Brooke Shields’ co-star speaks out about controversial on-screen kiss when he was 27 and she was just 11

Keith Carradine, who also starred alongside Brooke Shields in the film Pretty Baby, paid tribute to the actress by describing her as a “extraordinary” woman after the release of the two-part documentary film of the same name.

An appearance by Shields, who is now 59 years old, in the controversial drama Pretty Baby, which was directed by Louis Malle, was the initial catalyst for his widespread notoriety.After she leaves the house, she is taken in by a photographer named Ernest Belloqc (Carradine), and she eventually marries him. During one of the scenes that causes a lot of controversy, her character kisses Ernest Belloqc.

In accordance with the individual himself, Shields was only 11 years old when the project was being filmed, whereas Carradine was 27 years old.

The mother of two has since stated that Carradine, who is now 75 years old, told her that their scripted embrace did not “count as a first kiss.” However, the idea that it could be immortalized on film has been previously discussed by Lana Wilson, who directed Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.

In her documentary, which will be released in 2023, Shields will be candid about her turbulent rise to fame and will also reveal how it felt to finally be allowed to embrace her own identity after she attended Princeton University.

Wilson, who is 41 years old, stated the following when asked about the significance of the kiss between Shields and Carradine: “This is a moment I wanted to feature and unpack because, even if child Brooke was fully aware of the role she was playing, and even if she realized that acting was pretend, I can’t help but think: ‘This is an actual 11-year-old girl having to kiss an actual 29-year-old man.'”

This cannot be denied; it is a fact. And the repercussions of that are also very real. While the director was filming this scene, Brooke, who was eleven years old at the time, expressed that she was uncomfortable. However, the director did not take her discomfort seriously.By the time she was only 11 years old, Brooke Shields had already landed a role in the film Pretty Baby (Bertrand LAFORET / Contributor / Getty).
After Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields was shown for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023 and then made its debut on Hulu, Carradine has finally made her voice heard.

A statement made by the actor in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment stated that there was “no way” that Pretty Baby would ever be produced in the present day.

The admission that he made was that “there is, of course, no way that film would be made today.” Nor should we do so. One of the most renowned directors in the world extended an invitation to me to take part in the project, which was produced by a major film studio. I had faith in the individuals with whom I was collaborating that it would be handled in a manner that was both appropriate and sensitive.

Furthermore, to tell you the truth, I was 27 years old at the time, and I was pretty naive in my own right. Nevertheless, we were collaborating with extraordinary artists, and I had the impression that precautions were being taken.

When the native of California was asked if he remembered telling the five-time winner of the People’s Choice Awards that their kiss “didn’t count,” he responded in the affirmative.

In an interview with the publication, he stated, “I remember it very clearly.” The way that Brooke is re-examining things from her childhood and exploring her life is something that I applaud about her. Because she is a significant individual, I am unable to do anything but back her efforts to finish her investigation into how she is currently feeling about certain things.

The story of Violet, a young girl who lives at a well-known brothel in New Orleans and is played by Shields, is told in the film that was released in 1978. The screenplay was written by Polly Platt.