Paris Hilton, Christine Lakin Interview, Hottie & The Nottie

MoviesOnline caught up with Paris Hilton and Christine Lakin at the Los Angeles Press Day for their new film, “The Hottie & The Nottie,” a comedy about opening your heart and closing your eyes directed by Tom Putnam based on a screenplay by Heidi Ferrer.

Nate Cooper (Joel David Moore) has been smitten with Cristabel Abbott (Paris Hilton) since he first laid eyes on her at the impressionable age of six. But before he could try and snuggle up to her at nap time, or maybe send her a valentine, his family moved away. In the intervening years there have been other women in Nate's life, but none who could measure up to Cristabel. Convinced she's the only girl for him, Nate decides to move back to L.A. and track her down. The good news: she's still single and stunning. The bad news: there's a reason she's still single. Cristabel's still best friends with the same less fortunate little girl Nate remembers from first grade, June Phigg (Christine Lakin). The two are inseparable. They live together. They go to yoga together. They would even go on double dates together...if only June could get a date. Cristabel simply refuses to leave dear June home alone.

Determined to spend as much time as possible with Cristabel, Nate sets out to find a boyfriend for June. Even when he pays them, however, guys all flee at the sight of her. Then it hits him: June needs a makeover. As Nate and June become friends she emerges from her cocoon, and Nate slowly realizes that the girl of his dreams isn't the hottie at all. It's the nottie -- who turns out to be something of a hottie herself. Socialite, singer, actress and entrepreneur, Paris Hilton has become a brand known the world over. Prior to completing “The Hottie and The Nottie” in which she both starred and produced, Paris had a starring role on the big screen in “The House of Wax,” co-starring alongside Chad Michael Murray for producer Joel Silver. Additional film credits include “Raising Helen,” “Zoolander,” “The Cat in the Hat,” and “Wonderland.”

On the television side, Paris’ credits include the reality series “The Simple Life,” which aired on Fox and most recently on “E! Entertainment.” Her other television credits include “The O.C.,” “Las Vegas,” “Veronica Mars,” and “The George Lopez Show.” Christine Lakin has appeared in independent films such as “Jungle Juice” (2000) with Christopher Walken, and the teen comedy “Whatever it Takes” (2000) with James Franco, Shane West and Marla Sokoloff. She has also appeared on television, guest starring on such popular shows as “Sons & Daughters,” “3^rd Rock from the Sun,” “7^th Heaven,” and “Rodney.” She also filmed pilots for various networks including Tim Burton’s “Lost in Oz” (1999) for the WB, “The Ruling Class” (2001) for Fox/Imagine Television, and “Dirty Famous” (2005) for VH1. Most recently, Christine starred opposite Lindsay Lohan in Garry Marshall’s “Georgia Rule,” which premiered in May of 2007. The prestigious cast included such talent as Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Dermot Mulroney. Christine was also featured in Disney’s “The Game Plan,” opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In 2007, she wrapped the lead in the indie horror-thriller “Red Canyon” opposite Norman Reedus and signed a holding deal with ABC for the pilot “The Owners” created by Fred Goss and Nick Holly.

Sporting an attractive hot pink mini dress with pink tights and very high heels, here’s what Paris and her co-star, Christine, wearing a sweater over a green top and jeans, had to tell us about their new movie:

Q: Paris, you look so happy in this movie, is that how you felt the whole way through?

PARIS HILTON: Actually it was so much fun on set, we all like immediately bonded. We became really close friends and we would hang out even when we weren’t working, so I was really happy with everything, you guys, you’re awesome. (she says to Christine)

Q: That was natural coming through.

PARIS HILTON: Yeah.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Yeah, we had a blast. Between like Joel who is one of the biggest jokesters I’ve ever worked with, and then me basically in my hideous make-up all day.

Q: How long did it take to put on the Nottie make-up?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: It was about two and a half hours on a really hardcore day where I had to do my legs with hair, and the bruising and the pimples and the toenail, and with the whole shebang, it was close to almost three.

