaming on Mubi from 6 November. Before then, Sofia sat down with us for a characteristically frank discussion about some of the terrible reviews Marie Antoinette received when it first came out, cringing at her younger self, wanting Dunst to finally get her due for her captivating lead performance, and how she feels now as “a mother of young women making things”.

Marie Antoinette is such a classic that it’s funny to remember how divisive it was when it first came out. I read that you kept a box of clippings of the first reviews?

I think younger people don’t know this, but when it came out, it was not embraced. So, it means so much to me that there’s a new generation that connects with it.

Do you remember when that tide began to turn?

Initially, it was really split, but there was more of a negative reaction to it, I think. That always feels louder than the positive, but it was really split. There were people that championed it, which was nice, and people who hated it. I was surprised at how many people were offended by it. I thought, at least there was effort put into making it? Even if it wasn’t your thing, you can appreciate that. But then, I think it was about 10 years ago, 10 years after the movie came out, that people told me that mothers and daughters were watching it together. And I was like, “Oh!” I was so touched that it was getting to have this [second] life. And now, 20 years later, I’d never have believed that people would be watching it. It’s really gratifying.

This documentary came together because you and your mother were in the same Covid bubble?

A little bit of her footage [from behind the scenes on Marie Antoinette] was used for a DVD bonus feature, but she was always frustrated that it wasn’t put together the way she envisioned, because she was so focused on all the perfectionism and beauty of the costumes and the details of the food, all the stuff that was never used. The footage was put away, but I had no idea that she shot 80 hours of it. Then, we were all home in Napa, where I grew up, for the pandemic, and we had time on our hands. She got the footage out and said, “Let’s look at it. Let’s talk about how we can put it together.” It was the first time I saw it. It was so wild to see all of that, to see myself as a young director, and to see Kirsten [Dunst] and Jason [Schwartzman]. It brought back a lot of memories. My mom was really excited to work on it. We started talking about it, and we wanted to really focus on how the film was made.

Then, at the end of her life [in 2024], she really wanted it to be completed. So, I felt like it was my mission to complete it for her. I was so glad that I found an editor that could help me, because I have no perspective [on it] and it’s really hard to see myself. I didn’t want to put myself in too much, but I really relied on him in terms of what other people might want to see. My mom loved showing the truths of how things were made, and the challenges and the self-doubt and all the aspects of it. So, I wanted it to reflect how she would want it to be made. I hope that anyone who likes Marie Antoinette, and young filmmakers as well, could get something out of seeing the process of how we made it.

Was it emotional to see yourself as a younger filmmaker?

It was more emotional, really touching, to see myself through my mom’s eyes, to have gotten to spend this time with her, to hear her reflections in her journal at that time, and to be able to put those reflections and the footage together. I remember her being on set, but of course I didn’t know what her inner thoughts were then. It was very moving to see all of that in context.

When did you first read those journal entries?

So, my mom published two books [in her lifetime, Notes: On the Making of Apocalypse Now in 1995 and Notes on a Life in 2008] and then her third book [Two of Me: Notes of Living and Leaving, a memoir published posthumously in 2025]... her books are always made up of her journal entries, these little snapshots of her life. She wanted this third one, her last one, to be published. There were two things she wanted at the end of her life – to have that book published and this film finished. We got it published, and in that, there were diary entries from the set of Marie Antoinette. We found the ones that corresponded to the [footage] and there were so many surprises.

What were the biggest surprises?

I just remember seeing the footage of her meeting my husband [Thomas Mars] for the first time. That was a surprise. I was like, “Oh my god, I can’t believe that’s on film.” And beyond that, just hearing her perspective… because I knew her, and I knew that she was always kind of struggling with how to be a mother and a creative person. She felt like her generation had it harder than mine. She was happy that my generation was more free to have both, she was really thrilled by that. Hearing her wrestling with herself as a creative person, and coming to the realisation that being a documentarian was one of her creative outlets... I don’t know, I felt like there were so many layers to it. And now me – I’m a mother of young women making things, and to see it from a mother’s point of view gave me a whole new perspective on that footage.

It’s really moving to hear her reflecting on the time she’s spent observing her family making art, when, she wonders, should she have been making art herself?

And she was making it.

She was. Looking back at yourself directing, do you feel like you’re a very different director now compared to then?

Yes. I mean, for me, it’s embarrassing to see, I cringe at myself. I feel like I was a baby director, because I’m not so sure in asserting myself. Now, after 20 years, I’m more comfortable asserting myself, but then, in some ways, I’m not that different. The way I talk with the actors or my demeanour on set is pretty similar.

Some of my favourite scenes are the ones where you’re directing Kirsten. You’re like “You know when girls see each other at parties, and scream?” There’s a shorthand.

We totally are so in sync in that way. It’s very funny.

Was there anything that was tempting to edit out, or anything that didn’t make it in?

I can’t really think of anything we’ve left out. There’s a scene where I’m irritable with my mom, and I was like, I wouldn’t totally want to share that, but I think it is good to show that there are moments like that. And my mom loved things being as real and intimate as they could be. So I felt like, “Okay, that’s that.” I talked to her in a way that I would never talk to a regular behind-the-scenes crew [member]. So, if I could take myself out of it, it’s a unique perspective to see a filmmaker being that honest.

