Paris Hilton theme by michi_dv/onipepper
Download: ParisHilton.p3t
(3 backgrounds)
Paris Hilton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hilton in October 2021 | |
| Born | Paris Whitney Hilton February 17, 1981 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Works | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Richard Hilton Kathy Hilton |
| Relatives | Hilton family |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | parishilton.com |
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981)[3][4] is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, and actress. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Los Angeles, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in NYC's social scene and ventured into fashion modeling at age 19, signing with Trump Model Management. After David LaChapelle photographed her and her sister Nicky for the September 2000 issue of Vanity Fair, Hilton was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001.[3] The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame.
Hilton's media ventures have included the reality television series Paris Hilton's My New BFF (2008–2009), The World According to Paris (2011), Hollywood Love Story (2018), Cooking with Paris (2021), and Paris in Love (2021–present); the documentaries Paris, Not France (2008), The American Meme (2018), and This Is Paris (2020); the books Your Heiress Diary (2005) and Paris: The Memoir (2023); as well as the podcast, I am Paris (2021–present), on iHeartRadio. She has pursued film acting in House of Wax (2005) and Repo! the Genetic Opera (2008). As a recording artist, Hilton has recorded a line of standalone singles and released two studio albums, Paris (2006) and Infinite Icon (2024). She has also performed as a disc jockey since 2012.[5]
A polarizing and ubiquitous public figure, Hilton is said to have influenced the revival of the "famous for being famous" phenomenon throughout the 2000s.[6] Critics indeed suggest that she exemplifies the celebutante—a household name through inherited wealth and lavish lifestyle. Forbes included her in its Celebrity 100 in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and ranked her as the most "overexposed" celebrity in 2006 and 2008. Hilton has parlayed her media fame into numerous business endeavors. Under her company, she has produced content for broadcast media, launched 19 product lines, and opened 45 boutiques worldwide, as well as an urban beach club in the Philippines. Her perfume line alone has brought in over US$2.5 billion in revenue, as of 2020[update].[7][8][9] Variety named her its "Billion Dollar Entrepreneur" in 2011.[10]
Early life[edit]
Hilton was born on February 17, 1981, in New York City, to Richard Hilton, a businessman, and Kathy Hilton, a socialite and former child actress.[11][12] The oldest of four children, she has one sister, Nicky Hilton (born 1983), and two brothers, Barron Hilton II (born 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton (born 1994). On her father's side, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels, and granddaughter of Barron Hilton. Her maternal aunts are television personalities Kim and Kyle Richards. Hilton has Norwegian, German, Italian, English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.[13][14][15] The family followed the Catholic faith.[16][17]
Hilton moved frequently in her youth, living in Beverly Hills, the Hamptons, and a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan. Her relatives have described her as "very much a tomboy" who dreamed about becoming a veterinarian. Her mother recalled her saving money to buy monkeys, snakes, and goats, and once leaving "the snake out the cage [...] at the Waldorf".[18] Hilton was raised in a very "sheltered, conservative" atmosphere; her parents were particularly strict and she was not allowed to date, wear make-up or certain types of clothes, or go to school dances. Her mother enrolled her in etiquette classes with the idea of introducing her as a debutante, which Hilton was at first reluctant to do, as she did not find it to be "real" or "natural". She described it as "very proper, very prim, almost like a Stepford wife".[18] The family's social circle included figures such as Lionel Richie, Donald Trump, and Michael Jackson.[19][20]
Growing up in Los Angeles, Hilton attended the Buckley School and St. Paul the Apostle School, finishing elementary school in 1995.[21] Her freshman year of high school (1995–96) was spent at the Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California. In 1996, Hilton and her family left California for the East Coast.[22] At 15, she attended Professional Children's School.[20] She skated and played ice hockey while in high school.
