For Brooke Shields, being one of the most famous young faces of the ‘80s often felt like more of a career hazard than a highlight. From the time she was 12 years old, Shields faced extreme objectification in the media and has been candid about the kind of lecherous behavior she faced from industry professionals, including a Hollywood executive she alleges assaulted her after a dinner meeting in her 20s.
Now, a new Hulu documentary from director Lana Wilson (who helmed Taylor Swift’s 2020 doc Miss Americana) places Shields, now 57, behind the wheel of her own narrative, revisiting her early career and the harsh, over-sexualized spotlight she faced—one she says she’s “amazed” that she survived.
In a new teaser for the two-part documentary, due out on April 3, Shields speaks candidly alongside a montage of complicated memories from her early days in the spotlight: paparazzi shots, overtly sexual photoshoots from her prepubescent years. In one clip, pulled from a visit Shields made to The Mike Douglas show as a teen, host Mike Douglas’ eyes rove over Shields as he calls her an “exquisite looking young lady.” Shields’ reaction—a soft, clenched smile—says it all.
“I was struggling to find my own voice,” Shields reflects. “I wasn’t told it was important to have agency.”
Although the documentary centers Shields’ perspective, Wilson also recruits some of Shields’ contemporaries to speak to her plight, like Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore.
“I just always remember thinking, like, I hope she’s okay,” Linney recalls. “She was a young girl in an all-adult world.”
Barrymore, for her own part, speaks to the way Brooke’s life provides inspiration to push for recognition and respect beyond a “pretty face.”
“I love Brooke’s tone about it,” Barrymore shares, ostensibly referencing Shields’ attitude towards the ills of her early career. “We’re moving forward in life.”