Brooke Shields: Brave New Brooke

Q: Do you believe in God?

A: Yes. I was raised Catholic and proceeded by rote for many years. It's not until recently that I began to question the doctrine and begin a more personal relationship with God.

Q: Where is God?

A: Everywhere.

Q: Does God exist in cow shit?

A: I suppose you could trace it back!

Q: Did God exist in Hitler?

A: Absolutely.

Q: Could God have stopped Hitler from existing?

A: The most powerful quality we are given is that of free will.

Q: So, is Dostoyevksy your favorite writer? He said in The Brothers Karamazov, "God and devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man."

A: Actually, the books that have reached me the most are C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, Baudelaire's Fleurs de Mal, Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, and, of course, there's Mutts. I know it's a cartoon, but I learn a lot from Mooch and Earl.

Q: If Baudelaire affected you so much, weren't you tempted to lead a depraved life or at least experiment with drugs?

A: No, Baudelaire incited in me a desire never to settle for mediocrity. I was introduced to him in college through his poems and began to revel in the hidden meanings in his work. It's how he wrote about his life that intrigued me, not how he lived it.

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: A book called Angle of Repose. It deals in architectural terms with the idea that everything has its own place of balance.

Q: All other things being equal, what's most likely to affect you, a poem, a novel or a film? A: A film. I'm completely absorbed by film.

Q: What's your favorite movie?

A: I don't have one. I love Shadowlands and The Madness of King George and Mrs. Brown and The Spanish Prisoner. I'll see anything except horror, and I always enjoy laughing, like with Waiting for Guffman. Ask me again next week.

Q: What about painting?

A: I love oils of naked people! Especially from the '40s, and of men from behind. Don't ask me why. I love the naked form. In my house I have original paintings from mostly unknowns, still lifes and flowers.

Q: How does your taste run in music?

A: I like a variety. Bette Midler, Mozart, Van Morrison, Eagle Eye Cherry.

Q: What did you learn from working with the Wu-Tang Clan?

A: That their idea of "keeping it real" is what I strive for as an actress. That the stereotype is one of the worst forms of prejudice. That we all want to be heard and to make a difference. By example, they taught me to embrace my own uniqueness. Method Man and Power are very seductive human beings.

Q: What was your take on rap music and how did it change?

A: I've always liked the rhythm of rap, but some of the lyrics were unsettling. I think the more positive rap is quite powerful. I appreciate the versatility in rap more now than I did.

Q: Do you feel that you have any rage at the core of your being?

A: Rage???!! What the fuck do you mean by that, you asshole?? [Breaks up laughing]

Q: So what is it about?

A: I have unexpressed anger, but I'm not sure where it's directed. How can I reconcile my anger with what I attribute to lost opportunity?

Q: What kind of opportunity?

A: To grow as an actress. There's a lack of plan in the charting of my career. Ugh, I hate the way that sounds. I hate people who sob about their pasts, about the injustices. It's a waste. I can't blame my mother or anyone else. And I wouldn't change any of the experiences that formed who I am today. But there was so much effort put into my becoming a star rather than my growing as an actress.

Q: How much did it bother you that, after an auspicious start in Pretty Baby, not too many people took you seriously?

A: Was I frustrated with being knocked for not having talent? I'm just beginning to realize myself as an actress, so I can't expect anyone else to have done so before. I'm frustrated I didn't attack different roles and have more of a plan at an earlier age. It's no one else's fault. I was too busy working! Unfortunately, it was in too many different areas. Endorsements and commercials can be fun and lucrative, but they're time consuming. I've gotten more comfortable as a dramatic actress in the past two years than all the years prior. I'm only now beginning. I admire Natalie Portman and Claire Danes, who keep acting onstage and in films of all sizes. They have terrific talent, but they keep improving.

Q: Was Black and White a leap into the abyss for you? Was it a conscious desire to start up fresh?

A: Yes! I knew I needed to play a part unlike anything anyone had ever seen me do. I get tired of seeing similar sides of myself when there is much more to be tapped into.

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