In Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, a documentary premiered on Friday January 20 at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States, American actress Brooke Shields reveals that she was raped at the start of her Hollywood career. The former supermodel kept the identity of her attacker a secret, but said that shortly after graduating from college, she tracked down the man – whom she knew – for what she believed to be a work meeting, to discuss his participation in a casting for a new film.
The man took her to her hotel, then, claiming to call her a taxi from her room, he went to the bathroom before emerging naked and raping her, she said. . “It was like a fight…I was afraid of getting choked or something”testifies the actress in the documentary. “I didn’t struggle much. I did not do it. I was just completely petrified. I thought my “no” should have been enough. And I was just like, “Just stay alive and go.” » Brooke Shields recalls phoning a friend who worked in security, Gavin de Becker, after the assault, who told her: “It’s rape. » To which she replied: “I’m not ready to believe it. »
Lustful questions
Until now, the actress had never spoken publicly about her assault. This revelation, which echoes the #metoo wave, is one of many poignant moments in the film, which will be released on the Hulu streaming platform in two parts. The first part is devoted to the intense sexualization that Brooke Shields was subjected to at a very young age, notably during a nude photo shoot at the age of 10, as well as after her appearance at 11 in the film. Pretty Baby, where she played a child prostitute.
The documentary shows a young Brooke Shields facing lustful questions from much older men on talk shows about her roles in movies like The Blue Lagoon Where An endless love, and in the controversial series of Calvin Klein advertisements. After experiencing world stardom as a teenager, the young woman went to Princeton University, where she graduated. She then struggled to find roles again, which led her to the sinister meeting with her rapist.
“My personal message is perseverance, and not allowing yourself to become a victim in the eyes of any society or industry”she told Agence France-Presse (AFP) before the premiere of the film at the festival, held until January 29 in Utah. “I’m proud of how I’ve continued to learn, grow, work and love what I do”she added.
standing ovation
The documentary, which earned Mme Shields a standing ovation at Sundance, also recounts the media’s obsession with the actress’ virginity, her mother’s alcoholism and her first marriage to tennis star Andre Agassi. Several of his famous friends are interviewed there, including Lionel Richie, Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore. The actress, who is now 57, said it was “the right moment in [sa] life “ to appear in a documentary.
Thursday had already been screened the documentary Justice, which explores sexual assault charges against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Director Doug Liman’s first documentary (The Bourne Identity), it shows the testimony of Deborah Ramirez, one of Mr. Kavanaugh’s accusers, with whom she had studied at Yale.
There is also an audio recording of a man who studied with them, who says he saw the judge, “very drunk”, showing off in front of another woman at a party. This last testimony was published in the American media only several months after the very controversial appointment of Mr. Kavanaugh, in 2018. The woman in question, whose identity is not revealed, says she does not remember the ‘incident. Brett Kavanaugh has denied any sexual assault.