What is Kim Kardashian’s link to Elizabeth Taylor?

Kim Kardashian is at the helm of a new documentary about Elizabeth Taylor. (Getty/Alamy)
Kim Kardashian is at the helm of a new documentary about Elizabeth Taylor. (Getty/Alamy)

Kim Kardashian might be one of the worlds most famous stars now but at one time that title was firmly held by Elizabeth Taylor, the acclaimed actor whose personal life was as much a worldwide obsession as her work.

It is perhaps because of this similarity that Kardashian is now at the helm of a brand new documentary about the Cleopatra star's life, Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar. The three-part BBC docu-series examines Taylor's personal experiences of fame from her early rise to stardom to the lowest points of her life.

Kardashian is poised as a protege of Taylor in the documentary, but some might be surprised to see this and wonder what the link is between them. Here is everything that you need to know.

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, from left, Julian Ugarte Landa, Elizabeth Taylor, on location in Spain, 1959
The three-part docu-series examines Elizabeth Taylor's personal experiences of fame from her early rise to stardom to the lowest points of her life, the actor is pictured in 1959. (Alamy) (Courtesy Everett Collection, Everett Collection Inc)

Kardashian is an executive producer on Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar, and she also features in the documentary to discuss how much of a role model the actor was for her.

The reality star is purportedly the last person to interview Taylor before her death in 2011, the interview was conducted for Harper's Bazaar and saw the pair discuss fashion, jewellery and Taylor's personal life — including her eight marriages to seven husbands (she famously married Richard Burton twice).

Reflecting on her personal life with Kardashian, Taylor said in the interview: "For me, life happened, just as it does for anyone else. I have been supremely lucky in my life in that I have known great love, and of course I am the temporary custodian of some incredible and beautiful things.

"But I have never felt more alive than when I watched my children delight in something, never more alive than when I have watched a great artist perform, and never richer than when I have scored a big check to fight AIDS. Follow your passion, follow your heart, and the things you need will come."

Die Eheleute und Schauspielerpaar Elizabeth Taylor und Richard Burton, USA 1960er Jahre. Couple and actor / actress Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, USA 1960s.
Kim Kardashian interviewed Elizabeth Taylor (pictured with ex-husband Richard Burton in 1960), in which the actor said of her eight marriages: 'I have been supremely lucky in my life in that I have known great love' (Getty) (IFTN, United Archives GmbH)

Kardashian has spoken about the interview more than a decade later, saying: "We were talking about fighting for people. She understood her power and her beauty."

For the reality star it's important to show a new generation how important Taylor is to Hollywood history, adding: "There's so many young people I want to remind or even teach them about who she is. I just really want people to understand that she was everything: she could be the glamorous actress, she could be having a hard time and going through health issues and then she can also be the strongest activist."

The documentary includes unheard interviews with Taylor, though it is never explained if the audio is from Kardashian's interview with the actor or from elsewhere.

Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar is available on BBC iPlayer now, and it airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Friday, 27 September.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/kim-kardashian-elizabeth-taylor-link-bbc-documentary-110304397.html

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