Brooke Shields has revealed what her co-star said to her before they filmed her underage kissing scene together.
In her adult life, Shields is known for Suddenly Susan, Lipstick Jungle, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
But in her youth, she was cast in some rather unsavoury movies that caused a lot of controversy for the underage star.
And now, Shields has opened up about one of her underage kissing scenes – including what her co-star said to her before the smooch.
Perhaps you remember 1980’s The Blue Lagoon, which starred a fourteen-year-old Shields as a romantic lead alongside eighteen-year-old Christopher Atkins.
The couple are shipwrecked on an island and discover their burgeoning s**ualities together.
Because of the island setting, the two wore minimal clothing, and Shields’ nude scenes, in particular, attracted a lot of negative attention.
According to Buzzfeed, Shields did some of her own t**less scenes, with only her hair covering her chest.
On an episode of the podcast, Now What? With Brooke Shields, the actress reunited with Atkins to talk about the making of the film.
“Never again will a movie be made like that ever. I mean, it wouldn’t be allowed,” Shields said.
Atkins replied: “Oh gosh no. Children are naked running down a beach, couldn’t do that now.”
“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,” Shields continued.
Atkins went on: “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’.”
But now, it’s Shields’ first big movie that’s back in the spotlight.
She hit the big time with a role in Louis Malle’s film Pretty Baby, starring as a child exploited by the s** trade.
Shields starred opposite Keith Carradine – who was in his late twenties at the time – and even had to film a kissing scene with him aged just 11.
However, Shields has praised Carradine for taking ‘such good care’ of her during the uncomfortable filming.
“It was about these males needing me to be in a certain category [of beauty] to serve their story. And it never was about me,” Shields said, per the Huffington Post.
“It was never protective of me. It was fun and loving at times, but it was – I was just there. I was a pawn.”
But she went on to add that Carradine didn’t fit this description.
“Keith Carradine took such good care of me,” she recalled. “He looked at me and he said, ‘You know, this doesn’t count as a first kiss’.
“That was gracious and protective and caring on a level that I don’t even think I knew at the time. I’d never kissed a boy before.”
