Nothing can get between Brooke Shields and her self-worth.
The former child star, infamous Calvin Klein supermodel, and Hollywood icon is at the center of two-part documentary “Pretty Baby,” directed by Lana Wilson (“Miss Americana”). The film debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where executive producer Ali Wentworth encouraged pioneering creatives to not “listen to ‘no, you can’t.”
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” is a galvanizing look at the actress, model, and icon as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power, per an official synopsis. Holding a mirror up to a society that objectifies women and girls, her story shows the perils and triumphs of gaining agency in a hostile world.
The documentary is produced by ABC News Studios in partnership with Matador Content and Bedby8. The film marks the debut project from BedBy8, the newly formed production company by Ali Wentworth, George Stephanopoulos, and partner Alyssa Mastromonaco. Christine O’Malley and Jack Turner serve as producers, with director Wilson, Wentworth, Mastromonaco, Stephanopoulos, Jay Peterson, Todd Lubin, Jacqueline Glover, and Jennifer Joseph as executive producers.
“Pretty Baby,” named after Shields’ 1978 film, follows the icon through her extraordinary childhood and complex relationship with her mother and manager, Teri Shields.
Shields’ professional career began at only 11 months old, working as a child model before starring in Louis Malle’s controversial film “Pretty Baby” at the age of 12. She became the face of the ’80s with Calvin Klein jeans ads, and leading roles in “The Blue Lagoon” and “Endless Love,” navigating the unrelenting scrutiny of the press and a culture that wanted to commodify her. After defying stereotypes by going to college, Shields re-enters the entertainment industry as an adult, but it isn’t until she begins to trust herself and her instincts that she’s able to find her identity and voice.
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland praised the “unsettling” documentary for not shying away from Shields’ high-profile status. “Viewers who have never seen early interviews of Shields — who started her modeling career when she was just an infant, making her someone who has literally been famous nearly all of her life — will likely be shocked to see the way Shields was treated even in seemingly friendly chats,” Erbland wrote. “Nearly always, she is an object, constantly told how pretty she was, being praised solely on her looks, simply a face and body to people. As one talking head explains it, Shields was a ‘nuclear version of what it was to be judged by your appearance.’”
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” premieres April 3 on Hulu.
Check out the teaser below.
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