While Sofia Coppola was making Academy Award history, her parents were sleeping.
The first American female to be nominated for a best director Oscar, the 32-year-old maker of “Lost in Translation” on Tuesday joined only two other women to earn that honor. (The others were New Zealand’s Jane Campion for “The Piano” and Italy’s Lina Wertmuller for “Seven Beauties.”)
And her parents slept through that?
“I know!” Coppola said with mock indignation, speaking from Los Angeles.
Of course, Oscars are old news for her father, Francis, a multiple winner for the first two “Godfather” films, as well as for his screenplay for “Patton.” His father, composer Carmine, also won an Oscar for his “Godfather: Part II” score.
If she takes home a statue on Feb. 29 (Sofia is nominated for best picture, director and original screenplay.), that would make another bit of history: The Coppolas would become only the second Hollywood dynasty to have three generations of Oscar winners, after Walter, John and Anjelica Huston.
“Yeah, I heard that,” Coppola said, and chuckled. “No pressure …”
She woke up at 5:15 a.m. Tuesday at the Los Angeles Four Seasons Hotel and turned on the TV to watch the Oscar nominations, along with her “Translation” producer Ross Katz and her agent Bart Walker.
“We ordered room service and screamed,” she said.
After the screaming, she called Bill Murray, who earned the film’s fourth Oscar nomination, for best actor.
“He was so happy. He said he was going to be very different now and throw some tantrums. I think he’s been strutting around all day.”
Murray’s co-star, 19-year-old Scarlett Johansson, didn’t get singled out.
“We couldn’t have gotten that best picture nomination without her,” Coppola said. “But I can’t say I’m sorry for her, because everyone has really been talking about her talent. And she has a lot of time ahead of her.”
Of the five best picture nominees, “Lost in Translation” is the only low-budget, independent film. It has no wizards or battleships, no special effects, no killings.
“No plot, even,” Coppola said wryly. It’s true. Her movie is a sort of emotional tone poem better experienced than described.
“It was really unexpected,” she said about the film’s traction with audiences. “I love the movie, but I never expected it to be out there so much. We made the movie we wanted to make, and people connected with it. People say that it really stayed with them.”
One thing that has stayed with viewers is the mystery of what Murray whispers to Johansson in their final scene together. Coppola won’t say.
But now, as a best picture nominee, that secret exchange could be a prime target for Oscar host Billy Crystal’s wit.
“I never thought of that,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s so surreal, the whole thing.”
FACE OFF
Sofia Coppola faces stiff competition in the best director category. The other Oscar nominees are:
Clint Eastwood, “Mystic River”
Peter Jackson, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
Fernando Meirelles, “City of God”
Peter Weir, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