In New York City, Hilton had a rebellious youth, regularly skipping classes and sneaking out to parties. On this period, Kathy remarked: "Let's put it this way—it got very out of control and I was scared for her. And my husband was very scared for her. And, you know, those nightclubs go on all night."[23] Her parents eventually sent her, then 16, to a series of boarding schools for emotionally troubled teens, including Provo Canyon School, where she says that she was mentally and physically abused by the staff. In her documentary This Is Paris, Hilton and other former students from Provo Canyon School recall the abuses they faced, including solitary confinement, forced medication, restraint, battery and strangulation. She attended Provo for 11 months and was released in early 1999, around the time she turned 18.[24][25][26][27] She then attended the Dwight School before dropping out a few months later. "She knew no one at [Dwight]", said her mother in an interview, while a classmate described her as "sort of more sophisticated. She was different from everybody else".[20] She later earned a GED certification.[28][29]
Career[edit]
Social scene and modeling (1996–2002)[edit]
With mother Kathy and sister Nicky, Hilton modeled as a child at charity events,[30] graced the May 4, 1988, cover of the weekly magazine Beverly Hills 213,[31] and made an uncredited appearance in the fantasy film Wishman (1992).
After relocating to NYC in 1996, Hilton developed a reputation as a socialite through appearances at nightclubs and high-profile events. She has recalled getting offers to show up in nightclubs as early as she was 16,[32][33][34] when she obtained a counterfeited identity document in order to gain access to events. Her antics and late-night persona soon started attracting the spotlight from local tabloids. After becoming familiar with Paris and Nicky's social circle, Jason Binn, publisher of Hamptons magazine, stated: "They're little stars. They've become names. To them it's like a job. I believe they wake up every morning and say, 'O.K., where am I supposed to be tonight?'."[35]
That lifestyle conflicted with her family's conservative background and proved too "rebellious" for the young Paris, whose parents sent her to a series of boarding schools until she turned 18. Hilton resumed public appearances shortly afterwards, and attended the NYC premiere of Cruel Intentions in March 1999 with Nicky.[36] A New Yorker profile by Bob Morris, published in October that year, described her and her sister as "the littlest socialites in town [...] Without even a smile, they can breeze past the velvet ropes at Moomba or get a seat at Le Bilboquet".[37] Businessman George J. Maloof Jr., for instance, flew Hilton in his private jet and paid her to attend the Palms Casino Resort opening in Las Vegas in November 2001.[32][38][39][40][41]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Hilton's David LaChapelle-photographed Vanity Fair issue from September 2000 |
Inspired by designers Patricia Field and Betsey Johnson, Hilton decided to pursue modeling, signing with Donald Trump's agency, T Management, at age 19.[30] She modeled for Catherine Malandrino and Marc Bouwer, and posed alongside Nicky for David LaChapelle in a shoot that was featured in the September 2000 issue of Vanity Fair.[42] On her persona, LaChapelle stated: "Paris had a charisma back then that you couldn't take your eyes off. She would giggle and laugh and be effervescent and take up a room".[43] By 2001, Hilton had become "one of the biggest stars, off and on the catwalk," at New York Fashion Week, graced an advertising campaign for Italian label Iceberg, and appeared on magazines such as Vogue and FHM.[44]
In addition to modeling, Hilton ventured into screen acting, playing an ill-fated character in the independent teen thriller Sweetie Pie (2000),[20] and filming a cameo appearance as herself in the comedy Zoolander (2001), with Ben Stiller. In 2002, she appeared in Vincent Gallo's "Honey Bunny" video,[45] played a "strung-out supermodel" in the five-minute short QIK2JDG, and starred as a socialite in the straight-to-DVD horror film Nine Lives.
International stardom (2003–2007)[edit]
Hilton's breakout came in 2003, when she starred with her childhood friend and socialite counterpart Nicole Richie in the Fox reality series The Simple Life, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas. The show was initially pitched to both Paris and Nicky Hilton. Paris was convinced to come on board; however, Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out.[46] The series premiered on December 2, 2003, shortly after the leak of Hilton's sex tape,[47] and was a ratings success. Its first episode attracted 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's adult 18–49 rating by 79 percent.[48] The high viewership was attributed to the exposure Hilton received for the homemade tape,[49] while she became known for her onscreen dumb blonde persona.[50][51]
By 2004, Hilton had taken on a number of supporting and guest-starring roles in feature films and scripted television series such as Raising Helen and The O.C., signed on to appear in a series of advertisement campaigns for Guess,[52] released an autobiography co-written by Merle Ginsberg, Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose,[53][54] which was seventh on The New York Times Best Seller list,[55] and introduced a lifestyle brand (with a purse collection for the Japanese label Samantha Thavasa, a jewelry line sold on Amazon.com,[56][57] as well as a perfume line in collaboration with Parlux Fragrances).