Q: What did you think the first time you looked in the mirror and you saw it all?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: You know, they had me turned around away from the mirror because I think they didn’t want me to start getting freaked out halfway through, and be like, ‘Screw it, I’m not doing this.’ But when they first turned me around, I was a little shocked at first. I thought I looked a little bit like a cave woman, that was the closest thing I could kind of – with the eyebrow and everything. You know, it took a couple of seconds to get used to, but it was everything that I had talked about, and so much of the character in that moment of me seeing myself in the mirror really started to come to life, and then I started to like – I loved looking at myself in the mirror and like making faces and kind of playing around with it and baring my teeth, my ugly teeth to people, especially her. (referring to Paris) [Laughs]

Q: Would you ever date an ugly guy?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, I have before.

Q: Really? Who?

PARIS HILTON: I’m not going to say who. I feel bad.

Q: Was it in high school?

PARIS HILTON: No.

Q: As an adult?

PARIS HILTON: It was a couple of years ago.

Q: We haven’t seen the photograph?

PARIS HILTON: No, you probably have. [Laughs]

Q: Was this your idea, the movie, did you conceive the storyline?

PARIS HILTON: Actually the writer came with it to me and said we wrote this with you in mind, and there’s no one else who can play the Hottie. Will you please play it? And I read it and I fell in love with it. I think it’s a really fun film, but it also has a really beautiful message and I just think it was just a cute, fun love story about two best friends.

Q: Is that why you were training so hard? Because when you’re running in the movie, you look really good. You’re convincing.

PARIS HILTON: Thank you.

Q: It didn’t look like fake running.

PARIS HILTON: Yeah.

Q: Prior to this role what kind of scripts were you offered?

PARIS HILTON: A variety of different scripts, different horror films, different comedies, but out of all the ones I read, this was the one I liked the most.

Q: How do you think the industry sees you? Do they take you seriously?

PARIS HILTON: You know I think a lot of people see me from “The Simple Life.” I’ve been doing that show for five seasons. It’s a reality show where I’m playing a character so I’m basically acting in that. Maybe people think that’s really how I am, but it’s not. And I’ve been working with Ivana Chubbuck who’s an incredible acting coach and I’ve worked really hard for this, and now I’m taking it seriously.

Q: You’re also the producer in this movie, what’s that job?

PARIS HILTON: It’s a lot of work because you’re basically now working on and off-camera – but it was just such a fun project that I enjoyed every minute of it.

Q: Usually Executive Producers put up money for a film, did you invest in this film.

PARIS HILTON: No.

Q: Paris, what do you look for in a man?

PARIS HILTON: Just someone who can make me laugh, someone who’s sweet, who’s fun to be around, honest.

Q: Is there anyone in Hollywood that you would call a Nottie as opposed to a Hottie?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, there’s a lot of them.

Q: What is it that turns you off about a man?

PARIS HILTON: Just if someone’s at dinner and they’re kind of rude to a waiter, someone like that. I really get angry about that, or people who lie or brag, just guys who have a bad attitude.

Q: Last weekend when you went out in costume, what did that entail and how did you decide to do it?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Well we talked about it ever since we started the movie. I think it was like the first day I was in the make-up trailer, the producer came in and she said, ‘God it would be so funny to see you two actually out on the town like this,’ and we both started to laugh, and Paris was like, ‘I was thinking about that. I should totally take you to some club and we should do it.’ And we were both just laughing at like the idea of how people would actually react to this. And then when we were in Sundance I said, ‘I still really want to do it,’ and she’s like, ‘Me too.’ So when we came back, there was a night where we could get it together, so we called the make-up artist from the movie. He still had my mole, he still had my hair, my eyebrows, and I told him I didn’t want to do this (pointing to her face) It’s just too involved to put the hair on here, but I put a hat on and I called the costume guy and he still had my dress that I wore in the movie. So I called her and I was like, ‘I’m ready to go. I’m going to go over there, is everything cool?’ She’s like, ‘Come on.’ So, yeah, I pretty much went, got ready for an hour or so, and then met her out and it was funny. We had a blast doing it.

