Brooke Shields once called Meghan Markle “too precious” during a panel discussion. The 60-year-old actress shared this story on India Hicks’s podcast, recalling how she interrupted Meghan at the South by Southwest Festival last year when Meghan was telling a childhood story that seemed to lose the audience’s interest.
The panel was about International Women’s Day, and Katie Couric asked a question on gender equality. Meghan quickly answered by sharing a story she had also told in 2017, about how at 11 years old, she wrote a letter to a company that ran a commercial suggesting only women should wash dishes. Meghan said she thought it was unfair and spoke up against it.
Brooke thought Meghan’s story was “too precious” and worried the audience wouldn’t want to listen for 45 minutes to something so serious. So, she politely interrupted Meghan and made a joke to lighten the mood. Brooke said, “When I was 11, I was playing a prostitute,” referring to her role in the 1978 film Pretty Baby. The audience laughed and the mood became more relaxed after that.
During the same panel, Brooke also talked about being sexualized as a child star. She became famous at age 11 after playing a child prostitute in Pretty Baby, which included nude scenes. She also posed naked for a Playboy publication when she was 10. Brooke said she was “at the center of it” and was part of promoting it. However, she felt lucky to have a strong mom who protected her and kept her grounded by sending her to regular school instead of Hollywood. This support helped her avoid the negative experiences many young stars face in the entertainment industry.
