Brooke Shields slams Barbara Walters for ‘sexualizing’ her in interview when she was just 15
Brooke Shields, 56, is a globally-loved actress and model. In a recent interview, she shared some horrifying details about one of her interviews as a teenager with Barbara Walters and called it "practically criminal". The interview took place in the 1980s when Brooke was just 15 years old.
In a recent interview with Dax Shepard on his "Armchair Expert" podcast, Brooke recalled her famous interview and how uncomfortable she was during that old interview.
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At the time of the interview with Barbara Walters, Brooke was shooting an ad for Calvin Kleins Jeans. The ad shoot also marked the start of her modeling career. In the ad, teen Brooke asked a question in an attempt to increase the sales, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
"I was very naive. I didn't think it had to do with underwear," she voiced her opinion about the sexually charged commercial in another interview with Vogue in October, 2021. She said, "I didn't think it was sexual in nature. I'd say that about my sister, nobody could come between me and my sister. ... If they had intended on the double-entendre, they didn't explain it to me. It didn't faze me. It didn't sort of come into my psyche as it being anything overtly sexual, sexualized in anyway."
The "practically criminal" interview with Barbara Walters
The interview Brooke Shields had with Walters was broadcast on national TV. Walter shot rather intimate questions at Brooke, despite the fact that she was only 15 years old. Questions regarding Brooke's sexual history and her physical measurements were directly asked by the interviewer, Barbara Walters.
The soft-spoken, fresh-faced doll Brooke very gently replied, "I'm 5'10 and a 120." Walters then asked Brooke to stand for the camera as in Walter's opinion, people did not realise how slim and tall Brooke really was. She further asked Brooke if she'd like to be a mother like hers. To this Brooke replied yes. Barbara also questioned the childhood of Brooke's mother and asked Brooke how she feels about missing out on her childhood.
Brooke Shields who was 15 at that point said, "I like...I enjoy this. I'd rather be doing this than nothing at all."
Looking back at the interview, she feels Walter's conduct was "practically criminal". During her recent interview with Dax Shepard on his podcast that goes by the name "Armchair Expert", Brooke shared some other nasty questions like, "Do you have any secrets from your mother?" Walter also asked Brooke about her sexual history. All these made Brooke call the 80s interview "practically criminal". Dax Shepard too agreed with her and called the interview "maddening".