Straight men at fault for Hollywood failures on diversity, says Sofia Coppola
Hollywood is failing to produce diverse cinema because “99 per cent of the people giving money in film are straight men”, according to Sofia Coppola.
The Oscar-winning writer and director said she had to cut a scene from her latest film, a biopic of Priscilla Presley, because men did not understand it.
“We lost a scene of Priscilla riding motorcycles when she was eight months pregnant,” Coppola told GQ magazine.
“I thought it was so touching that she’s trying so hard to keep up with Elvis, even in that condition. But I feel like 99 per cent of the people giving money in film are straight men, so they don’t always relate to what I’m talking about, and they’re not that interested in it.”
Coppola added that getting projects off the ground is difficult for all independent filmmakers, particularly in the age of streaming services.
“I think it’s a challenge for a lot of filmmakers to make unusual or unique things. More and more companies are relying on their algorithms, so if they haven’t seen it before, they’re not as open to it, because they want to see something that’s already proven.
“And women still make up such a small percentage of filmmakers too. It’s gotten better, but not by much,” she said.
Priscilla Beaulieu was 14 when she first met Presley, who was a decade older and already a star. She was 21 when they married.
Coppola, the daughter of director Francis Ford Coppola, said she had drawn on memories of her own teenage celebrity crush when making the biopic.
She told the magazine: “I did tap into what I was like at a similar age. I remember I had a big crush on Joe Strummer, and he ended up recording some music [for the film Sid and Nancy] at our family property.
“So, as a 16-year-old, I was driving around in my convertible blasting The Clash and then I stopped, looked up, and Joe Strummer was standing there. I couldn’t believe it.
“I always remember feeling kind of mortified, but also so excited that Joe Strummer was at our house.
“So I can relate to that feeling of having a crush on a rock star.”
Priscilla is released nationwide on Jan 1, starring rising stars Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi.
Coppola has been tipped to pick up her fourth Oscar nomination for the film.
She won the best original screenplay award in 2004 for Lost in Translation.
