Actor who had to kiss Brooke Shields aged just 11 in controversial movie spoke out about 'naive' incident

The actor who had to kiss an 11-year-old Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby has since reflected on his role in the movie.

Back in 1978, child star Brooke Shields became a household name after playing the role of a child prostitute in the film Pretty Baby, which required her to kiss her 27-year-old co-star Keith Carradine as well as filming nude scenes.

The film has rightly caused outrage ever since its release, with a now 59-year-old Shields admitting she doesn't know how her mother allowed her to play such roles in her recent documentary Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby.

Following the release of Shields' documentary, Carradine - now 75 - has also reflected on his part in the 1978 film and admitted that he was 'naive' for taking the role on at the time.

"There is, of course, no way that film would be made today," he said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. "Nor should we."

He continued: "I was invited to participate by one of the world's premiere filmmakers and it was made by a major film studio, and I trusted the people with whom I was working that it would be handled properly and delicately. And frankly, I was 27 years old at the time, and pretty naive in my own right. But we were working with extraordinary artists, and I did feel like care was being taken."

The actor, now 75, has since reflected on his role in the movie (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Carradine then went on to share his support for Shields and her decision to re-examine her part in the film, in which she revealed how the actor had been supportive in helping her through the kissing scene.

"I applaud Brooke's exploration of her life and re-examining things from her childhood," he said.

"She's a substantial person, and I can only support her efforts at completing her exploration of how she feels about it now."

Meanwhile, Shields re-visited the Pretty Baby saga during one of the more emotional moments of her documentary, which sees the actress break down in tears when asked about the project by her own daughters.

During one moment, Shields' daughters Rowan and Grier refuse to watch the film due to its explicit nature.

Shields and Carradine in Pretty Baby (Paramount Pictures Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

It's child pornography," Rowan says to her mother. "Would you have let us [do that] at the age of 11?"

The question triggers an emotional reaction from Shields, who tears up as she replies: "No."

Shields previously opened up on her relationship with late mother Teri during an interview with Drew Barrymore last year, claiming that her mother had been 'needy and 'in love with her' during her career.