Brooke Shields always made sure she had the "tools to cope" with early fame
The 59-year-old actress began her career as a child model before starring in the leading role of 'Pretty Baby' at the age of 12, and joked that "everybody is shocked" that she made the successful transition into adulthood
11 February 2025
She told Saga magazine: "Everybody's shocked. They want me to be a s***show.
"The other day [fashion designer] Diane von Fürstenberg said to me 'I love the way you're never angry, bitter or a victim.
"I guess we've seen so many young actors who didn't come out all right because they didn't have the tools to cope with fame that I insisted on."
The 'Blue Lagoon' star claimed that there is a school of thought which sees "huge figures" such as Marilyn Monroe frozen in time but insisted that some fans still expect her to look the way she did several decades ago.
She said: "There's an idea these huge figures in popular culture die young.
"We never saw the Marilyns or the James Deans grow older. I'm not comparing myself to such icons, but we freeze people at certain eras in their lives and so to some the idea I don't look the same as when I was 15 is unacceptable.
"Just the other day, a stranger commented on my Instagram: 'I really wish you looked the way you looked when you were younger.'
"When I meet people, I want to say, 'This is me now. Do you want to get it out of your system? Then we can have a conversation."
Meanwhile, the former 'Hannah Montana' actress will reach her 60th birthday on May 31, and is "looking forward" to it in the way she was excited about the milestones of her youth.
She said: ""I don't feel 60, so I don't have any hang-ups.
"After this, it's going to go into reverse. I'm going to look forward to milestone birthdays, like I looked forward to turning 18 or 21 or into double digits.
"As long as my health is good, there's just going to be more fun to celebrate."
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