(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Stephen Dorff has praised Sofia Coppolas ability to enter into the heads of her characters.

The 37-year-old actor plays lead character Johnny Marco in Sofias latest movie Somewhere, which tells the story of a wild Hollywood star who re-examines his lifestyle following a surprise visit from his 11-year-old daughter.

Elle Fanning portrays Cleo, Johnnys daughter, and the actor was amazed by the way Sofia managed to enter into the minds of both characters.

"Sofia's a personal writer. She writes from experiences," he explained.

"And she writes what she knows. She'd just had a baby. That made big questions come up in her head. That's what brought her into this world. And of course, this is what brought her to Elle's character. But she put herself in Johnny too."

Set in Hollywood's iconic Chateau Marmont hotel, Sofia admits the film features elements of her childhood. As the daughter of revered moviemaker Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia grew up in a glitzy environment which involved mixing with the rich and famous, but shes pleased to say her family were always grounded and provided her with a stable home life.

"It has personal memories," she told the Los Angeles Times. "But my childhood and my parents aren't like that."

The director hopes her film represents the Los Angeles lifestyle well, and admits she was influenced by retro movies. Sofia was particularly inspired after watching films such as 1980s American Gigolo, which told the tale of a man working as an escort to older women in Los Angeles.

"I wanted to make a portrait of LA that captures this time in the way movies in the 70s and 80s like American Gigolo or Shampoo captured the LA of that time," she added. (C) Cover Media