She’s come a long way since The Blue Lagoon.

This week, we sat down with thee Brooke Shields to talk about her latest film, Holiday Harmony, her enticing podcast, Now What?, and her innovative wellness platform, Beginning Is Now.

Below, the starlet (who, BTW, is extremely down-to-earth) shares how she guarded her mental health as a child actor, the best lesson she’s learned from a podcast guest, and how she’s changing the narrative around aging.

What attracted you most about the role of Van in Holiday Harmony?
I’ve never played a car mechanic before and I love animals, so between the alpacas and the overalls, the role checked all the boxes [laughing]. It’s fun when you get offered these pockets of fantasy where you get to shoot for 5 days and immerse yourself in this bubble of happiness and holiday spirit. I felt like my psyche needed it. And fans love it. People on the street have come up to me and said things like, “I watched it with my daughter who’s 9!” or, “My mom is 78 and has dementia, so watching a Christmas movie was something nostalgic we could do together.” These movies… they don’t give you angst. You know they’ll probably have a happy ending, and there’s something really refreshing and unifying about that.

It must’ve been hard growing up in the film industry. What’s something parents of child actors can do to protect their kids’ mental health?
I grew up in Manhattan so I never was immersed in the Hollywood machine, and that really contributed to my knowledge of what was real and what wasn’t. But I can say from experience that parents have the responsibility to demystify stardom by communicating things like, “This isn’t real life. This doesn’t mean you’re better than other people. Just because you’re getting money now does not mean you’re getting money later.” The narrative isn’t that they shouldn’t enjoy it, but to understand where that joy is coming from and how fleeting it can be.

You also have a podcast, Now What?, that’s focused on asking people about pivotal moments in their lives. What was one of yours?
I think we have “now what?” moments from the time we’re born. Growing up with an alcoholic parent, losing my father, losing my best friend to suicide, losing a child, getting a divorce, breaking my femur recently, starting this podcast… they’re all “now what?” moments. And while sometimes they’re tough, it’s how you choose to get through them that makes a difference in your character.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a podcast guest?
I spoke to comedian Patton Oswalt and he talked about finding the humor in our most devastating moments, which is something I’ve always done but felt guilty for. Watching someone die is not funny, but it’s also really funny because it’s really f*cked up. It’s just so bizarre. And if you don’t find the dark humor in it, you’ll want to die, too. It’s not making light of tragedy—it’s finding ways to process, and that’s been so revelatory to me.

Tell us about your newest endeavor, Beginning Is Now.
It’s a beauty and wellness platform for women over 50 who are starting new chapters in their lives—a global community designed to encourage and inspire women to take on new phases. I’m 57, and I believe that age is no longer “the aged,” so we need to start thinking about it differently. We need to understand that we can begin again at any moment.

What are some ways you encourage wellness in your life?
I like to stay physically fit, but my version of self-care beyond beauty are things like baths, having dinner with a girlfriend, FaceTiming my best friend, going to a comedy special… just the little things in life that sort of reset you. Because if I’m not okay in my spirit, I could do face masks till the cows come home and I still won’t enjoy them. Sometimes, it’s just doing something mindless like a puzzle or a needlepoint—or watching Yellowstone till 4 in the morning.