Brooke Shields is set to open up about her early career in anticipation of an upcoming Hulu documentary that delves into her life story.
In a recent interview with People, the 57-year-old model and actress recounted a distressing incident from her twenties involving a powerful Hollywood executive.
When she accepted the executive’s invitation to use the phone in his hotel room, Shields expected to call for a cab but instead found herself a victim of s**ual assault, leading her to blame herself for what transpired.
Reflecting on the assault, Shields expressed that it has taken her a significant amount of time to come to terms with the trauma.
She highlighted that fear does not always manifest through violence but can also be deeply unsettling.
She confessed, “I’m more enraged now than I was capable of being back then.
If you feel afraid, that fear is justified.”
Shields, who first gained recognition as a child model, shot to fame at the age of 12 with her role in the movie “Pretty Baby,” portraying a young prostitute.
Subsequently, she made headlines with a bold ad campaign for Calvin Klein Jeans at the age of 15, where she famously stated, “Do you know what comes between me and my Calvins?
Nothing.”
During the early 1980s, she starred in romantic dramas like “Blue Lagoon” and “Endless Love,” further solidifying her image as a symbol of sexuality during her teenage years.
Taking a hiatus from her career to pursue studies at Princeton University, Shields made a comeback in the 1990s with notable TV roles in series such as “Suddenly Susan” and “The L Word,” alongside various performances on Broadway.
The distressing incident involving the executive took place between 1985 and 1995 when Shields attended a dinner, believing it was regarding a potential movie role.
After the assault in the hotel room, Shields described how she felt paralyzed and unable to defend herself, resorting to disassociation as a coping mechanism.
She explained, “It was relatively easy to disassociate because it had become a familiar scenario by then.
Given the circumstances, flight was the only choice, so you disconnect from your body.
You’re mentally absent.
It’s as though it never occurred.”
Despite keeping the ordeal private for years, Shields confided in just one individual, a trusted friend who worked as a former security consultant.
The forthcoming release of a two-part documentary titled “Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby” will provide a platform for Shields to recount her experiences, shedding light on her early sexualization.
The documentary is scheduled to premiere on April 3 on Hulu, amplifying the reach of her narrative to a wider audience.
