Brooke Shields says she tried cutting off chunks of her hair at the height of her fame

Actress Brooke Shields, 61, recalled the weight of early fame and revealed that she faced extreme reactions from fans after the release of "Pretty Baby - Menina Bonita" (1978), a film that turned her into an international star even as a child.

Brooke was just 11 years old when she played Violet, a girl raised in a New Orleans brothel at the beginning of the 20th century. The film, directed by French filmmaker Louis Malle (1932-1995), provoked controversy for approaching child sexualization and prostitution from the perspective of European cinema, in addition to including scenes that became the target of criticism and reevaluation from contemporary perspectives.

While participating in The Bossticks podcast, the artist reported that the repercussions of the production changed her life abruptly.

"We took the film to the Cannes Film Festival and there was real hysteria around me. There were crowds and people trying to cut my hair. It was insane," he recalled.

Recalling the filming, Brooke explained that production took place over several months so that she could balance work and studies.

"It was a very difficult filming because we were in New Orleans for almost five months. It was a period film, the working hours were very long and everything happened during the summer. I worked for three months and then I had to record on the weekends so as not to miss classes", he said.

The star also stated that the experience was so intense for her and her mother, Teri Shields, that they both considered putting an end to Brooke's career in cinema.

"My mom and I thought, 'No, never again. No more movies for us. Let's go back to modeling,'" he said.

The actress also addressed the controversy surrounding the work after its premiere and admitted that she had not anticipated the public's reaction.

"It was the first American film by a French director," he began, referring to Louis Malle. "My mother took me to see films by [Italian director] Fellini and more conceptual works since I was very little. We also watched Disney cartoons, but she introduced me to artistic cinema very early," he said.

"I had this appreciation for cinema and was very happy to be part of a really cinematic film. But it ended up destroying our lives and we refused to do anything for years", he confessed.

A few years after her debut feature, Brooke starred in "The Blue Lagoon" (1980), a role that established her as one of the best-known faces in the industry at the time.

Later, the actress moved away from Hollywood to prioritize her studies and completed her degree in French literature at Princeton University. In the following decades, he resumed his career in cinema and television.

Source: CNN