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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sofia Coppola grew up around movies as the daughter of "Godfather" maker Francis Ford Coppola. The 39-year-old has written, directed and produced her fourth film, "Somewhere," due in theaters on Wednesday.

The film, which won the top prize at the Venice film festival earlier this year, takes place at a legendary Hollywood hotel, the Chateau Marmont, and it follows a famous actor (Stephen Dorff) who drifts through life until his daughter (Elle Fanning) shows up. Her visit forces him to rethink his ways and his relationship to her.

Coppola sat down with Reuters to discuss "Somewhere" and how her own life has affected her filmmaking.

Q: From where did the idea for an L.A.-centric movie come?

A: "When I wrote it, I was living in France. It was after I had done 'Marie Antoinette.' I was thinking about being far from home, from California. I was seeing the Chateau Marmont in tabloids and this idea of a movie star adrift at the Chateau Marmont was appealing to me."

Q: As mother of two daughters (Romy, 4, Cosima, 6 months) do you find themes of parenthood creeping into your movies?

A: "When I started writing 'Somewhere,' I just had my first daughter. The idea of parenthood was on my mind because I was experiencing it. I was thinking about how it changes your perspective and how it would affect this kind of character. It made me think of my own childhood and I tried to put in memories of that."

Q: So is this film autobiographical?

A: "Not autobiographical, but it's personal. My childhood was very different than in the movie. But the world is familiar to me so I tried to put personal things and memories into it."

Q: Like what?

A: "When I was writing the father/daughter story, I tried to think of little moments that I thought were fun as kid to get to do with my dad -- going into worlds that kids don't usually get to see. The scene where they're in the casino and he's telling her about craps was something I remember doing."