Paris Hilton Gets Candid About 2004 Sex Tape In New Documentary: ‘It Was Like Being Raped’

It’s been quite a while since Paris Hilton graced every headline for her extravagant, partying lifestyle ways. Now the hotel heiress is back in the headlines, but for an entirely different reason. The 37-year-old socialite is all grown up and opening herself up in a new documentary, The American Meme, which portrays the ups and downs of popular, social media stars including Paris Hilton, Josh “The Fat Jew” Ostrovsky and Brittany Furlan. The documentary premiered Friday, April 27 at the Tribeca Film Festival reports USA Today

Hilton first graced us with her presence on the popular reality show, The Simple Life, which ran from 2003 to 2007, with former gal-pal, Nicole Richie. However, when people think of Paris Hilton, it’s not her reality-TV career that usually pops into their minds. Hilton, unfortunately skyrocketed to the top of every headline and broadcast news front in 2004 when a sex tape she made with former boyfriend, Rick Saloman, was leaked without her consent and before her reality show even premiered, according to E!.

The perfume mogul chose to open up about this dark time in her life in the documentary.

“It was like being raped. It felt like I’d lost part of my soul and been talked about in such cruel and mean ways. I literally wanted to die at some points. I was like, ‘I just don’t want to live,’ because I thought everything was taken away from me. I didn’t want to be known as that.”

The director of the documentary, Bert Marcus, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about why he specifically wanted the fashion designer to be a part of his project, saying, “Paris paved the way for creating a brand and a celebrity out of being herself and she turned it into a phenomenon. She’s a businesswoman like no other.” Marcus also took the time to praise the DJ on how she reinvented herself once the cameras stopped rolling. “Paris has flawlessly figured out how to parlay her fame into something that’s tangible. She created the blueprint.”

You might wonder why Hilton herself chose to be a part of the documentary and reopen old wounds. It was the perfect opportunity for her to reintroduce herself to the world and not only show her “business-savvy side,” but also show everyone the woman she’s become in spite of what happened in her past. “I really wanted to be completely honest in this film and tell the truth and clarify a lot of things that have been said about me and a lot of things that have happened in my life,” she said. Hilton wants her fans and everyone else to know that how she was portrayed on her reality show was not who she actually was in real life. “I was never really showing the real me.”

Hilton also spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and explained how social media influences her and keeps her connected to her fans when she’s always traveling and sometimes starts to feel lonely and isolated. The entrepreneur candidly admitted she won’t be walking away from her social media platform anytime soon, saying, “I’m an empire. I love what I do. I love staying in contact with my fans. I love keeping everyone updated. I love sharing my life.”

Hilton has indeed come a long way from that sex tape and her wild lifestyle. From fashion lines, to modeling, to acting, to perfume fragrances, philanthropy and her successful DJ career, Hilton shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She also recently got engaged to actor Chris Zylka earlier this year.