“Blue Lagoon” was still a highly-controversial film when it debuted over 40 years ago. But now, star Brooke Shields doesn’t believe a movie “like that” will ever be made again.
“It wouldn’t be allowed,” Shields, who was 14 while filming the movie and is now 57, reflected during an episode of her “Now What?” podcast released Tuesday. Her co-star Christopher Atkins, 61, joined the show to reminisce on their experiences working together.
“Animals were hurt in the movie,” Shields said. “We were spearing fish and all kinds of crazy things. Children are naked running down a beach.”
Atkins, who was 18 at the time, later added: “There were scenes where I was butt naked with you, if you remember, sliding down that slide and things like that. And that was a little awkward, but it was kind of funny for me because at this point in time I would just do it.”
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As a young teenager, Shields said she hadn’t “really kissed anybody by that age,” recalling how “they wanted us so desperately to fall in love with each other” off-camera.
“It also struck me, too, because I remember thinking, ‘Hey, let’s just get to know each other first rather than trying to make us fall in love with each other and force the situation,’ ” Shields said. “And I didn’t react well to being forced into feeling anything. I wanted to sort of be left a little bit to my own.”
Shields has continued to perform since “Blue Lagoon,” from 1981’s “Endless Love” and later projects including TV’s “Jane the Virgin” and “The Middle” and 2021’s Netflix holiday rom-com “A Castle for Christmas.”
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Outside her work, Shields continues to push past the stigma around aging, calling the social push for acceptance relatively new. Throughout her decades-long career in modeling and acting, beauty has typically been conflated with youth, which the “Blue Lagoon” star called disappointing.
“I handled it by getting frustrated and saying: ‘OK. This is ridiculous.’ I needed to amass this community and really say it’s not about being ageless. There’s vitality that comes with this demographic,” Shields said in a 2021 interview with USA TODAY.
She created her wellness company, Beginning is Now, to empower women of all ages to live their fullest lives. Reflecting on her own career, Shields wants other women to feel empowered at every stage.
Her strength was made evident in February 2021, when she broke her femur in a balance board accident. It was a physically grueling experience, for which she even refused to take prescription painkillers. But the road to recovery reassured her of her resilience.
“It was probably the most difficult thing physically I had to endure,” Shields said. “Learning how to walk again and really having to start fresh and being in the hospital for a month by myself was definitely a test to my spirit.”
Contributing: Jenna Ryu
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