The Sundance Film Festival created by Robert Redford takes place every January and screens exciting new works. This year featured a new two-part documentary from Hulu, Pretty Baby, which explores the life and objectification of actor Brooke Shields. In this documentary, Brooke opens up about her life in the limelight.
Brooke also makes a stunning revelation in this project. She reveals that she was raped by an unnamed Hollywood entertainment figure when she was in her 20s. This is the first time she has spoken out about this.
In the film, Brooke describes her assault. "I thought it was a work meeting. I had met this person before and he was always nice to me," she began. Things took a turn after they met up. "His behavior was changing and there was no talk about the movie," she went on to say. The unnamed man went to call a cab from his hotel room but came back naked and tackled Brooke.
In order to survive the situation, Brooke did not fight back. "I was afraid I would get choked out or something, I didn't know. I played the scene out in my head, so I didn't fight that much. I just absolutely froze. I just thought, 'Stay alive and get out,'" she added.
Brooke hopes that by telling her story she can help other women. It took years of therapy for Brooke to process this horrific event. She spoke with The Hollywood Reporter after the screening to express this desire.
“I feel as a mother of two young girls that I hope that just by even hearing my incident that I can add myself to becoming an advocate. Because this is something that does happen every day, and it should not be happening. I felt that I had arrived at a place where I could talk about it. It's taken me a long time,” she stated.
Watch this video to learn more about Brooke’s documentary and the assault.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
