Paris Hilton knows how to make an entrance, whether it’s on a red carpet, at a nightclub opening or in a Beverly Hills restaurant.
This particular eatery is full of lunchtime diners, but all eyes widen and all forks stop their journey from plate to mouth as the young blonde in the shocking pink minidress and matching tights glides across the room and settles into a corner table. The 26-year-old heiress-actress is here to dine on tomato soup (she ate every drop) and a big salad (with extra cheese and walnuts) and to discuss her starring role in the new movie “The Hottie & the Nottie,” which opens Friday. (She’ll also be at Macy’s at South Coast Plaza from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, to tout her new footwear line.)
She also is the executive producer on the film, in which she plays the Hottie, an attractive blonde not unlike herself, who has a best friend who is not so hot. It’s a romantic comedy with a message about not judging a book by its cover. Although that is a universal message, the ubiquitous Miss Hilton makes no secret that the same message could apply to how the world views her.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Paris Hilton.
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Can I assume that everything I’ve ever read about you is true?
PARIS HILTON (laughs): I can guarantee you that probably 99 percent of it is false, or at least highly exaggerated.
OCR: Speculation and innuendo play a big part in how your life is chronicled on a daily basis, and I would like to straighten out a few things today.
PH: OK.
OCR: Let’s start with the notion that you just woke up one day and decided to become famous. Is that true?
PH:I’m a big animal lover so I always wanted to be a veterinarian. Then, when I was 16, my sister and I started going to these social events, and became known as ‘The Hilton Sisters.’ We didn’t even know what was going on. We’d show up to a party and the paparazzi would take pictures. We didn’t really think about what was happening to us.
OCR: Are you saying that you didn’t pursue this fame?
PH: No, it just happened. Donald Trump eventually called and asked me to join his modeling agency. From that point on, that’s what I wanted to do.
OCR: So, it was veterinarian and then model. You never thought about going into the hotel business?
PH: Actually, I am getting involved in that now. I’ve been building my brand and, as I get older and more mature, I want to get more involved in real estate and have my own properties, like hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.
OCR: Would these be under the Hilton name?
PH: No, under my first name.
OCR: Wouldn’t it be confusing to open a hotel called Paris in Paris?
PH: No, I think that would be a hot hotel.
OCR:How’s your life going at this point?
PH: I’m really happy. I feel complete. I appreciate everything more. I feel lucky to be where I am.
OCR: It’s been one hell of a year for you, hasn’t it?
PH: Yeah.
OCR: Could you give me an idea of what it’s like inside that media storm that follows you around?
PH:It’s very bizarre. People may think I’m having fun when I’m being chased by photographers, but I’m not. I try to zone them out. I’m not going to let cameras take over my life. It is stressful, though. They’re out of control. They flash their cameras through windows and drive crazy down the street. There should be more laws against that kind of behavior. Someone’s going to get hurt.
OCR: How do you not go temporarily blind from the flashes?
PH: I do sometimes. That’s why I wear sunglasses. It’s like riding on Space Mountain all the time.
OCR: Do you think it’s unfair when people say you’ve brought this on yourself?
PH: When you’re a celebrity, that kind of criticism comes with the territory. But there is a time and place for that media attention. They should be at movie premieres and awards shows, but not at your home or looking through your garbage or lurking in the dark waiting to surprise you. That’s crossing the line.
OCR: Do you understand why people might roll their eyes when they hear that you’re starring in a new movie?
PH: Of course. I completely understand that. There are a lot of misconceptions about me. The media has made a cartoon out of me, and I’ve never answered them or stood up for myself, even though they write cruel and unfair things about me.
OCR: Why haven’t you defended yourself?
PH: I believe you put more attention on things when you talk about it.
OCR: Do those stories hurt you?
PH: Obviously, it hurts me. And it hurts that people who don’t know me might believe what they read.
OCR: You could avoid reading about yourself?
PH: I do that. It helps a lot. You can’t become obsessive with reading about yourself because you’ll go crazy. With the Internet, people write lies about me every day and it goes all over the world.
OCR: What is something truthful about you that people wouldn’t know?
PH: How hard I work. They don’t realize I run a huge company. I go to board meetings. I travel the world constantly on business. When I go to parties, I’m getting paid to be there. It’s a promotional event. It’s not all fun and games.
OCR: When did you start getting paid for showing up places?
PH: When I was about 20. I decided that everybody else is making money from my appearances, so why shouldn’t I? Who wouldn’t want to get paid to show up at a nightclub?
OCR: How do you motivate yourself to work so hard when you’re born a Hilton?
PH: My father instilled a work ethic in us from an early age. He wanted us to do something with our lives. And to see what my grandfather and great-grandfather accomplished is motivation enough. My great-grandfather started as a bellboy and became one of the most successful men in the world. I don’t want to be some woman who sits around and does nothing. I have so many friends in Hollywood who grew up with money. They’re spoiled and living in their parents’ guest house. Their lives are miserable.
OCR: People don’t realize that you earn a great deal of money on your own.
PH:I bought a new house and six cars with my own money. I don’t need someone else’s money. I don’t need to marry a man with money. I could marry a plumber or anyone else who’s nice to me.
OCR: Do poor guys ever hit on you?
PH: Sure. My last boyfriend didn’t have any money.
OCR: Can you trust anyone not to be after your money?
PH: I don’t really worry about that. I know that’s how some people are, and I can’t change them. Occasionally, some random person will slip into my circle of friends, but I am a pretty good judge of character.
OCR: How do you spot them?
PH: I play the dumb blonde sometimes, and they usually reveal themselves when they think things are going over my head.
OCR: What was the jail experience like?
PH: It was horrible and scary. But it showed me a different side of life. It made me a stronger person, and made me appreciate the little things in life, like having a pillow at night. When you have everything taken away from you, you learn to appreciate them.
OCR: Do you think you got a raw deal?
PH: Oh yeah. Look at everyone else. I did the most time, and I did the least of anyone. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair.
OCR: Here’s the $64,000 question: Why were you driving yourself? You’re a Hilton. Get a driver.
PH: I always have a driver. That was one night when I drove three blocks to get some food. I only had one glass of wine.
OCR: But you seem to be driving a lot?
PH: Not when I’m drinking.
OCR: Let’s get to one more general assumption about you.
PH: OK.
OCR: People think that you got shafted out of the family fortune when your grandfather left $2 billion to charity.
PH: No, I didn’t get shafted. My grandfather was a wonderful person. There should be more men like him. So many people are going to be helped by his gift.
OCR: So, you got your share of the inheritance?
PH (giggles): I did just fine.
Contact the writer: 714-796-5051, ext. 1110, or bkoltnow@ocregister.com
