Brooke Shields spoke about being sexually assaulted in her 20s in a new interview with People to discuss her upcoming documentary. The actress, 57, revealed that she was afraid that people wouldn’t believe her at the time, which is why she didn’t come forward about her experience until the new documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby, which will be released on Hulu on April 3. “Doing the documentary, you see it all together, and it’s a miracle that I survived,” she told the outlet.
Brooke said that with time, she’s been able to process what had happened and find the strength to speak about it, after worrying that “no one [was] going to believe” her at the time. “People weren’t believing those stories back then. I thought I would never work again,” she said. “I’m more angry now than I was able to be then. If you’re afraid, you’re rightfully so. They are scary situations. They don’t have to be violent to be scary.”
The Blue Lagoon actress said she was at the “lowest point of my career,” and had recently finished school at Princeton. She said she’d had dinner with an executive thinking she had gotten “a movie, a job,” when he invited her to his hotel room to call for a cab, and in the room, she alleged that he assaulted her. Brooke said she “didn’t fight” and “just froze.” She revealed afterward that she “disassociated.”
Brooke revealed she wanted to share her story now to help others who may have had similar experiences. “Everybody processes their own trauma on a different timeline. I want to be an advocate for women to be able to speak their truth,” she told the magazine.
Brooke’s experience of being sexually assaulted was first reported when the documentary aired at the Sundance Film Festival back in January. Reports about the screening said that Brooke didn’t name her attacker, and she never publicly confronted him.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs help, please call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
