Former Harry Potter actress Emma Watson stars in Sofia Coppola’s latest film, The Bling Ring, a film inspired by the story of a group of high schoolers who robbed celebrities’ homes. The film premiered at the Cannes film festival and the actress was there to talk about the movie and what it means for her career.
Watson said that even though her character is very far from Hermione Granger, she is not trying to distance herself from the franchise that made her an international star.
“I'm not trying to run away from it,” she said Thursday, reports USA Today. "I'm very proud of the work that I did. I'm just really enjoying having the chance to transform into new roles.”
She added that it is “strange” to her that the Harry Potter franchise ended so many years ago, but Hermione is still alive thanks to home video and the legions of Potter fans. “So much has happened over the last three or four years. But obviously it's very present in people's minds and living rooms,” she said.
When it comes to working with Coppola, Watson said she enjoyed being able to improvise, something she couldn’t do with Potter. “I am used to really having to stick to my lines. Because people really know them by heart. So it was lovely to ad-lib or improvise. It was really special.”
Watson added that she needed to watch Keeping up with the Kardashians and THe Hills in order to familiarize herself with Los Angeles.
She also joked about the $1 million worth of Chopard jewelry that went missing. After the incident was reported, the Internet buzzed about how The Bling Ring was screened before the heist happened.
“You're not wearing any Chopard jewelry, are you?” a reporter for The Hollywood Reporter asked Watson.
She laughed, adding, “Someone stole like a million pounds worth of Chopard jewelry from Cannes? I promise it wasn't me! It's crazy. That's really, really weird... I promise I'm innocent! I promise I had nothing to do with it! I went nowhere near the suites -- I can have someone vouch for my whereabouts at the time of the robbery!”
The Bling Ring opens in U.S. theaters on June 14.
image: Dominique Charriau/WireImage for Electrolux/image.net