It was a fine example of life imitating art.
At the 66th Cannes Film Festival this May, delegates sat down to watch the Premiere of The Bling Ring, a movie about a gang of LA teenagers robbing the rich and famous. Even as the end titles rolled, just across town, a gang was allegedly doing just that: helping themselves to the (not so) safe of renowned jeweller Chopard.
The director of the movie, Sophia Coppola, joked that at least her cast had an alibi: they were all at the after party.
The writer-director had taken her inspiration from a true story she read in Vanity Fair. It concerned a gang of 20-somethings who stole from celebrities out of a desire to possess their wardrobes, and a sense of entitlement to enjoy their lifestyles.
The gang’s MO was simple and contemporary. They got online, harvesting the electronic trail of data that revealed not just where their victim celebs lived but when they would be out of town. So if their targeted ‘celebrity du jour’ was attending a screening or filming on location, they had free rein (barring a few locks and alarms) to enter stars’ homes, gawp at their lifestyle and help themselves to the parts they fancied.
Which is where the story – as so many stories do – swings round to Paris Hilton. She was hit by the gang, not once but five times. Then again, she was in the habit of helpfully leaving her key under the mat. During these episodes she lost £2m in jewellery, ‘contributing’ more than her fair share to the £3m haul overall that was plundered from her and others including Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox.
Hilton is nothing if not interesting. The great-grand daughter of Conrad Hilton, he of the hotel dynasty, she had greatness (or at least, great privilege) thrust upon her. But to dismiss her as a ‘celebutante’ is to ignore an able business brain with a keen understanding of her worth to others. Paris’s extension of the Hilton brand has seen her fragrances generate revenues of $1.5 billion. In addition, there are 44 Paris Hilton Stores worldwide selling handbags, watches, footwear and fashion. Hilton earns over $10 million a year from these products alone. One can imagine old Conrad approving of those kinds of numbers.
In fact, while thousands will pay to gain access to premières, club openings and parties, Paris gets paid to turn up. Up to $300,000 for a simple appearance, in fact. Who’s laughing now?
On this basis you can only assume Hilton also pocketed a hefty location fee for The Bling Ring. Because, yes, she allowed Coppola’s crew to use her mansion – the very scene of the crimes – for the movie.
Hilton comments: “If some other producer had approached me and said can we use your house, I would have said no way. But with her [Sophia Coppola], I love her, and I was just honoured to be a part of it.”
Coppola adds: “On viewing Paris’s LA mansion, it was like we have to get this into the movie. With a walk in closet devoted solely to rows of designer shoes and another smaller room for jewellery, where she keeps her diamonds and strings of pearls, it was so unique. She is larger than life and her house is like ‘Paris World’.”