Q: You went to a club?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Oh yeah. The Nottie was out ‘til about three. It was fantastic. The Nottie had a very good Wednesday. But it was funny. There was just an utter sense of confusion of us walking in and people looking at her and being like, ‘Oh it’s Paris! … Oh, who is that unfortunate girl next to her?’ A lot of people didn’t realize – didn’t know it was our characters in the movie, so some people were just literally looking at us who I think were from out of town, trying to take pictures of her and trying not to get me in them. It was very funny.

Q: Paris, you said you were working with a coach, I was just wondering is this something that you want to expand maybe into more dramatic roles, and maybe to get people to take you more seriously as far as being an actress?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, definitely. My next role, I just did a movie with Darren Lynn Bousman who directed all the Saw films, and Paul Sorvino plays my father, and Sarah Brightman plays my nemesis, and it’s a musical horror film, and I’m never blond in the movie at all. I always have different hair, different eyes. You could never tell it’s me in every scene. And that was fun. It was great to get a role like that and be given a chance.

Q: What’s it called?

PARIS HILTON: “Repo! The Genetic Opera,” it’s a musical horror film.

Q: Are you going to sing in it?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, I sing in 12 songs.

Q: Would either of you consider plastic surgery as time goes by?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. I guess if something bothered me enough. Life’s too short not to be happy with yourself, but I don’t think about it now.

PARIS HILTON: I don’t know, I’m really scared even of like getting shots. I don’t want to think about it.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I don’t want to think about what actually goes into it. You see it on those surgery shows and it really grosses me out.

Q: Christine, has anyone ever told you that you look a little like Nicole Richie?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: No, nobody’s ever told me that.

Q: You really resemble her. It’s like watching Paris with Nicole.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Oh, thank you. I take that as a compliment, she’s gorgeous.

Q: How much did this whole Hottie/Nottie thing get into your head? Did you go into the world and then see everyone as a Hottie or Nottie?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: No, it didn’t really change the way I saw anyone. But it’s definitely very funny because I always think of somebody who maybe is technically a Nottie. They always become a lot hotter if they’ve got a great personality or like they’re really funny, really kind. And I always think of someone who’s really beautiful, who kind of opens their mouth and just says ugly things. It’s funny to me how they kind of become like a Nottie to me. So in that sense maybe a little bit. I guess that was kind of like what the film is ultimately about. It’s about friendship and, while it’s a romantic comedy, it’s also about who you are on the inside is not always reflective of who you are on the outside.

Q: Has it happened in your real life that an old school mate came to you?

PARIS HILTON: Oh, yeah, there’s a lot of them on My Space and Facebook who will write me like from back from nursery or kindergarten.

Q: Do you remember them at all?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, of course.

Q: Did you ever have the same experience in real life as your character did in the movie where the very first guy that you can remember turns up meeting you later on?

PARIS HILTON: Has that happened before? Umm, yeah. But we didn’t date or anything.

Q: What do you think you’re going to have to do to convince people to take you seriously as an actress?

PARIS HILTON: Just take on different roles and just prove myself in that way. This was just a fun movie to do and it’s a really sweet, romantic comedy and my next movie is completely different and then I’m going to do a drama after that and I think just doing roles and doing a good job.

Q: Is there a character in a film that came out recently that you thought you might have liked to play that nobody thought of you for?

PARIS HILTON: I don’t know. I loved the movie “Juno.” I thought that was pretty cute.

Q: What character do you play in “Repo! The Genetic Opera”?

PARIS HILTON: I play Amber Sweet. She’s the daughter of the guy who owns the company and she’s a little demented and crazy and she’s obsessed with plastic surgery and always changing the way she looks because she wants to get her father’s approval.

Q: What do you enjoy most about acting?

