The Extremely Controversial Story Behind Brooke Shields' First Kiss
Brooke Shields entered the upper echelons of Hollywood when she was just 11 years old, securing her first big role in the 1976 feature-length film "Alice, Sweet Alice." By all accounts, the young actress was extremely successful, being chosen as Time's "Face of the '80s" in 1981 at just 15. However, the celeb has since come forward and divulged that not everything was as rosy as it seemed, confessing that she was sexualized as a child actor. One such incident occurred on the set of "Pretty Baby" in 1978, in which she was cast as a young girl raised in a brothel and coerced into the sex trade.
She starred alongside Keith Carradine, who was approaching 30 years old during filming; conversely, Shields was 11. In the movie, the two share an on-screen kiss. Shields shed some light on the controversial movie, speaking in an interview with Drew Barrymore on "The Drew Barrymore Show." She explained, "Keith Carradine took such good care of me. He looked at me and he said, 'You know, this doesn't count as a first kiss.'"
The statement was profound for Shields, who struggled with the intimate nature of the scenes, which were often far too mature for someone her age. The preteen had never kissed a boy (or man) and was now being asked to do so in front of an entire audience of directors, actors, film hands, and staff.
The director wasn't reassuring
Young Brooke Shields was a bit uncomfortable with her role in the movie, but in the Hulu documentary "Pretty Baby," the model revealed that the director, Louis Malle, didn't acknowledge her feelings. Instead, Malle would scold her for letting her face outwardly display her internal revulsion. Fortunately, her co-star, Keith Carradine, did his best to make the situation easier for the young girl. Shields admitted in her talk with Drew Barrymore that he was "gracious and protective and caring on a level that I don't even think I knew at the time."
When Malle was admonishing her, Carradine convinced everyone on set to take a break, and then he spoke privately with Shields, reassuring her that the moment was just pretend. Shields explained in "Pretty Baby" (via TV Insider), "Hey,' he said to me. 'You know what? This doesn't count. This is all make-believe'."
Still, Lana Wilson, who directed the documentary, noted in a Rolling Stone interview, "Even if she realized that acting was pretend, I can't help but think: 'This is an actual 11-year-old girl having to kiss an actual 29-year-old man.'" Wilson continued, "Eleven-year-old Brooke expressed discomfort during the filming of this moment, but that discomfort was not taken seriously by the director." Despite the label of 'make-believe,' the event still took place and appeared to affect the adolescent's young and developing mind on a profound level.
Brooke Shields was just a pawn
The "Sahara" actor has admitted that when she was a child, she was nothing more than "a pawn" to those urging her forward in the film industry. One of those people was Brooke Shields' mother — Teri Shields. The two had a somewhat rocky relationship, with much of the public questioning why Shields never felt anger or resentment towards Teri, who seemingly exploited her. However, "The Blue Lagoon" star maintains, "All you want to do is love your parent...I wanted to protect her. And by virtue of protecting her, I was justifying everything," via The Sunday Times.
Nevertheless, now, as a mom to two daughters, Shields has a more difficult time justifying Teri's acceptance of her role in "Pretty Baby." In the documentary of the same name, her daughter Rowan exclaimed of the film, "It's child pornography!" She went on to ask Shields if she would agree to let Rowan star in such a movie at 11. The model gave a resounding "No." Reflecting on "Pretty Baby" as well as her mother's agreement to let her pose nude in a magazine at just 10, Shields confessed to The Times, "I mean, I could say, 'Oh, it was the time back then,' or 'Oh, it was art,' but I don't know why she thought it was all right. I don't know."
While it's comforting to know there were people like Keith Carradine who tried to make things easier for Shields, it's still very difficult to hear the tribulations she went through as a child.