I was sitting at the end of a long table when I heard the door behind me open and a soft woman’s voice mumble to a hotel concierge, “Can I get some bottled water?”
But at this insignificant utterance, the whole room turned and applauded.
However calm the entrance, it’s hard not to notice when Paris Hilton walks into the room.
I had gone to the second-floor hospitality suite of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills for a panel interview with the self-proclaimed heiress and “celebutante” for her new movie, “The Hottie and the Nottie.”
In a plot similar to “My Fair Lady” or “She’s All That,” the desperately enamored male lead must find a date for her hideous best friend in order to get to the ultimate prize, Hilton’s affections.
The film costars Christine Lakin, a 2003 UCLA communication studies alumna, who plays Hilton’s unattractive counterpart. (Though, like most uglies in Hollywood, her appearance was the result of hours in the makeup trailer each day.)
Waiting for the women to arrive at the interview, I sat quietly around a table with the other journalists, including a pushy reporter from Turkey who threw Hilton a cheap-looking purse and T-shirt as a gift and a reporter from Us Weekly who was nodding off from a “crazy night” beforehand and spilled her coffee all over the tablecloth ““ no one was going for the Pulitzer with this interview.
So what is there to report about one of the most overexposed people in the world?
Hilton had invited the press to get closer to her this time, hoping that they would focus on the work she had produced, not the attention she’s accumulated.
But as I sat next to Hilton, trying not to stare at her chest which was partially exposed by her low-cut top and poor posture, I decided to give her a chance and approach her as an actress.
When it was my turn, I asked, “What are your favorite movies, what attracts you to feature projects, and what would you like to play in the future?”
After a long answer from Lakin, Hilton simply exclaimed, “I love “˜There’s Something About Mary.’ It’s like one of my favorite movies. … I also loved, like, “˜Heathers’ and “˜Beaches.'”
“So you see yourself acting mainly in comedies in the future?” I asked.
She looked straight at me with her bright blue eyes and nodded with a smile.
And at that moment, though memories of her failed relationships and jail time ran through my head, I saw Hilton in a new light.
Hilton does not pretend to aspire to cinematic greatness.
She seems to realize that though she acts in movies, she is a beautiful oddity whose crazy history is something that she can never run from, and thus she uses it to her advantage both on-screen and in interviews.
Though she may not be honored by the Academy anytime soon (or even receive an invite to the ceremony, for that matter) on a personal level, I can find respect for someone like Hilton as opposed to other celebrities such as Russell Crowe, who despite making good movies, take themselves far too seriously and use their good cinematic reputation to cover up bad behavior in real life.
As Hilton stood up to leave, I extended my right hand to shake hers, and she looked slightly taken aback by it.
And it occurred to me that despite being so overexposed, it’s probably relatively rare that she meets people in such a way.
Most of the people in the room were just asking for photos and then walking away.
She’s not like a politician out campaigning or a rock star touching crowds, and when being hunted in public by flashbulbs, safety comes before friendliness.
But she smiled, reached out with her left hand and in her usual calm yet cordial voice said, “Thanks, it was nice meeting you.”
Now that’s hot.
If you’re famous for being famous, or want to be, e-mail Noble at bnoble@media.ucla.edu.