Once the world’s most famous child star, Brooke Shields remains one of Hollywood’s biggest icons.
Despite her A-list status, Brooke has been consistently candid with her experiences with fame, motherhood, and family.
WATCH: Brooke Shields talks to Drew Barrymore about her mother. Article continues after video.
Speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show in early 2023, Brooke opened up about her relationship with her late mother Teri.
“We both had mothers we needed to navigate and keep alive and take care of. They were broken,” Shields told Barrymore.
Barrymore asked why Teri appeared in every interview with her daughter, Brooke replied, “It was, ‘No one’s going to get you, I’m gonna be there. I’m there first. You’re mine. I’m not gonna give you to somebody’… Under the guise of protection. But it was more ownership and fear, I think.”
Brooke’s comments on her relationship with her mother follow decades of scrutiny, as Teri acted as her daughter’s agent and reportedly frequently arranged relationships and meetings with older men in the industry.
The now 58-year-old was only 12 when she gained her first major role in Hollywood 1978 film Pretty Baby, in which she played a child sex worker.
It’s from this film that Brooke’s new documentary gains its name. Titled Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, the documentary exposes the exploitation and sexualisation Brooke experienced as a child in Hollywood, and how she came out the other side.
The documentary also includes commentary from Brooke’s friends and fellow actresses Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore.
“I just always remember thinking, like, ‘I hope she’s okay.’ She was a young girl in an all-adult world,” remarked Laura, who has been close friends with Brooke since they were children.
The documentary is also slated to follow a series of significant events and relationships Brooke experienced during the 1980s, including her rumoured romance with Michael Jackson.
Did Brooke Shields and Michael Jackson date?
Appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993, Michael Jackson publicly claimed that Brooke Shields was his girlfriend.
Speaking in 2001, Michael told Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “I think she loved me as much as I loved her. We dated a lot. We went out a lot. Her pictures were all over my wall, my mirror, everything.”
Brooke, who was in a relationship with actor Dean Cain at the time, has since confirmed this was never true.
“I called him up and I think I said, ‘This is kind of pathetic that you need to do this. I am having a shot at a normal life – you cannot drag me into crazy town’,” she told The Sunday Times.
When asked if the pair had ever dated or kissed, Brooke responded, “No! There was one moment when we were in the car and the cameras were there and he grabbed me to kiss me, and I said, ‘No! Stop! We are just friends and you need me as a friend.”
Who is Brooke Shields’ husband?
Brooke Shields has been married to director Chris Henchy since 2001.
Speaking on her marriage in March 2023, Brooke told People, “He made me laugh and he consistently makes me laugh and doesn’t take anything too seriously so I don’t go down those rabbit holes the way I used to.”
“He sort of just brings me back out and says, ‘We’ll figure it out,’ so he’s good at levelling me,” she continued.
Over their almost 25 years of marriage, the couple have welcomed their two daughters, Rowan Francis Henchy and Grier Hammond Henchy.
Who are Brooke Shields’ children?
Brooke’s eldest daughter, Rowan Francis Henchy, was born May 15, 2003.
Rowan and Brooke are reportedly very close, even sharing matching tattoos. The ladybug tattoos were inked to celebrate Rowan’s university graduation and honour her childhood nickname, Little Bug.
At her high school prom, Rowan paid homage to her mother by wearing the same red gown Brooke wore to the 1998 Golden Globes.
Brooke and Chris’ youngest daughter, Grier Hammond Henchy, was born on April 18, 2006.
In the trailer for Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, Brooke is seen at home with her two daughters however, Rowan and Grier appear surprisingly unfamiliar with their mum’s life as previously thought.
“You know, I thought I did [tell them about my life], but there’s a lot in the documentary they did not know about with which I got in trouble with them for because they were mad that I didn’t inform them about everything,”Brooke said, adding, “Needless to say, it opened up some other conversations.”
Where to watch Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields
For those wanting a deeper insight into the actress’s journey, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is available to stream on Disney+.
Stream Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields now on Disney+ with a month-to-month no lock-in contract. Subscribe here.
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