Originally planned for a limited release, high demand for her first fragrance choked supplies but led to increased availability by December 2004. Its introduction was followed by a 47-percent increase in Parlux sales, primarily of the Hilton-branded perfume.[58] After this success, Parlux has released numerous perfumes under her name, including fragrances for men.[59]
In February 2005, Hilton hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live, with Keane as the musical guest,[60] and in May, the slasher film House of Wax—her first major film role[61][62]—was released in theaters,[63] to mixed reviews.[64] Writing for View London, Matthew Turner remarked that Hilton "does better than you might expect",[65] while TV Guide called her "talentless".[66] Her role earned her the Teen Choice Award for Best Scream, the 2005 Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress,[67] and a nomination for Best Frightened Performance at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. House of Wax grossed over US$70 million worldwide.[68] In May 2005, Carl's Jr. aired a television advertisement, promoting its Spicy Burger product, which featured Hilton in a provocative swimsuit soaping up a Bentley automobile.[69] By November 2005, she had published her second book, Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me.[70]
The Simple Life was canceled by Fox in 2005 after three seasons following a dispute between Hilton and Richie. Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about their split, although it was speculated that they fell out after Richie showed one of Hilton's homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends.[71] They reconciled in October 2006.[72] After The Simple Life was cancelled, other networks (NBC, The WB, VH1 and MTV) were interested in obtaining the rights for new seasons of the show.[73] On November 28, 2005, E! announced that it had picked up The Simple Life, ordering the production of a fourth season and obtaining the rights to repeat the first three seasons. Shooting for the new season began on February 27, 2006.[74] The fourth-season premiere of the show was a ratings success for its new network.[75]
Hilton released her self-titled debut album, Paris, on August 22, 2006. The album reached number six on the Billboard 200, and sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.[76] Its lead single, "Stars Are Blind", found global success. It was played on more than 125 pop stations in the United States,[77][78] and reached the top ten in 17 countries.[79] Critical reception was generally mixed,[80] but AllMusic called the album "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson".[81]
In 2006, Hilton top-billed as vain, dumb blonde characters in the comedy films Bottoms Up and National Lampoon's Pledge This!, both of which received DVD releases in North America. Australia's Urban Cinefile described Bottoms Up as a "crass, low-brow comedy" with "little merit" except for "some Paris Hilton curiosity value".[82] She reportedly snubbed the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Pledge This! to protest the addition of several nude scenes,[83] which resulted in Worldwide Entertainment Group suing Hilton in August 2008, at the Miami District Court, alleging that she did not fulfill her contractual agreement to provide "reasonable promotion and publicity" for the film, despite receiving a US$1 million fee for the role.[84] Hilton licensed her name to Gameloft for their 2006 mobile video game Paris Hilton's Diamond Quest.
The Simple Life finished its run with its fifth season, which debuted on May 28, 2007, and ended on August 5, 2007. That year, Hilton introduced her DreamCatchers line of hair extensions with Hair Tech International,[85] signed a licensing agreement with Antebi for a signature footwear line (Paris Hilton Footwear, featuring stilettos, platforms, flats, wedges and a sports collection),[86] and launched a line of tops, dresses, coats and jeans at the Kitson Boutique in Los Angeles.[87] She also posed nude (covered with gold paint) to promote "Rich Prosecco", a canned version of the Italian sparkling wine,[88][89] traveling to Germany to appear in advertisements for the wine,[90] and modeled for 2 B Free.[91]
Screen and business ventures (2008–2011)[edit]
The romantic comedy The Hottie and the Nottie (2008), in which Hilton starred,[92] was a critical and commercial failure.[93] She appeared in the My Name Is Earl episode "I Won't Die with a Little Help from My Friends".[94] A documentary about Hilton, Paris, Not France, was screened at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.[95] The gothic rock musical Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)[96] featured Hilton as Amber Sweet, the surgery and painkiller-addicted daughter of a biotech magnate. After screening at the San Diego Comic-Con International, the film received a limited release.[97] Horror.com described it as "by far Hilton's best role",[98] but Jam! Movies called her a "hopeless twit as an actress".[99] At the 29th Razzie Awards, she won as Worst Actress for The Hottie and the Nottie and as Worst Supporting Actress for Repo!.[100]
