'The Bling Ring' Premiere Brings Out the Coppola Clan

"It was just hard to believe that it was a true story because it was so over the top," says director Sofia Coppola of her film's story about a group of high school students who robbed celebrities' homes.

The Los Angeles premiere of Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring brought out plenty of sparkling Hollywood stars who attended in support of the Oscar-winning director’s latest film.

Coppola’s movie, which stars Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Claire Julien and Taissa Farmiga, explores society’s obsession with fame and celebrity through the true story of a group of high school students who burglarized the homes of several celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan.

“It was just hard to believe that it was a true story because it was so over the top,” Coppola told at the premiere at the Directors Guild of America on Tuesday.
Coppola’s film follows the group of rebellious Southern California teens as they use the Internet to find out when celebrities won’t be home and then look up the stars’ address. For some, such as Hilton’s Beverly Hills home, it becomes as easy as looking under the mat for the key.
“I think that it was something that could have only happened today,” added Coppola. “It couldn’t have happened 10 years ago, so I think the fact that it was so of our times was interesting to me.”
At the premiere, the stars of the film fittingly wore some high-fashion stunners, from Watson’s sparking black and grey Chanel with a high collar and high-waisted belt to Julien’s one-of-a-kind Balmain dress.

Coppola’s family, including her father Francis Ford Coppola and brother Roman, who executive produced Bling Ring, attended the screening, along with several other celebrities including Sofia’s cousin Jason Schwartzman, Molly Shannon, Stephen Dorff, Gus van Sant, Chloe Sevigny, Dianna Agron and Paris Hilton herself.
Hilton, whose house is featured in the film for the break-in scenes, had told Coppola that she became emotional when she first saw the film at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
“She told me that it was upsetting for her to see them in her house,” said Coppola of the socialite, “but I think she also enjoyed showing her house to people.”
Another pair of stars in attendance was Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, with the latter appearing as a club manager in the film.
Rossdale, who said that his wife was seeing the film for the first time Tuesday, told THR that his home was burglarized when he was a child. “It’s a horrible thing,” he said. “We came home, open doors, open windows, open cupboards, everything everywhere. It’s a really horrible feeling.”
After the screening, the stars moved the party to the famed Chateau Marmont hotel, which was the site of Sofia Coppola’s 2010 film, Somewhere.
The Bling Ring opens in theaters June 14 via A24 films.