For decades, Brooke Shields has been one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, from controversial fashion campaigns to iconic film and television roles. But behind the glamorous image, Shields says there was another side of herself the industry rarely allowed audiences to fully see. Now, as she steps back into comedy with her new mystery series “You’re Killing Me” and continues speaking openly about aging and reinvention, Brooke Shields is reflecting on the pressure she faced growing up in the spotlight and why it took decades for Hollywood to embrace her comedic side.
Brooke Shields is reflecting on the pressures she faced growing up in Hollywood, admitting the industry largely viewed her as a “sex symbol” instead of embracing her comedic side. Speaking with AARP’s Movies for Grownups about her memorable guest appearance on “Friends,” Shields said she would have loved to lean into comedy much earlier in her career.
“Believe me, I would’ve done it a couple of decades before,” she said of her over-the-top role as Joey’s obsessed stalker on the hit sitcom. “But that wasn’t what people wanted of me. They wanted me to be this, I don’t know, sex symbol … and that was fine.”
Shields Says Comedy Was Always Her Happy Place
Although Shields became famous for her provocative Calvin Klein ads as a teenager, she revealed that comedy had always been where she felt most comfortable creatively. The actress said she spent years doing sketch comedy under legendary entertainer Bob Hope during dozens of USO tours entertaining troops overseas. “Doing sketch comedy,” Shields said. “I was always happiest.”
Now at 60, Shields is once again stepping into a comedy-forward role with her new Acorn TV series You’re Killing Me. In the limited mystery-comedy series, Shields plays an “aging out” mystery novelist who teams up with a younger true-crime podcaster to solve a murder. “It’s a funny mystery series,” she explained. “And there’s a lot of physical comedy in it for me.”
Brooke Shields Is Embracing Aging Differently
Shields also opened up about aging and how her perspective on beauty has evolved over the years. While chatting with the outlet, the actress joked about trading trendy denim for vintage Levi’s. “I’ve gone back to the OGs,” she said. “Can’t do any of these new, fancy ones.”
Shields added that while she’s no longer the same size she was as a teenager, she no longer sees that as something to chase. “I’m not the same size as I was at 17, but … that’s not the goal,” she explained.
The actress recently expanded on those themes in her book, “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman,” where she discusses aging, menopause, and the pressure women face to stay youthful.
Shields Says Menopause Conversations Were Long Overdue
According to Shields, conversations surrounding menopause were ignored for far too long, even within the medical community. “Doctors weren’t even educated about it,” she said. “They never learned about it.”
Since releasing her book, Shields said she has been overwhelmed by women thanking her for speaking openly about topics many previously felt uncomfortable discussing publicly. “People say to me, ‘Oh my God, thank you for having these discussions,’” she shared. “It’s in the zeitgeist now.”
Brooke Shields Says Family Life Looks Different These Days
Away from Hollywood, Brooke Shields says life at home with husband Chris Henchy has settled into a much quieter rhythm. The actress revealed that when they’re off the clock, Henchy usually handles dinner while she enjoys relaxing hobbies like needlepoint. But when daughters Rowan Henchy, 22, and Grier Henchy, 20, are home, the atmosphere quickly shifts back into family mode with backgammon games and long conversations.
Shields also admitted that becoming an empty nester ended up being easier than she initially feared. “The empty nest syndrome was not as painful as I thought it was going to be,” she shared, before joking, “I only had two years of it.”
While Rowan is currently back home, Grier is away at college, though Shields said her youngest daughter initially acted nervous about leaving. “When [Grier] went to college, she said, ‘I’m going to want to come back…. I don’t want to leave you,’” Shields recalled with a laugh. “Within two weeks, I could barely get her on the phone.”
As Shields approaches her 61st birthday later this month, the actress says she’s embracing this stage of life with humor and a willingness to laugh at herself along the way.