Hilton starred in a MTV reality series, Paris Hilton's My New BFF, about her search for a new best friend,[101] which premiered on September 30, 2008.[102] The series was a hit and topped all other cable shows in its time slot.[103] That year, she also appeared in two viral Funny or Die videos, Paris Hilton Responds to McCain and Paris Hilton Gets Presidential with Martin Sheen,[104][105] and inspired by her love for dogs, created a canine apparel line, Little Lily by Paris Hilton.[106]
As a result of the American version's success, Paris Hilton's British Best Friend debuted on ITV2 in England on January 29, 2009,[107] the second season of Paris Hilton's My New BFF premiered on June 2, and Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF was internationally broadcast on MTV in April 2011.[108] She guest-starred in the fifth episode of Supernatural's fifth season, which aired on October 8, 2009.[109][110] In 2009, Hilton also released a sunglasses line[111] and a range of hair products that included shampoos, conditioners and vitamins.[112] She won the Female Celebrity Fragrance of the Year Award at the 2009 Fifi Awards.[113]
In February 2010, Hilton participated in an advertising campaign for the Brazilian beer Devassa Bem Loura, whose slogan roughly translates into English as "very blonde bitch".[114] As part of the campaign, she rode the brewery's float in the Rio Carnival.[115] The critically acclaimed documentary Teenage Paparazzo, in which Hilton appeared, aired on HBO on September 27.[116] She had her first voice-over role in the ABC made-for-television film The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation.[117][118] The film aired on November 28, 2010[118] and attracted a respectable 2.611 million viewership.[119] That year, Hilton launched a footwear line in Las Vegas[120] and her motorcycle racing team in Spain.[121][122] Her driver, Maverick Viñales, won the final race and finished third overall in the 2011 125cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship.[123]
On June 1, 2011, Hilton returned to reality television in Oxygen's The World According to Paris.[124] Focused on her daily life,[125] the series bought in lackluster ratings amid a controversial promotional campaign,[126] which was attributed to her then-fading popularity in North America.[127] Alessandra Stanley, for The New York Times, described her as an "attractive woman with proven talent for marketing and self-promotion, though as a reality heroine she seems a little passé [...] it's hard to see how she can recapture the kind of audience she enjoyed in her heyday—even by streaming her premiere live on Facebook".[128]
In 2011, Hilton modeled for Triton during Brazil Fashion Week and for Andre Tan during Ukraine Fashion Week, and continued her endorsement and retail endeavors,[129] introducing a mobile application, which became available for iPhone and iPod touch,[130] and footwear collections in Mexico City[131][132]
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba theme by PenguinRage
Download: JessicaAlba.p3t
(1 background)
Jessica Alba | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Alba in May 2016 | |
| Born | Jessica Marie Alba April 28, 1981 Pomona, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Jessica Warren[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse |
Cash Warren (m. 2008) |
| Children | 3 |
Jessica Marie Alba (/ˈælbə/ AL-bə; born April 28, 1981)[2] is an American actress. She began her acting career at age 13 in Camp Nowhere (1994), followed up by The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 as the lead actress of the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.[3][4][5]
Her big screen breakthrough came in Honey (2003). She soon established herself as a Hollywood actress, and has starred in numerous box office hits throughout her career, including Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Good Luck Chuck (2007), The Eye (2008), Valentine's Day (2010), Little Fockers (2010), and Mechanic: Resurrection (2016).[6] She is a frequent collaborator with director Robert Rodriguez, having starred in Sin City (2005), Machete (2010), Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011), Machete Kills (2013), and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014). From 2019 to 2020, Alba starred in the Spectrum action crime series L.A.'s Finest.
In 2011, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells baby, personal and household products.[7] A number of magazines, including Men's Health, Vanity Fair and FHM, have included Alba on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.
