Paris Hilton seeks to unveil her serious side as activist and musician in documentary

LOS ANGELES – Paris Hilton is known for being a socialite, reality TV star, model and occasional actress. Now, the 44-year-old American wants to show audiences she can be a musician and activist too.

Documentary film Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir arrives in theatres on Jan 30, following Hilton as she records her 2024 electro-pop album Infinite Icon and prepares for a one-time performance at the Hollywood Palladium.

She wants to show a more serious side to herself than the bubbly blonde persona she was known for when she first became famous in the late 1990s.

“In the beginning, I developed this persona and character, I think, as an armour or shield,” she says at her home in Beverly Hills.

“I had just been through so much trauma in my life and then getting the first reality show with The Simple Life (2003 to 2007) and then playing that character on and on – you know, I didn’t realise I’d have to do it for five seasons straight – and then the whole world just got to know me in that way,” she adds.

While the media personality believes that her playful persona will always be a part of her, she is now campaigning for greater federal oversight of youth care programmes.

Hilton, the great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, has spoken out about the emotional and physical abuse she endured when she was placed in residential youth treatment facilities as a teen.

She has also been working with US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to push for passage of the Defiance Act, which would improve rights for those affected by deep-fake pornography.

“I knew I had to stand up and use my voice,” Paris Hilton says, highlighting how her campaigning had contributed to 15 state laws and two federal bills.

Her activism was the most meaningful work of her life, adds the mother of two children aged two and three, whom she shares with her American businessman-husband Carter Reum, 44. REUTERS