Loading...
The actor who shared an on-screen kiss with an 11-year-old Brooke Shields in the 1978 film Pretty Baby is looking back on the role decades later, acknowledging the troubling nature of the project and his own naivety at the time.
Shields’ participation in the film has long been a source of public outrage, and her recent documentary, Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby, has reopened conversations about how the young star was placed in inappropriate situations.
Released in 1978, Pretty Baby became infamous for casting Shields as a child prostitute in a story set in early 1900s New Orleans. The film required the young actress to participate in nude scenes and share a kiss with her 27-year-old co-star Keith Carradine.
Shields, now 59, has openly questioned how her mother ever allowed her to take the role, calling the experience deeply unsettling in hindsight.
Brooke Shields and her mother (and manager) Teri Shields pictured in 1978. Credit: Robert R McElroy/Getty Images.
In her documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, Shields confronts the disturbing circumstances surrounding her early career, revealing the emotional toll it took and how she views it now as an adult and parent. The film’s release has sparked renewed criticism of the Hollywood system that permitted such content and failed to protect child actors.
Following the premiere of Shields’ documentary, Carradine, now 75, offered his own reflections during an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. He admitted he was naive when he accepted the role and emphasized that a film like Pretty Baby would never be produced today.
“There is, of course, no way that film would be made today. Nor should we,” he said.
Carradine explained that he trusted the filmmakers involved, believing the material would be handled delicately and responsibly. As a young actor working with major studios and acclaimed directors, he said he did not fully grasp the long-term implications of participating in such scenes with a child.
Despite the controversial nature of the film, Carradine expressed strong support for Shields and praised her willingness to revisit such painful memories. He recalled trying to help guide her through the uncomfortable kissing scene during filming and said he respects her decision to confront her past openly.
“I applaud Brooke’s exploration of her life,” he said, adding that he supports her as she continues to process those early experiences.
Brooke Shields seduces Keith Carradine in a scene from the film 'Pretty Baby', 1978. Credit: Paramount/Getty Images.
One of the most emotional moments in Shields’ documentary involves her daughters, Rowan and Grier, who tell their mother they refuse to watch Pretty Baby due to its explicit content. Rowan bluntly calls the film child pornography and asks Shields whether she would ever have allowed her own daughters to take such a role at age 11.
The question brings Shields to tears as she replies, “No.”
Shields has previously spoken about her complicated relationship with her late mother, Teri, describing her as needy and overly enmeshed in her life. The documentary continues that ongoing examination, shining a light on how her childhood fame shaped her into the woman she is today.