Early life[edit]
Jessica Marie Alba was born in Pomona, California[8] on April 28, 1981, to Catherine Louisa (née Jensen) and Mark David Alba. Her mother has Danish, Welsh, German, English and French ancestry, while her paternal grandparents, who were born in California, were children of Mexican immigrants.[9] She has a younger brother, Joshua. Her third cousin, once removed, is writer Gustavo Arellano.[10] Her father's Air Force career took the family to Biloxi, Mississippi, and Del Rio, Texas, before they settled in Claremont, California when she was nine years old.[4] Alba has described her family as "very conservative… a traditional, Catholic, Latin American family", and herself as very liberal; she says she identified as a "feminist" as early as age five.[11]
Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies. During childhood, she suffered from pneumonia four to five times a year and had partially collapsed lungs twice as well as a ruptured appendix and tonsillar cyst. She has also had asthma since she was a child.[4] She became isolated from other children at school because she was hospitalized so often, no one knew her well enough to befriend her.[12] She has said that her family's frequent moving also contributed to her isolation from her peers.[11] She graduated from Claremont High School at age 16 and subsequently attended the Atlantic Theater Company.[13]
Acting career[edit]
1992–1999: Beginnings[edit]
Alba expressed an interest in acting from age five. In 1992, the eleven year old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition in Beverly Hills, where the grand prize was free acting classes. She won the grand prize, and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed her nine months later.[4][14] Her first film appearance was a small role in the 1994 feature Camp Nowhere as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks but her role turned into a two-month job when one of the prominent actresses dropped out.[3]
Alba appeared in two national television commercials for Nintendo and J. C. Penney as a child. She was later featured in several independent films. She branched out into television in 1994 with a recurring role as the vain Jessica in three episodes of the Nickelodeon comedy series The Secret World of Alex Mack.[15] She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the 1995 television series Flipper.[3][15] Under the tutelage of her lifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and was a PADI certified scuba diving skills which were put to use on the show, which was filmed in Australia.[15][16]
In 1998, she appeared as Melissa Hauer in a first-season episode of the Steven Bochco crime drama Brooklyn South, as Leanne in two episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, and as Layla in an episode of Love Boat: The Next Wave.[17] In 1999, she appeared in the Randy Quaid comedy feature P.U.N.K.S..[3] After Alba graduated from high school, she studied acting with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by Macy and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film director, David Mamet.[14][18] Alba rose to greater prominence in Hollywood in 1999 after appearing as a member of a snobby high school clique tormenting an insecure copy editor in the romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, opposite Drew Barrymore, and as the female lead in the little seen comedy horror film Idle Hands, alongside Devon Sawa.[6]
2000–2006: Worldwide recognition[edit]
Her big break came when James Cameron picked Alba from over 1000 candidates for the role of the genetically engineered super-soldier Max Guevara on the FOX sci-fi television series Dark Angel.[19] The series ran for two seasons, until 2002, and earned Alba critical acclaim, a Golden Globe nomination, the Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress, and a Saturn Award for Best Actress.[6][20] Her role has been cited as a feminist character and is considered a symbol of female empowerment. Writing for the University of Melbourne, Bronwen Auty considered Max "the archetypal modern feminist hero—a young woman empowered to use her body actively to achieve goals", citing Max's refusal to use firearms and instead using martial arts and knowledge as weapons.[21] In 2004, Max was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends".[22][23] Her Dark Angel role led to significant parts in films. She had her big screen breakthrough in 2003 when she starred as an aspiring dancer-choreographer in Honey.[24] Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus was: "An attractive Jessica Alba and energetic dance numbers provide some lift to this corny and formulaic movie".[25] Budgeted at US$18 million, the film made US$62.2 million.[26]
Alba next played exotic dancer Nancy Callahan, as part of a long ensemble cast, in the neo-noir crime anthology film Sin City (2005), written, produced, and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. It is based on Miller's graphic novel of the same name.[27] She had not heard about the novel prior to her involvement with the film, but was eager to work with Rodriguez.[28] The film was a critical darling and grossed US$158.8 million. She received a MTV Movie Award for Sexiest Performance.[29][30]
