Buzzfeed News points out that actress and model Brooke Shields has been working in the business for quite some time. Shields, however, made her acting debut in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon at the tender age of 14. Emmeline (played by Shields) and Richard (played by Christopher Atkins) are cousins who get shipwrecked on an island and end up falling in love with each other.

Controversy surrounds the film because of its incestuous plot and its depiction of kid nudity (a body double was utilised for sequences where Shields was entirely naked). Recently, Shields and Atkins reconnected on the podcast Now What? with Brooke Shields, when the Sahara actress and her old co-star discussed some of the dubious behaviours that transpired on the set of Blue Lagoon.

Shields told her former co-star, “I mean, it wouldn’t be permitted. Never again will a movie be created like that.”

Oh my goodness, Atkins said. Some of the animals in the film suffered. Among other things, we were engaged in the bizarre activity of spearing fish. No way could I let my kids run about like that on the beach today.

Moreover, Atkins mentioned that director Randal Kleiser placed such “essential” emphasis on nudity that he and Shields were instructed to obtain a complete body tan once they arrived on the island where Blue Lagoon was shot.

According to Shields, “We were never eased into it. When we arrived, they insisted that we get tans right away. To avoid unsightly tan lines, they constructed the tiny thatched sections you see today.”

In a similar vein, Atkins remarked that the age gap between them made the whole thing “more weird” (at 18, Atkins was four years older than Shields, considered a legal adult during the time of filming). One of the two mentioned that in order to get the director’s desired tan, they were had to lie naked in a tent with no roof and only a temporary wall separating them from the director.

Even though they couldn’t see one other while sunbathing naked, the actors noted that Shields felt awkward whenever she had to film sequences with Atkins undressed. Atkins added, “If you remember, there were times when I was butt naked with you, going down that slide and other such situations. As uncomfortable as that was, I found it amusing since I would probably do it now. Still, you reacted with a “Ugh, oh god.”

Shield concurred, saying that she, too, had asked herself, “Why do I have to look at this?” in similar situations. Not only have I never seen one before, I have no intention of starting now.” The model went on to describe her bare-bones attire on set: “We were wearing small strips of clothes and my hair was tied to my body to hide my boobs, which were pretty little anyhow.”

Remember the rough pads,” she asked. Nipple, apparently, was where they drew the line in this film, as they would glue these flesh-colored things on my nipples. Even worse, Shields remembered that the film’s producer sought to “push” a real-life romance between her and Atkins, even though she was a juvenile at the time.

”They were hoping against hope that we would fall in love,” she explained.

When I was coerced into feeling anything, I had a negative reaction. At that point in my life, I hadn’t even kissed somebody. They also disclosed that animals were hurt during production and that health and safety regulations for the movie were exceedingly low, adding insult to injury.

According to Atkins, the filming of the movie took a lot of time and involved a lot of strenuous activity. I got so terribly chafed up on those coconut trees. Injuries from running on the coral and other random things include wounds and bites from insects and coral. People don’t know anything about the fevers and everything else we experienced; it’s not simple.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Shields, who said, “Any sort of wound you had when you got into the water, chunks of the coral would get into the cut, and it would become fully infected and ulcerated.”

She also said, “We were like the Wild West but it just happened to be on the ocean,” revealing that she had become very ill on set. I also recall contracting pneumonia. “When I’m meant to be giving birth, I suddenly find that I can’t breathe, and I start coughing excessively, and everyone is like, “What a terrific acting decision!” and I’m like, “I can’t breathe!”