"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.
