
Courtesy of A24 Productions
Ashley Benson stars in the indie film, “Spring Breakers,” which hit theaters on March 22, 2013.

Ashley Benson stars in the indie film, “Spring Breakers,” which hit theaters on March 22, 2013. (Courtesy of A24 Productions)
With a total gross topping $10 million and a slew of critical endorsements, Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers” is a certified indie film hit.
During a nationwide conference call with colleges across America, Korine along with Ashley Benson (one of the film’s four female leads) chatted about the provocative film.
Perhaps Korine’s biggest calling card, at least when it came to the production of “Spring Breakers,” was his controversial decision to cast a handful of former Disney stars to fill roles that demand action beyond the typical moral standings of the mouse house.
“I liked the fact that they were connected culturally to this kind of pop mythology. And I thought it was an interesting counter to their perception and what they’ve done in the past,” Korine said.
“They were all at a place in their lives where they wanted to try things that were more graphic, more extreme – a different kind of was.”
The movie features a bevy of scenes that go beyond the provocative and force Benson and her cast mates into a number of precarious situations. In one particular scene, Korine and his crew went out into the St. Petersburg, FL, community to film.
“The pool hall scene was in this crazy neighborhood and there were a bunch of guys who for sure had guns and knives on them and we just went up there and shot with them,” Benson said.
“I’ve never been put in a situation like that, and it made the movie much more real, so the experience was