Sofia Coppola's movies "totally changed" how Cailee Spaeny looked at herself.
The 25-year-old actress plays Priscilla Presley in the biopic film 'Priscilla' - which was written and directed by Sofia - and Cailee relished the experience of working with the acclaimed filmmaker.
She told The Independent: "They totally changed how I looked at myself.
"In her films I saw girls my age who weren’t being played by 30-year-olds, who weren’t dumbed down or naive.
"She doesn’t underestimate young women. Teenage girls are complicated - they have dark sides, passions, longings and fantasies, which Sofia understands. Her films gave me permission to explore all of those parts of myself. They made me unafraid of those parts of myself."
Sofia's early film credits included 'The Virgin Suicides' and 'Lost in Translation'.
And Cailee believes there's a "punk" element to Sofia's movies.
She explained: "I grew up on very commercial, blockbuster films - my mom and dad weren’t putting on offbeat indie movies, you know? So I’d watch Sofia’s movies and I’d just think: oh my god, this is so punk!"
Cailee was actually recommended for the role of Priscilla by Kirsten Dunst, who has worked with Sofia multiple times over the years.
Cailee feels grateful to have been given the opportunity to star in 'Priscilla'.
She said: "[Kirsten] put in a good word for me. I mean, she and Sofia are like sisters so it obviously meant a lot to have her blessing. She’s her muse!"
Cailee had "very minimal prep" for her part in the movie. But Sofia did a good job of calming her nerves.
She shared: "Sofia never wears her stress. Her friends call her ‘an iron fist in a silk glove.'"
