Not an airhead in real life: Paris Hilton

Socialite Paris Hilton says that she is not silly in her real life unlike what she portrayed in the reality show "The Simple Life".

Hilton, who starred in the show along with best friend Nicole Richie between 2003 and 2007, just portrayed herself dumb because the producers asked her to do so, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"When we did that, it was the first reality show. I'd never been on camera in my life. I didn't really know what to do. The producers told Nicole to be the troublemaker and me to be the ditzy blonde rich girl.

"I tried to play a character ... I didn't realise I would end up doing that character for five years," she was quoted as saying.

The 32-year-old believes people don't know the real Paris Hilton.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about me because people know me from 'The Simple Life'. They didn't understand that I was acting and I was being a character, so they assume I'm a complete airhead," she said.