Brooke Shields Settles Some Low-Stakes Controversies—and Admits to Eating Around the Moldy Parts of Cheese

We couldn’t interview Brooke Shields and not ask her to help us settle some of our favorite low-stakes controversies. Partly because these things are always nagging away at us, but mostly because the CEO, actor, model, author, thinker, social media phenom, mom, friend, and wife has life experiences that, simply put, we do not. She started modeling when she was just 11 months old, was famous by the time she was 12 (for her role in the 1978 movie Pretty Baby), and TIME magazine named her the face of the decade in the ‘80s. She’s been in the spotlight her entire life—she graduated from Princeton!—and has some real thoughts on how things should be done. So we asked for her major opinions on some minor issues.

REAL SIMPLE: When should you gas up the car? Before the fuel light comes on or after?

BROOKE SHIELDS: I'm a before gasser, my husband's an after gasser. (That didn't sound right.) If I have three-quarters of a tank, I'm like, “I'm going to run out of gas!” I've got to have a full tank. I do this with the charge on my phone, too … I need to make sure all my bases are covered. I was an only child. I'm really edgy.

RS: Is it OK to crack your knuckles?

BS: I heard it makes them bigger, but it feels really good. But it can't be great for them in the long run. I stopped doing it, but my hands haven’t gotten any less manly.

RS: Should toilet paper be hung so that it rolls over or under?

BS: Toilet paper over. It's just the way it's done, people.

RS: Is the five-second rule real?

BS: Man, I had a half-hour rule for my kids. I'd be like, “Oh, here, you're fine.” Got to get those antibodies!

RS: Wearing socks to sleep: Yay or nay?

BS: Yay. [Whispers] Cashmere.
RS: Is it OK to eat around the moldy parts of bread and cheese?

BS: I have done it for both, and my husband was so appalled. He was like, “You're going to get sick. It's already living in there.” So then I got a little freaked out and stopped cutting it off, but I don't know … there's always a good part left!

RS: Is it OK to let your dog lick your face?

BS: I don't think so. My dog … still has puppy breath, but I know there's bacteria. But for some reason, her mouth seems so clean! It can't be that sanitary because they will eat garbage and gum from under a chair. You can't do it.

RS: Is it OK to sit on a public toilet seat?

BS: Oh, I don't sit on public toilets. I'm a hoverer. With my kids … I had this perfect baby hold, and I would hover them and they got real used to it. It's a little awkward now because one is 21, but it's a tradition for us …

RS: Are top sheets necessary?

BS: We just did away with our top sheet. We're just a duvet. Because we're very European.