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Topics: Brooke Shields, TV And Film
Kya Buller
Topics: Brooke Shields, TV And Film
Brooke Shields opened up about the darker side of being a child actor, including the 'uncomfortable' scenes in a controversial movie she starred in.
Shields has been a well-known name since the age of 11, when she starred in Pretty Baby, a film which is now heavily criticised due to Shields filming nude scenes.
In 2023, Shields was at the centre of a documentary, also titled Pretty Baby, which explores her exploitation when she was a child star to her finding her voice and power as an adult and parent.
Using said voice to call out the murky side of the film industry, Shields opened up about the various uncomfortable things she was asked to do when filming The Blue Lagoon in an episode of her Now What? podcast.
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The film, directed by Randal Kleiser, stars Shields as Emmeline and Christopher Atkins. The two are a pair of young children who become marooned together on an island in the South Pacific.
When the adult that was looking after them dies, they are faced with navigating the island alone, growing up and begin to experience puberty and become aware of sexual attraction.
The two fall for each other and have a child.
Shields was just 14 years old when filming, while Atkins was 18 years old, something that is incredibly inappropriate due to the sheer volume of nudity on screen.
Atkins performed his own nude scenes, while Shields had hair glued to her chest.
Speaking on the podcast with Atkins as her guest, Shields said: "Never again will a movie be made like that. It wouldn’t be allowed."
In agreement, Atkins responded: "Oh gosh no. Animals were hurt in the movie. We were spearing fish and all kinds of crazy things. Children are naked running down a beach, couldn't do that now."
Shields then opened up further about the uncomfortable moments on set.
She said: "We were never eased into it. We got there and they instantly wanted us to be tanned.
"Remember, they set up those little thatched areas so that we could get tanned without tan lines."
Atkins recounted: "There were scenes where I was butt naked with you, if you remember, sliding down that slide and things like that.
"And that was a little awkward, but it was kind of funny for me because at this point in time I would just do it. But your reaction was: 'Ugh, oh god.'"
Branching out from the nude scenes, Atkins recalled: "There were long hours and there was a lot of physical stuff in that movie.
"Climbing those coconut trees, man, I was chafed up to no end. Running over the coral and stuff, all the bug bites and coral cuts and all the other crazy things.
"The fevers and everything we had, people don't know any of that stuff - it's not easy."
Shields then added: "Any kind of cut you had and you went in the water, bits of the coral would get into the cut and it'd become completely infected and ulcerated.
"We were like the Wild West but it just happened to be on the water.
"And I remember I got pneumonia... In the birthing scene, when I'm supposed to be having the baby, I uncontrollably can't breathe and have a coughing fit and everyone's like what a great acting choice, I'm like, 'I can't breathe!'"