This is when she’s asking you questions, and you’re like, “I want to go to set fresh, not just having done a junket in my trailer with my mom”?

Yeah. It’s a little embarrassing. I was snapping at my mom. But it’s real.

I also loved Asia Argento reading your palm on set and telling you you’d go on to have two kids, which you did.

That was really fun to see. She also told Kirsten that she’d have two kids, which she did, and she told Jason, “I see twins in your family”. Since then, his brother has had twins. She’s very witchy, she’s very accurate. You should have her do a Vogue column.

We should. Another great moment is when your crew are telling you to get a shot from Count Fersen’s perspective, and you have to tell them that it’s not about him – it’s about Marie’s perspective. It’s amazing to see you stand your ground.

My mom really got all that on camera. I remember at the time really struggling to explain. It wasn’t an obvious thing, the idea of a female perspective. Now you don’t think twice, but 20 years ago, I just couldn’t believe how that was such a foreign concept. So, I feel like in the film, you really see me pushing for this point of view.

It’s a hard thing to do. Thinking back now, what are you proudest of having managed to do on Marie Antoinette?

Gosh, I just feel like the whole thing was… I’m really proud of the visuals, and of getting Milena [Canonero] and to be able to have her create so many original costumes. Often with period films, you’re renting costumes, and that’s why this movie has such a unique look. She and her team were able to really build that. She’s such a legend, her work is incredible and I was really glad to be able to show all of her work. And I’m proud. I’m always impressed by how film crews come together, and everything coordinates in the frame. I don’t know how that happens. I watched the restored version of Marie Antoinette and there’s things like, I wouldn’t do that or that I would do differently, but I can enjoy it for what it is and all the effort that went into it. And I love seeing Kirsten in it.

It’s funny to hear you say that because I think of it as a pretty perfect film.

That’s so nice, but yeah, of course you always see things that you think… Watching my mom’s documentary brings back the stress of each day, of getting it done. But, it was fun to watch the restored version on the big screen recently with Kirsten, and enjoy the visuals and her performance.

It’s such a great performance. What was it like returning to Versailles recently with Kirsten and Jason, and being together in that space again?

It was really moving. Kirsten got a lot of flack for the movie when it came out. People didn’t like her performance and they just were so... I understand that everyone’s talking with a different accent and it’s kind of weird, but I think you just have to go with it and forget about that. People were real sticklers about idiosyncrasies at the time. I’m glad audiences are more relaxed now. So, it was fun. It was nice to watch it with her, and for her to feel people’s appreciation, because, at the time, when people didn’t like her performance, she felt bad, like she’d let me down. And I felt bad that I’d put her in this position to be criticised. So it’s really nice that the film is having another life.

When I was looking for stuff for the exhibit [at the Petit Trianon at Versailles, in honour of the film’s 20th anniversary] I found all these bad reviews and looked at them. They were really funny, terrible headlines, but they were all – 20 or 30 of them – written by men. And I thought, our culture has changed so much. The culture was being dictated by one point of view. And now, there’s so many young women who are part of the culture. I’ve really seen that change and that’s why this movie has a life. So that’s really impressive and meaningful to me.

That’s beautiful. Do people speak to you about the impact Marie Antoinette had on the period drama genre? I think modern period dramas owe a big debt to this film.

I mean, I see it with Bridgerton and stuff. It’s almost become a subgenre, which is cool, considering people at the time were not into it.

What are you working on next?

I’ve just been working on this film for the last year. It took a lot longer and was harder to do than I expected. I’m really happy to be putting it out into the world and then get back to writing. I just worked on two documentary projects [this and Marc by Sofia], and I’m really excited to go back into writing and imagine creating a world.

In terms of different worlds and periods and settings, is there anything you haven’t done yet that you’d like to do?

It would be interesting to do something in a genre that I haven’t done yet, but there’s not one thing that I’m obsessed with.

You were 34 when you made Marie Antoinette. There’s a moment in the documentary when you talk about everything you wouldn’t do again – make a period film, a film with a big cast. If you were now giving advice to your 34-year-old self, what would you say?

Never say never. I think right after something… it’s like having a baby or something, you’re just so fed up. After finishing Marie Antoinette, I was like, “I don’t even want to make a movie again.” And then, after taking a break, I was excited again. I think that’s just part of the process – you get burnt out, rest and then you do it again. After my break, I met Harris [Savides], the cinematographer, and we were like, “Let’s make a movie as simply as possible.” Then we made Somewhere. I really enjoyed that process because it was totally going back to basics, but I’m also glad I had the experience of doing more. It was really stressful but I appreciate it now. Making Marie Antoinette was like running a crazy marathon, but it was incredible.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Making Marie Antoinette will be in cinemas from 23 October, and streaming exclusively on Mubi from 6 November. A new 4K restoration of the original Marie Antoinette movie will be back in UK cinemas from 13 November. Andrew Durham’s book of photographs from the set of Marie Antoinette is out now. The Marie Antoinette movie exhibition runs at the Petit Trianon at Versailles until 24 January 2027.