Alba portrayed the Marvel Comics character Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four (also 2005), alongside Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon.[31] The Guardian, in its review for the film, noted: "Feminists and non-feminists alike must absorb the Fantastic Four's most troubling paradox: having been admitted to the story on the grounds of her beauty, [Alba's] superpower is to be invisible".[32] The film was a commercial success despite negative reviews, grossing US$333.5 million worldwide. At the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, Alba earned nominations for Best Hero and Best On-Screen Team. Her last 2005 film was the thriller Into the Blue, where she portrayed, opposite Paul Walker, one half of a couple who find themselves in trouble with a drug lord after finding the illicit cargo of a sunken airplane. The film saw moderate box office returns, with a US$44.4 million worldwide gross.[33] She hosted the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the movies King Kong, Mission: Impossible III and The Da Vinci Code.[34]
2007–2010: Romantic comedies[edit]
Alba reprised her role in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, released in June 2007. According to Alba, Tim Story's direction during an emotional scene almost made her quit acting. "[He told me] 'It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica.' He was like, 'Don't do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in.'" According to Alba, this experience filled her with self-doubt: "And then it all got me thinking: Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? Do people hate them so much that they don't want me to be a person? Am I not allowed to be a person in my work? And so I just said, 'Fuck it. I don't care about this business anymore.'"[35] The film grossed US$290 million globally.[36]
In Good Luck Chuck (also 2007), Alba portrayed the love interest of a womanizer dentist. She posed for one of the Good Luck Chuck's theatrical posters parodying the well-known Rolling Stone cover photographed by Annie Leibovitz featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in similar poses. While the film was heavily panned by critics, it made almost US$60 million upon its release.[37] Her third starring vehicle in 2007 was the psychological thriller Awake, portraying the girlfriend of a wealthy man who is about to have a heart transplant.[38] Reviews were lukewarm, but Roger Ebert praised her performance,[39] and budgeted at around US$8 million, the film made US$32.7 million.[40]
In February 2008, she hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technical Awards.[41] Alba made her acting transition to the horror genre in the film The Eye, a remake of the Hong Kong original, in which she obtained the role of a successful classical violinist who receives an eye transplant that allows her to see into the supernatural world.[42] Though the film was not well received by critics,[43] her performance itself received mixed reviews. She garnered a Teen Choice for Choice Movie Actress: Horror–Thriller[44] and a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress (shared with The Love Guru).[45] In 2008, she also played a salesgirl in the independent romantic comedy Meet Bill, alongside Logan Lerman and Elizabeth Banks, and starred in the comedy The Love Guru, as a woman who inherits the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, opposite Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake.[46] Mick LaSalle, of the San Francisco Chronicle, noting that she was "prominently" in the film, felt that she "finally seems relaxed on camera".[47] The Love Guru was a critical and commercial flop.[48]
While Alba did not have any film release in 2009, five high-profile films released throughout 2010 featured her in significant roles. Her first role in the year was that of a prostitute in The Killer Inside Me, an adaptation of the book of the same name, opposite Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to polarized reactions from critics.[49][50][51] Her next film was the romantic comedy Valentine's Day, in which she played the girlfriend of a florist as part of a long ensemble cast consisting of Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Taylor Lautner and Julia Roberts, among others. Despite negative reviews, the film was a commercial success, with a worldwide gross of US$216.5 million.[52] In the action film Machete, Alba reunited with director Robert Rodriguez, taking on the role of an immigration officer torn between enforcing the law and doing what is popular in the eyes of her family. Machete made over US$44 million globally.[53]
The drama An Invisible Sign of My Own, which Alba filmed in late 2008, premiered at the Hamptons Film Festival. In it, she portrayed a painfully withdrawn young woman.[54][55][56] Her last 2010 film was the comedy Little Fockers, in which she played an extrovert drug representative, reuniting with Robert De Niro, who was also in Machete. Despite negative reviews from critics, the film grossed over US$310 million worldwide.[57] For all her 2010 roles, she received a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.[58]
2011–present: action and independent media productions[edit]
In 2011, Alba worked for the third time with Robert Rodriguez in the film Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, portraying a retired spy who is called back into action. To bond with her new stepchildren, she invites them along.[59] The film paled at the box office in comparison to the previous films in the franchise, but was still a moderate success, taking in US$85 million around the globe.[60] Alba next appeared with Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Jane Lynch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Catherine O'Hara in the comedy A.C.O.D. (2013), portraying what the Washington Post described as a "fellow child of divorce", with whom Scott's character "almost cheats on" her girlfriend.[61] ScreenRant critic Ben Kendrick wrote: "[Winstead] and [Alba] also deliver in their contributions – though both of their characters are mainly designed to be mirrors for Carter to examine his own life and choices."[62] A.C.O.D. received a limited theatrical run in North America.[63] In 2013, Alba also made her voice acting debut in the moderately successful animated film Escape from Planet Earth.[64]
