Hollywood actress Brooke Shields had her breakthrough role in the 1978 film Pretty Baby, in which she played a child sex worker. She was only 12 at the time.
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Now, decades later, Brooke is finally shedding light on the exploitation and sexualisation she suffered as a child in Hollywood – and how she came out the other side.
Using the new documentary as an opportunity to draw attention to the dangers and pitfalls of her industry, Brooke reveals how she was able to regain her sense of self following her youth in the public eye.
The 57-year-old, now a successful actress, activist and mother of two, offers a deeply personal peek inside her family life with her two daughters.
Where to watch Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields in Australia
The two-part documentary, titled Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, is available to stream in Australia on Disney+, so go on ahead and sign up here to watch it now.
Stream it now on Disney Plus, live and on-demand with a mth-to-mth or annual subscription. Sign up now.
What is Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields about?
Through images of Brooke as a child model and actress and commentary from those around her, the series looks at the impact that fame and the entertainment industry had on her behind closed doors.
The actress reflects on how she was treated during the making of Pretty Baby, Blue Lagoon and Endless Love, which were shot when she was between the ages of 12 and 16 and feature sexually explicit themes.
In the trailer for Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, the actress shares an emotional confession: “I’m amazed I survived any of it. I was struggling to find my own voice.”
Fellow actress and a childhood friend of Brooke’s, Laura Linney also features in the documentary, saying, “I just always remember thinking, like, ‘I hope she’s okay’. She was a young girl in an all-adult world.”
Brooke’s complex relationship with her late mother, Teri Shields, is also explored in the documentary – a woman who doubled as her manager.
The actress also reflects on how her mother handled her nude scenes and provocative commercial work, sharing, “[Teri] was always there controlling everything behind the scenes.
“But she didn’t hover, she didn’t always go on the set with me… My mum was happy with that because she [was like,] ‘I could go to the bar and drink.’”
Along with running commentary from Brooke, the documentary also features anecdotes from her good friends, including Lionel Richie, Drew Barrymore, and Judd Nelson.