PARIS HILTON: I love being on set. I love just meeting new people and experiencing it. I love being in front of the camera, just being another character. It’s fun to escape from my real life.

Q: Paris, There’s a joke in the movie about the stalker guy. Was that fun for you? Have you had experience with that in real life?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, I’ve had some major stalkers so yeah, I was kind of thinking of one person when we were doing the movie.

Q: What did the stalker do?

PARIS HILTON: Like showed up to my house and slept outside for two weeks. He stole our cat and then pretended to give it back. He did the weirdest things.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: He stole your cat. Very strange. Very strange.

Q: What’s the greatest chat up line either of you two have ever had?

PARIS HILTON: Pick up line?

Q: Yeah.

PARIS HILTON: A lot of guys will come up to me and try to be cool and say, ‘Hi. What’s your name?’ and I’ll be like ‘Deborah.’ And they’ll go, ‘Oh, really?’ and they’ll just keep talking to me pretending that they don’t know who I am. I’m like ‘Do you live under a rock?.’ [Laughs]

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I think the worst is someone coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh. Saw you on “TGIF” Friday nights. Catch you there step by step. Reruns.’ Very weird. [Laughter] Very weird. Don’t really know what to think about it. Thank you? Are you hitting on me? Wait, you watched me as a kid? Did you think I was hot as a kid? It’s all very confusing.

Q: Any special plans for Valentine’s Day, either of you?

PARIS HILTON: I’m single so I don’t know. I’ll be in Las Vegas.

Q: Where?

PARIS HILTON: I’m having my birthday at LAX in Vegas on the 15^th so I’ll be there all that week for Magic, for my clothing line and my shoe line.

Q: Your whole family is going to be there?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah.

Q: Is Nikki going to have her clothing line too?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah. We’re both going to be at Magic.

Q: Are we invited?

PARIS HILTON: Yes.

Q: How many businesses do you have?

PARIS HILTON: I do clothing, perfume, books, shoes, purses.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Hair.

PARIS HILTON: Hair extensions, jewelry, watches.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: It’s a whole enterprise.

Q: Do you just lend you name or are you involved in every single thing?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, I develop everything. I design. I wouldn’t put my name on anything that I didn’t believe in.

Q: So do you wear your own perfume?

PARIS HILTON: Yes. I’m wearing Can Can today. I have five fragrances but I’m wearing Can Can today.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I even have one. She gave the whole cast and crew all of her fragrances, girls and boys. My boyfriend wears Heir.

PARIS HILTON: [Laughs] He loves it?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: He loves it.

PARIS HILTON: Good. I wear Heir too sometimes.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: He still has it in the box where you signed it.

PARIS HILTON: Ahhhh.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: He travels with it like that.

PARIS HILTON: He’s very cute.

Q: Christine, you’ve been acting and you can play off the script a lot, but were both of you able to improv a lot with Joel on the comedic side?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Yeah.

PARIS HILTON: Joel is the king of improv.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Yeah, he’s great. He and I in a lot of our scenes like we wouldn’t really rehearse but we would kind of go over stuff right before we decided to go on and we would riff off each other and then sometimes we would bring it into the actual scene.

PARIS HILTON: I think we changed a lot of the dialogue.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: We did. We actually did and thank god Heidi the writer was not offended by it. [Laughs] Yeah. He always keeps you on your toes. It was really fun. It kept everything very fresh you know.

Q: What if the roles were switched, would you have still taken on the movie?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Well I would.

PARIS HILTON: They were trying to get me into the Nottie make-up a couple times. Nicole and I did that actually once on “The Simple Life.” We worked at Burger King and everyone knew it was us so we ended up putting prosthetics on like mini-brows and hook noses and really bad teeth and I couldn’t even look in the mirror. I was like freaking out. I was so embarrassed to talk to people. But it was actually fun. By the end of the day we came up with these funny Brooklyn accents and Nicole and I had a good time doing it. So I experienced being Nottie for a day working at Burger King.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Yeah. It’s very liberating you know, once you get past the embarrassment.