Alba worked once again with director Rodriguez for two film sequels. She reprised her role of an Immigration Officer, in an uncredited cameo appearance, in Machete Kills (2013), which flopped with critics and audiences,[65] and her much larger role of stripper Nancy Callahan, seeking to avenge her late protector, in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, which was released in August 2014, on 2D and 3D.[66][67][68] Unlike the first film, A Dame to Kill For was a commercial failure, grossing US$39 million against its US$65 million production budget,[69] and received mixed reviews from film critics. Variety felt it was a "late, limp attempt to turn Alba's character from an exploited figure into an empowered one".[70] She next took on the roles of a cabaret show performer in the dramedy Dear Eleanor (2014), the athletic girlfriend of a successful and well-respected English professor in the romantic comedy Some Kind of Beautiful (2014), a receptionist at a limo company in the thriller Stretch (also 2014), an emotionally vulnerable weapons trafficker in the crime comedy Barely Lethal (2015), and that of a documentary filmmaker in the horror film The Veil (2016); all films were released for limited theatrical runs and VOD.[71][72][73]
In the action film Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), alongside Jason Statham, Alba played the girlfriend of a retired hitman. She did Krav Maga to get into shape for the film,[74] and was drawn to the strength her character exhibited, remarking: "I think for these types of movies you don't often get to see the female romantic lead kind of kick butt. I mean, it's usually she's being saved by the guy, and so it's nice that I got to come to the table with a toughness, and a real heart".[75] The film made US$125.7 million worldwide.[76]
She will star in and executive produce a new documentary series for Disney+ called Parenting Without Borders (working title) which will focus on families around the world and their beliefs and culture.[77]
Other endeavors[edit]
The Honest Company[edit]
In January 2012, Alba and business partner Christopher Gavigan launched The Honest Company, selling a collection of household goods, diapers, and body care products.[7] The company was successful, and was valued at US$1 billion as of 2014[update].[78]
In early 2013, Alba released her book, The Honest Life, based on her experiences creating a natural, non-toxic life for her family. The book became a New York Times Best Seller.[79][80] In October 2015, Alba launched a collection of skin care and beauty products called Honest Beauty.[81][82]
As of April 2022, Alba owned 6.5 percent of the company. She was employed as the company's chief creative officer, receiving an annually base salary of $700,000 and restricted stock valued $1,500,000.[83] Alba stepped down as chief creative officer in April 2024.[84]
Charity and activism[edit]
Alba posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads, photographed by Mark Liddell,[85][86] feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, and drew national media attention.[86] Alba said of doing the advertisements that "it didn't freak me out at all." Alba also said, "I think it is important for young people to be aware of the need we have in this country to get them more active politically...People respond to things that are shocking."[86]
Alba endorsed and supported Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the 2008 primary season.[87] She also endorsed Hillary Clinton's campaign for president.[88]
.jpg)
In June 2009, while filming The Killer Inside Me in Oklahoma City, Alba was involved in a controversy with residents when she pasted posters of sharks around town.[89] Alba said that she was trying to bring attention to the diminishing population of great white sharks. Media outlets speculated that Alba would be pursued and charged with vandalism.[90] On June 16, 2009, Oklahoma City police said that they would not pursue criminal charges against Alba, because none of the property owners wanted to pursue it.[91][92] Alba apologized in a statement to People magazine and said that she regretted her actions.[91] She later donated an undisclosed amount of money (over US$500)[93] to the United Way, whose billboard she had obscured with one of the shark posters.[94][95][96][97]
In 2011, Alba participated in a two day lobbying effort in Washington D.C. in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a revision of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.[98][99] Alba returned to Capitol Hill in 2015 to lobby lawmakers as they once again debated a replacement for the 1976 Substances Control Act.[100] She has also been a strong supporter of gay rights and on June 27, 2013, she expressed her delight with the Supreme Court's decision to strike down DOMA on her Twitter account. She tweeted "#equality #love".[101]
Alba's charity work has included participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children's Villages, Soles4Souls, Step Up and Baby2Baby.[102][103] Alba is an ambassador for the 1Goal movement to provide education to children in Africa.[104] She has also served as a Baby2Baby "angel" ambassador, donating and helping to distribute items such as diapers and clothing to families in Los Angeles.[105] In 2015, Alba and The Honest Company sponsored a laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The lab was announced to be a specialized room designed to keep out dust and particles, where a team of epidemiologists would research links between household chemicals and autism.[106]
Public image[edit]
