Sofia Coppola talks to Shereen Low about the true-to-life inspiration for her new film The Bling Ring, and reveals why she will never act again.

 

A group of celebrity-obsessed teenagers breaking into their favourite stars' homes and stealing prized possessions sounds like the perfect plot for a film.

In fact, Sofia Coppola's fifth feature film, The Bling Ring, was inspired by the real-life crime spree of five Californian youths.

Known as the 'Bling Ring' or 'Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch', the group - alleged ringleader Rachel Lee and high school friends Alexis Neiers, Diana Tamayo, Courtney Ames and Nick Prugo - targeted the homes of Hollywood stars like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom and Rachel Bilson.

During their 10-month rampage, they netted around 3 million US dollars (almost £2 million) in cash and belongings, before being caught in August 2009.

"I remember hearing the story in the news and it seemed crazy - these teenagers robbing celebrities' houses," says Coppola.

But it was after reading American writer Nancy Jo Sales's Vanity Fair article in 2010, entitled The Suspects Wore Louboutins, in which she'd interviewed the gang, that Coppola decided to turn the story into a movie.

The Bling Ring - a fictional tale based on the crimes - stars Emma Watson as Niki, one of Coppola's central characters.

"When I read about the kids and their perspective on it, I thought it was fascinating and a fun story for a movie. It said a lot about our culture today," says 42-year-old Coppola who, at 32, became the youngest woman ever to be nominated for a best director Oscar for Lost In Translation in 2003.

She won, proving that despite her family name (she comes from a film-making dynasty and her father Francis Ford Coppola is considered one of the most influential directors of modern cinema), Coppola's making her own mark.

Her understated but intense, quirky, character-based movies, like The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette, have won her a legion of fans.

Sales let Coppola use transcripts from her interviews with the real 'bling ring', to help her develop her characters.

"Going through the research, editing it down and finding a way to make these characters relatable and sympathetic was very challenging," admits the New-York born director, who lives in Paris with her rocker husband, Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars, and their two daughters.

She also met up with two gang members, including Prugo, as well as chief investigator Detective Brett Goodkin.

"The boy was the most sympathetic and remorseful about what happened, but it was also a thrilling time in his life," Coppola recalls of Prugo. "He told me little details, like how one of the girls wanted to steal Paris Hilton's dog. These kind of things add a lot to the story.

"I couldn't believe some of the quotes they said," she adds. "Hearing their stories gave me ideas, and I took things from my own childhood experiences - not directly, but what I remember from being that age, and then imagined what it would be like being these kids."

Alongside former Harry Potter star Watson, the film stars newcomers Katie Chang as ringleader Rebecca, Taissa Farmiga as Sam, Claire Julien as Chloe, and Israel Broussard as Mark.

"It was fun to discover new talent, and it was great to work with Emma Watson, who is playing a part so different from how we know her," says Coppola.

"It was really energising working with our young cast - some of them had never been in a feature film before."

She praises Watson, who really shows off her acting skills. Niki is worlds apart from prim Hermione Granger.

"I met with her in New York and really liked her as a person," recalls Coppola. "She has an English accent and is very different from this character, so it was difficult to imagine her doing it at first.

"When she came out to do the film, I was very impressed with how she transformed. It was so surprising. She could have easily been like a caricature or spoof, but having her take the part so seriously brought the reality to it. She worked really hard to get her Calabasas accent down, and the attitude.

"I thought she did a great job of blending in. You don't think, 'Oh, there's Emma Watson'."

Watson's talked of how she prepared for the role, too - by watching American TV shows like The Hills, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and The World According To Paris to perfect her accent.

The film was shot in and around Los Angeles, and Coppola even had access to Hilton's real home, where some of the burglaries took place.

"It was pretty amazing that Paris Hilton let us shoot in her real house. I'd heard she even had a nightclub room. We went into her house and it was like nothing I'd seen before," she reveals.

"It was pretty exciting being in her shoe closet! I felt in my element. It's like a candy store. I really appreciate that she's been so supportive of our movie."

Hilton also makes a cameo appearance. "She's more self-aware than you'd expect," says Coppola.

She denies The Bling Ring is a cautionary tale, but wants people to think twice about the obsession with celebrities these days.

"I try not to tell the audience what to think and set it up for them to be reflective," she says. "But it looks at our culture and the reality TV phenomenon, and how that has affected this group of kids.

"I've tried to tell the story in a way that you can get into it from the kids' point of view, and see how it's fun and exciting. And hopefully, by the end of it, you get another perspective that they have taken it too far.

"I hope not to be judging them too much, but I'm definitely looking at them from a distance - there is a critical aspect to it," she adds. "I hope I'm not glamorising their bad behaviour."

Having tried acting herself (she has appeared in some of her father's films and music videos), TV presenting, modelling and fashion (her own range, Milkfed, is sold in Japan), Coppola has now found her true calling.

"I don't enjoy being in front of the camera," she admits.

"When I was younger, I tried lots of things so I would know what they were like. I'm glad to know but I'm happier behind the camera. I don't think [I'll act again]. It's not for me."


Extra time - female film-makers

:: Kathryn Bigelow - The Californian film-maker caused a huge upset at the 2010 Oscars, when she became the first woman to be voted best director for war drama The Hurt Locker, ahead of ex-husband James Cameron.

:: Susanne Bier - The Danish director has made 13 films, most recently Love Is All You Need, starring Pierce Brosnan. In A Better World won her the best foreign language Oscar in 2011.

:: Lynne Ramsay - Scottish film-maker Ramsay is best known for her big-screen adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel We Need To Talk About Kevin. She's been praised by Tilda Swinton, who called her "the real McCoy."

:: Phyllida Lloyd - Bristol-born Lloyd has made two feature-length films which have become box office hits: Mamma Mia! is one of the highest grossing UK films, while Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady won leading lady Meryl Streep her third Oscar.

 

:: The Bling Ring opens in cinemas on Friday, July 5