Brooke Shields knows what it feels like to get naked on camera, and she’s knows it’s not nearly as funny or sexy for performers to endure as it is for audiences to watch.
“You really do feel put out there,” Shields said in a recent Zoom interview with Decider. “We all have insecurities.”
So when her co-star Benjamin Bratt had to get naked for the obligatory humorous nude mishap in their new romantic comedy Mother of the Bride—which began streaming on Netflix today—Shields came up with a plan.
“I thought I should play a little joke on him, just to let him know that I have empathy for how I know he must feel right now.” Shields stuck on a pair of nipple pasties, waited until it was time for Bratt’s reverse-shot close-up, and yanked down her dress. “I thought it was a nice gesture, ” Shields said with a laugh and a shrug. “I mean, if I looked like him, I’d probably be naked all the time.”
In Mother of the Bride—directed by Mark Waters, and written by Robin Bernheim—Shields stars as a serious, high-strung, single mother, Lana, who’s forced to take a backseat during the surprise wedding for her influencer daughter, Emma (iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove). Emma’s luxurious destination wedding at a Thailand resort has been entirely paid for, and entirely controlled by, her company. Lana is instructed to sit back, relax, and have a mai tai. That’s easier said than done, especially after she learns that the single father of the groom (Bratt) is also the ex-boyfriend who broke Lana’s heart in college. But as it turns out, old flames are hard to extinguish.
“Having a second chance at love, after your kids are grown—that’s a very real thing,” Shields, who is 58, said. The actor and producer spoke to Decider about working with Netflix, fan-girling over Miranda Cosgrove, and the reaction to her 2023 Hulu documentary.
DECIDER: You’re not just the star of Mother of the Bride, you’re also an executive producer. Tell me about your role before filming began. Was there anything you brought to your character that wasn’t in the initial script?
BROOKE SHIELDS: This was a story that [producer] Brad Kevoy, [writer] Robin Bernheim, and I had been talking about for a while. It was brought to me as, “What about this, as an idea?” I started giving notes, Robin started writing it more, and when we got to a place that was something we really liked, we were able to bring it to Netflix. Then [Netflix’s Director of Original Film] Christina Rogers had many notes. We really got lucky, because we got the filming done before the strike happened. But for me, being an executive producer really meant that I could hear what Netflix wanted to make sure they got. Just knowing that information is really a function of being able to be in the room—to be privy to these conversations, casting, etc.
It was important to me to show what kind of a mom [Lana] was, and also where she was in her life. Christina’s always said to me that she wants to do films for Netflix that really do center around women who are not the ingénue, so to speak. Having a second chance at love, after your kids are grown—that’s a very real thing. Most of my friends who are women at this age, if they’re not married, they really are embarking on a whole new beginning. I wanted that to come across in the film.
Tell me about filming in Thailand. What were your favorite places that you filmed at?
We were in Bangok and Phuket, and we were all in one resort. And then we were all in another resort. The two different resorts were put together [in the editing process] to look like one resort. My favorite thing about it was being surrounded by these actors. Wilson [Cruz, who plays Lana’s friend Scott in the film] called it summer camp, because we spent all of our time together. We ate all of our meals together. We laughed, we danced. We had so much time to really get to know each other, without leaving the bubble and going to our real lives. I think that added a lot to the camaraderie and the chemistry.
You recently spoke on The View about how you helped Benjamin Bratt feel more comfortable during his nudity scene, by pulling down your own dress off-camera. Can you tell me more about why you did that, and what his and the crew’s reaction was?
You know, the crew was really sweet, because they didn’t really—everybody’s working so hard. Being the person who has, more often than not, been the objectified one that feels alone. You really do feel put out there. We all have insecurities. I had empathy for him. I thought, “This doesn’t feel fair. Everyone else has clothes on. I have clothes on. He’s the only one!” I mean, if I looked like him, I’d probably be naked all the time.
But I thought I should play a little joke on him, just to let him know that I have empathy for how I know he must feel right now. As beautiful as he is! So I put those little stickies on—those little pastie, nipple things—so that when he turned around for his close-up, I just dropped my halter dress! [Laughs.] He was like, “I could not love you more. That was so generous and funny.” I don’t know. I thought it was a nice gesture.
Talk to me about working with Miranda Cosgrove and Chad Michael Murray, who are both these icons for younger millennials and Gen Z. Were your daughters excited?
One daughter got to visit me [on set], and they were so excited! It’s funny—my documentary had just come out, and Benjamin said to me, “I’m not going to watch it until after this movie.” I had a similar reaction to knowing I was working with Miranda, because the hours and hours that I spent with my girls, watching her—I had to really readjust, and say to myself, “No, this is a young actress. She’s not a little baby. She’s 30. She’s a consummate professional.”
I had to not let myself fangirl. Of everybody that I worked with! I mean, Michael McDonald from The Groundlings, Rachael Harris, Wilson… all of these comedians and actors come with so much history and talent. It’s hard not to get giddy around all of them. With Miranda, it was just so nice to see a young woman, coming from that world, emerge as her own woman—not stuck in any of the past. Her talent and her versatility was able to just come through. And she came ready! She’s one of the most professional people I’ve ever, ever worked with.
I loved your Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. What was the effect of that documentary coming out for you? Do you feel it changed how you’re perceived, both in the entertainment industry and by the public?
It was hard not to have any expectations on it, because everybody always has something to say about what’s going to happen after. I was surprised at how I reacted to it, when I saw it—having nothing to do with it but being interviewed. I think the reaction has been very diverse. You get the people who go, “Oh my god, I forgot you did all that Broadway,” and “I forgot you were funny.” Then other people are saying, “Oh my god, I can’t believe you lived through all that.” Everybody has their own point of connection that they have. I was pleasantly surprised with that, because it’s so not one-note.
