Observing a parent in romantic scenes is usually quite uncomfortable, but it’s even more challenging when your mom is a famous actress and her love scenes are widely available.
For Rowan and Grier Henchy, the daughters of well-known actress Brooke Shields, the situation is particularly awkward because one of the most viewed clips comes from a film in the late 1970s when Shields was just 11 years old.
The movie, Pretty Baby, revolves around a photographer named Bellocq, portrayed by a 29-year-old Keith Carradine, who encounters a prostitute in a New Orleans brothel, played by Susan Sarandon.
The film takes a disturbing turn as Carradine’s character, Bellocq, befriends Shields’ character, a 12-year-old girl named Violet.
Bellocq and Violet develop a romantic relationship, and from there, Violet is drawn into working at the brothel.
When discussing watching their mom kiss on screen at such a young age, Grier and Rowan are understandably disturbed.
Speaking to PEOPLE, 18-year-old Grier said: “I don’t like this movie. I’ve seen enough of it on TikTok. I would prefer not to watch my mom being sold as an 11-year-old prostitute. I’d rather watch the funny and happy ones.”
She continued: “That’s weird. She had to kiss someone [over] twice her age.”
21-year-old Rowan agreed, adding: “Your stage kiss does not count as a real kiss.”
Shields has previously shared that Carradine tried to make her comfortable, recognizing the significant age difference and the inherent awkwardness of the situation.
In her 2023 documentary, also titled Pretty Baby, Shields revealed: “He told me it doesn’t count [as a first kiss] which was very sweet. He was probably struggling too.”
The movie is understandably uncomfortable to watch and hasn’t aged well, which Shields notes would probably prevent its creation today.
She stated: “The conversations are so different now. It’s a weak argument to say to very aware women, ‘That’s the way it was then.’ It was a norm but that’s not an argument. Nothing I did then, you could get away with doing now.”
As expected, the movie featuring their pre-teen mother isn’t on either of the girls’ ‘must-watch’ lists. Rowan explained: “It’s more like it never really crossed my mind to say, ‘Movie night, let’s watch Pretty Baby.’
“I’m either watching Love Island or a new movie, like Minions or Despicable Me. It’s not like I’m purposefully avoiding watching my mother.
“I loved Mother of the Bride and Castle for Christmas.”