This post was originally published on this site
Brooke Shields is a household name who has spent a lifetime in the public eye.
In her two-part Hulu documentary, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the actress pulls the curtain back on her story. While doing so, she didn’t want to just make it about herself.
“In our early discussions, I said, ‘This can’t just be about me. It’s not about me.’ I am the beginning of a bigger conversation because men, women, and children are coming up to us and they’re relating on so many different levels for different reasons,” she revealed to Sam Rubin on the KTLA 5 Morning News. “It’s a testament.”
Growing up in Hollywood, the Calvin Klein model was sexualized at a very young age. When she was 11 years old she played a child prostitute in “Pretty Baby.” At 14 she appeared nearly nude in “the teenage”Blue Lagoon.”
However, life wasn’t exactly imitating art.
“What was interesting was, that was not how I lived my life,” she revealed. “I was always in this sort of dichotomy of both of those. I was sort of a highly sexualized entity on paper, on film, and in photographs. Then I was living a very conventional life, going to regular schools and completely shut off from my sexuality as a kid.”
The “Suddenly Susan” star has two daughters of her own, who grew up very differently from their mom.
“You can’t just say it was a different era, but the times are very, very different,” she said. “Our life is very different. We know things now and we’re able to protect ourselves. Now in a way that wasn’t an option. It wasn’t even a consideration in 1976.”
“So, you know, that’s why I’m in therapy,” she said with a smile.
Shields worked on the documentary with filmmaker Lana Wilson, who learned quite a bit about the Princeton alum.
“I already knew she was smart and she was funny. I didn’t realize how fearless she is, in a lot of ways. She is so strong. She’s been through a lot, but also just loves learning and being challenged,” Wilson explained. “You can throw anything at her and just like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll do that. If it scares her, then she’ll double down and really do it. So that’s one of the things I find most personally inspiring about her.”
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” is streaming on Hulu now.
Suggest a Correction
