Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
Actress, model, author and…labor activist? Brooke Shields has checked off numerous accomplishments and accolades during five decades in the entertainment business, and now, as the newly elected President of The Actors’ Equity Association, commonly called Actors’ Equity or just Equity.
Equity is a labor union that represents cast and some crew members of live theatrical performances such as Broadway shows and different from the Screen Actors Guild, this is the actors as well as stage managers in the theatre.
Brooke Shields
Shields has had a storied career through the years. She started in film at a young age with controversial appearances in “Pretty Baby” and “The Blue Lagoon” and was the face of the memorable Calvin Klein jeans ad who uttered that nothing comes between her and her Calvins…the actress notably appeared across the TV dial on numerous sitcoms, including her own hit, “Suddenly Susan” and has appeared in a smattering of movies, but it was her time in stage performances that helped to motivate this latest career turn.
Brooke Shields speaks with National Press Club President Emily Wilkins
The Broadway League says that overall earnings for this year’s show season is slightly down from last year, and still sizably down (17%) from the last full season prior to the pandemic. Audiences have managed to return to concerts and sporting events, but the theatre is still feeling a drag from the COVID era.
“It’s more emotional and it resonates so much more with me,” said Shields about taking on the leadership role with Equity. Shields appeared in Washington DC at the National Press Club on September 12th to talk about her new position and discuss the agenda her union stands for. “This is about ‘not me’ — and not a movie or a thing, but about something so much bigger that affects so many people.” The turn of promoting a labor cause instead of a book or a film was a change for the actress, but one she was prepared for. The Princeton grad has looked for a long time at how her industry functioned and felt now was the time to get more involved.
Shields said that theatre has been “the most constant” in her life when it came to show business, and said it is “an honor” to be at the helm of Equity so that she can stand up for a community that has stood by her side for years. Shields talked about coming out of college and struggling to find work and that an opportunity to appear in “Grease” started a journey of many professional theatrical roles.
Now, with her children off at college and looking for a new challenge (to accompany her top 10 Netflix film, new hair-care business, and book) — Shields felt she had more she could bring to the table. She won the election this past spring and is now charging up to Capitol Hill to support her membership.
“It was not only just a wonderful education but it was so great to just see how much excitement there was for Equity and for what we’re doing” said Shields about meeting with members of Congress to discuss labor regulations. Many people still feel the sting of the lengthy SAG-AFTRA strike that froze films and TV for months while looking at pay and AI as top issues were debated, but Equity has also been looking for their best in-roads to discuss key issues.
“On Capitol Hill…” started Shields to the jovial crowd of attendees, “I never thought those words would come out of my mouth” she laughed. The goal of her trip through congress was to talk about funding for the arts and explore tax parity for arts workers who oftentimes have a more complicated employment situation than a typical nine-to-fiver. A new bill, the Tax Parity Act, is weaving its way into new offices to find co-sponsors and support in The House.
Shields pointed out how a night out to the theatre can stimulate a whole community economy and add money back into the marketplace since people will tend to go out for a meal and drinks and a show, and so supporting theatre is like supporting the whole economy. She is hopeful that supporting the arts will continue to resonate with Congress as a way of supporting the economy.
“When we talk about arts funding with Equity, we’re talking about putting that money into all of the fabric of what makes lives better and communities vibrant.”
To see the full interview with Brooke Shields about Actors Equity and her Hollywood Career, check it out from the National Press Club here:
