Paris Hilton is ready to step out from behind the "character" she created early on in her career. In upcoming new YouTube documentary This Is Paris, the heiress-turned-reality-star-turned-business-mogul reveals a whole new version of herself. The world was introduced to Hilton when she starred in the ground breaking reality show The Simple Life alongside Nicole Richie. The show depicted both women as vapid rich girls who'd never heard of Wal-Mart before. According to Hilton, however, she was playing a character the whole time.

During a panel at the TV Critics Association winter press tour on Saturday, Hilton opened up about why she decided to make a documentary. "It does get lonely sometimes, because I'm constantly everywhere, and I've also been playing this character for so long," she explained. "And even doing this film, I discovered a lot about myself and who I really am, an I want the world to see that, because there's a lot of misconceptions and I'm judged on a character I created early on in my career."

Hilton described This Is Paris as being "completely different" from anything else she's ever done, including The Simple Life. After the first episode of The Simple Life aired and became an overnight sensation, Hilton revealed producers pressured her to continue playing the ditzy rich girl character, even in real life. "Like obviously, I know what WalMart is," Hilton said at the panel. "It was all about entertainment."

Though her persona may not come across that way, Hilton described herself as a "shy" person in real life. She told the audience she used the the character "like a mask to hide behind." In her upcoming documentary, however, she plans to show the world her true self for the first time. "It's very emotional, it's very raw, it's very authentic, it's basically my entire life," she said. "When people see me on red carpets, they see the glamour of it, but in this film I really discuss things I've never discussed before. They also show me as a businesswoman and what I've created and how hard I work with my empires, and people are really going to see who I truly am."

There's no trailer for the documentary just yet, but YouTube says This is Paris "will uncover the hidden past of the international icon, as Paris speaks publicly for the first time about heartbreaking trauma and pivotal moments in her early life that forged who she is today. As Paris confronts her past, this deeply compelling portrait will reveal the woman behind the icon and shed new light on our view of celebrity, and the insta-fame culture that Paris helped to create."

This Is Paris will premiere this May on YouTube.

Photo: Getty