What Sofia and Roman Coppola’s mother taught them about creativity

Being the children of Francis Ford Coppola had a profound impact on the filmmaking sensibilities of Sofia and Roman Coppola, but their mother, Eleanor Coppola, may have played a larger role in nurturing their creative pursuits. 

“She taught me how to be in charge without being loud, and the importance of being real,” Sofia writes in her introduction to Two of Me: Notes on Living and Leaving, Eleanor Coppola’s posthumous memoir, published by A24 on November 11. 

Sofia and Roman convened in New York City last week for a conversation about the book and their mother, who died in April 2024 at the age of 87. One of Eleanor’s last wishes was to have Two of Me, which she wrote over the course of a decade using material from the diaries she kept for 50 years, published as a book. Eleanor’s other last wish was to have the 100 hours of video footage she shot on the set of Sofia’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette edited into a documentary, which is expected to be included in a 20th-anniversary edition of the film to be released next year. 

An artist and filmmaker whose mediums ranged from sculpture and conceptual art to photography and dance, Eleanor made her first documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, after her husband asked her to shoot behind-the-scenes footage on Apocalypse Now. In 2016, at the age of 80, she became the oldest American woman to direct a debut feature film by releasing the comedy Paris Can Wait. 

At an event last week, moderated by Vogue editor Keaton Bell and held at Barnes & Noble Union Square, Sofia and Roman shared some of the ways in which their mother influenced them, both as artists and as people. Here are five biggest lessons they learned from her:

1. Stories are made of details

Whether it’s the neon lights of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in Lost in Translation or the elaborate floral arrangements in Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola is known for her filmmaking style that focuses on small details. She credits her mother with teaching her the importance of paying attention to such details. “I got a lot from her just being this quiet observer,” Sofia said. “I notice details and I think that’s in my films, which comes from her eye.”

2. Everything is art

Shortly after Sofia was born, Eleanor presented a gift to Francis in the form of one of Sofia’s dirty diapers, as it was the only work of “art” that Sofia could create at the time. Eleanor also once turned her home into a performance art space where she welcomed friends to observe a young Sofia watching a video of her own birth on a TV. “What inspired me in my work is, she was very interested in conceptual art, specifically, and conceptual films,” Roman said. “She dabbled in that in the ’70s, and so the notion that anything can be a work of art and that sense of play and idea art is something I’ve brought into my work.”

3. Film is not the only visual art form

An avid appreciator of many different forms of art, Eleanor often brought her children to museums all over the world. One of Sofia’s most memorable experiences with her mother was being taken to see a performance by the German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. “I was like, ‘Oh, we have to go to some weird modern dance with mom,’ and it was one of the most incredible, most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Sofia said. “I’m really glad she brought us to see a lot of really interesting contemporary art that she was excited about.”

4. Challenges are opportunities

As an adult “dealing with some personal issues and financial issues,” Roman Coppola learned how his mother valued the experience of struggling in life. “I was sort of moping a little bit, and she was like, ‘Wow, this is really great. There are a lot of things you have to figure out now in your life, and you’re really going to take that on,’” Roman said. “Some of the lessons weren’t just average things, but how to sort of embrace difficulty. It spoke to her confidence, but also just instilled that push to strive to pull yourself out of things and to work hard and be committed.”

5. Mothers can also be filmmakers

Eleanor didn’t let her role as a mother prevent her from pursuing creative and artistic endeavors. She stressed to Sofia that it was important to make time to be both a mother and an artist. “I learned from my mom that it was okay to do both,” Sofia said. “I think every mom that works feels guilty about it, so you’re always torn, but she really encouraged me, and I was excited that I could do both.”

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