Ashley Benson - Seventeen Magazine April 2013

Ashley Benson shows off her pride in some American flag shorts on the cover of Seventeen magazine’s April 2013 issue, on newsstands March 12!

Here’s what the 23-year-old Spring Breakersactress had to share with the mag:

On her career goals: “I love Michelle Williams and Natalie Portman—those are the careers I want. My goal is to win an Oscar, and I’m going to take the steps to get there.”

On how Spring Breakers changed her and co-stars Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez: “We all came from a Disney background, and this was different from anything we’ve done. But we wanted to prove that we’re not just girls who play happy parts. It was such a crazy experience and it was character-building. I’m so proud of all of us. I’m really, really excited for everybody to see it.”

On Selena and ex Justin Bieber‘s response to the parody “Boyfriend” video from James Franco and herself: “I haven’t heard from Selena! People thought that I was being mean, but I was just doing what the girl did in the video. It wasn’t a jab at her. But I heard from Justin. He wasn’t happy. Justin is like my little brother since he and my ex are so close. Anytime you go through a breakup, the friends get defensive. But all is well in that area now.”

For more from Ashley, visit Seventeen.com.