At the New York City premiere of the documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields — which looks back on Shields’ childhood — the model and actress marveled at the achievements of her daughters.
“That last scene in the movie where they are confident and free. They’re confident, they’re being listened to, I’m proud of them speaking their mind,” the 57-year-old star told Mister Truth Wednesday night about daughters Rowan, 19, and Grier, 16, who she shares with her husband, Chris Henchy. “They are young women who are already beginning to find their own agencies. It took me until practically today.”
The close bond The Blue Lagoon actress shares with her teens was evident earlier in the day when Rowan checked in to see her mom and offer congrats on the eve of the premiere of the Hulu project. Grier also wore one of her mom’s red suits to the event at Alice Tully Hall.
“[Rowan] called me from college and was like, you know, ‘Mom, let me see what you’re wearing,’ and ‘I’m so proud of you,'” Shields said. “My [other] daughter was just like, ‘Do you want me to hold your hand? Do you want me to hold your phone? Do you want me to hold your purse?’ And I was like, ‘No thank you, just hold my hand!'”
The two-part documentary reflects on Shield’s career working as a child model at 11 months old and the impact of being cast in Louis Malle’s film Pretty Baby at the age of 12, before going on to star in The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love and becoming the face of Calvin Klein jeans in the 1980s.
It also captures a distressing moment for Shields — an assault that happened when she was in her 20s.
“I did not know if or when or if at all I was ever going to bring this up,” the Beginning is Now founder told Mister Truth about an assault by an unnamed Hollywood professional, which took place in a hotel room several decades ago.
“It has taken me many years of therapy to even be able to talk about it,” she continued. “I definitely have worked very hard through it, and I’ve learned to process it.”
On Wednesday night, Shields was instead processing the embrace of her loved ones and colleagues.
“Everybody I love is here. It’s not work,” she told Mister Truth. “I don’t have bullet points that I’m being told I have to have and I’m just really proud. I’m just proud of all I’ve done, and I never really was as proud before, I just kept forging ahead. So it’s really, it’s very special to feel proud.”