"They robbed Paris Hilton. They robbed Lindsay Lohan. What kids would have the balls to do that?" asks Bling Ring star Israel Broussard in the featurette above.
Back in 2008-2009, the celebs who reside in the Hollywood Hills were plagued by a pernicious problem: thieving posers. The press dubbed them the "Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch," and "The Bling Ring." They were a pack of teens who were so obsessed with Los Angeles' celeb culture, luxurious labels, and materialism that it drove them to break into the homes of Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox and Lindsay Lohan. How, you might ask? They tracked their travels through gossip blogs, then googled their addresses. Turns out security in the Hills was shockingly lax. All told, they stole over $3 million in cash, clothes, and accessories from these fashionable LA residents. But it's not their crimes as much as their motivation that intrigued writer-director Sofia Coppola.
Her new comedy The Bling Ring gives this crew new names and tons of swagger as it explores what drove wealthy teens to outrageous crimes. And in the behind-the-scenes clip above, you're offered a look at the Bling Ring as Coppola imagines them. Coppola explains she attempted to understand this story from the Ring's point of view, one that is intoxicated by the possibility of fame that floods every aspect of their lives. The film's most noteworthy name is Emma Watson, playing homeschooled party girl Nicki. Aside from figuring out an L.A. accent, the British ingénue also had to let her own personal fashion rules go to properly play this outspoken exhibitionist. That means super short skirts, visible cleavage, and tramp stamp tattoos. In the words of one the Bling Ring's idols, "That's hot."
The Bling Ring opens in limited release on June 14th. More theaters will follows on June 21st.
