B R O O K E S H I E L D S
56 AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER 1 2008
“Mama’sworking,”Shields tellsher, trying, tonoavail, tocoaxheroutof the
room. “Okay, prepare for a volume change,” she tellsme, and then a little
voicepops on thephoneand says, “Hi.”
“Now, sweetie,” Shields says, directing her attention back toGrier, “you
go start the bath, and I will come and finish it. Go get the bubbles going,
and Iwill be in there.”The lureof bubblesdoes the trick:Grier pads out of
the roomand toherwaitingbath (andnanny). “Wow,”Shields says, sound-
ing likeeverymomaround theworldwho is shockedwhenher child listens
toher. “I can’t believe that actuallyworked. That neverworks.”
When Iapologize for interruptingGrier’sbathand thepreciousmother-
daughterbonding timeShields cherishes, shewavesmeoff. “Youknow,my
publicist calledmeand shewas like, ‘Iam reallyworriedabout you.Youare
doing toomuch.’ I said toher, ‘But youguys forget that Iasked for this.’No-
bodywantedapieceofme fora fewyears, and Ididn’t like theway I felt. So
I still can say no at certain times, but right now, it feels good tobewanted
—not just formy egobut also that I amable toprovide formykids.”
Welcome to theworldofBrookeShields2.0.Or3.0.Ormaybeeven4.0.
After four decades, it’s hard to keep track. Following a quiet period out
of the spotlight (barring that skirmish with one of Hollywood’s top guns
— but we’ll get to that later), and at 43, an age whenmany actresses are
Brooke Shields has a little one on
the loose. She is in themiddleof la-
menting that her eldest daughter,
Rowan, hasgoneupstate toaweek-
long summer camp andhas barely
missedher— “Shewassobbingand
clingingtomy legwhenshegot inthe
car togo, andnowshedoesn’thave
time formewhen Icall,”Shieldssays
—whenher youngerdaughter,Grier,
burstsontothesceneanddemands
tospeakwithmeon thephone.
BrookeShields and her
Lipstick Jungle
costar Paul Blackthorne