Q: Have you ever had the feeling of being the Nottie in a situation, either of you?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Oh yeah, I think like I have an inner Nottie. I do! I’m short and sometimes I feel like an Oompa-Loompa compared to everyne. No, I do.

PARIS HILTON: You’re so hot.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I know. I think everybody has like an Ugly Betty day. Now I’m just calling it the Nottie day. That’s going to be my new thing.

PARIS HILTON: That’s the new one.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: Yeah. Definitely for me.

Q: Paris, have you ever felt unattractive?

PARIS HILTON: I think every girl does sometimes.

Q: Like when you get your heart broken?

PARIS HILTON: We’re all human. Yeah. When something bad happens, you feel sad.

Q: How many dogs do you have now?

PARIS HILTON: Seventeen. [Laughs]

Q: Do you remember all their names?

PARIS HILTON: Yes.

Q: Do they each have their own beds?

PARIS HILTON: Well I built a little thing called a doggie mansion. It’s in my backyard. It’s a replica of my house. It has a chandelier and the same stairwell and furniture. They all live there.

Q: What about the cats? Do you have cats too?

PARIS HILTON: Four cats.

Q: Is Liger back at your house or is he still with your parents?

PARIS HILTON: He’s still with my parents.

Q: I wanted Liger by the way.

PARIS HILTON: How cute is Liger?

Q: They wouldn’t let me have him. He’s like a dog.

PARIS HILTON: I know. He’s so sweet.

Q: What’s the best advice you could give someone who just doesn’t get you? They don’t understand the publicity. They don’t understand what’s special about you. They don’t understand why the media always writes about you. What would you say to someone?

PARIS HILTON: What would I say?

Q: Yeah. Give them a guide, help them. This is your chance.

PARIS HILTON: You know I’m just a sweet person with a big heart. I’m having the time of my life and I’m very happy and I just want to make people smile and bring some color into the world. I don’t know.

Q: A modern day Pollyanna?

PARIS HILTON: [Laughs]

Q: Are you voting in the primary on Tuesday?

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I am.

PARIS HILTON: Yeah.

Q: Have you decided who you’re going to vote for?

PARIS HILTON: Not yet.

Q: Not yet?

PARIS HILTON: Uh huh.

Q: Are you still debating?

PARIS HILTON: I need to talk to Christine about it.

CHRISTINE LAKIN: I decided today. I decided this morning.

Q: I need a little love life advice because I’ve been distraught ever since you and Paris (Latsis) broke up.

PARIS HILTON: Ahhhh.

Q: I feel like if Paris and Paris can’t make it, what hope is there for the rest of us?

PARIS HILTON: He was a sweetheart.

Q: Can you give us normal people any encouragement?

PARIS HILTON: I just love being single so I don’t know. I’d like to stay single for awhile. It’s fun although it’s very hard during Valentine’s Day.

Q: You said you were going to have your birthday party in Las Vegas. Are you introducing another clothing line?

PARIS HILTON: My shoes and my clothing. Yeah.

Q: And where can you buy them?

PARIS HILTON: Macy’s. Kitson’s.

Q: Do you think you’ll go to theaters to try and see the audience’s reaction to your new film?

PARIS HILTON: I’ve already been to two theaters. I’m definitely going to sneak into some in L.A.

Q: So will you do the whole hat thing?

PARIS HILTON: Yeah, probably. I did that with “House of Wax” too so I’m definitely going to do it with this movie.

Q: What day is your birthday?

PARIS HILTON: February 17^th is my real birthday.

Q: How come you’re staying at the Four Seasons and not the Hilton?

PARIS HILTON: I’m not staying here. I’m just here for the press conference. I live in Los Angeles.

Q: Thank you.

PARIS HILTON: Thank you, guys. Bye. Have a great rest of your weekend.

“The Hottie & The Nottie” opens in theaters on February 8^th.