Kate Moss Played by Ellie Bamber in Movie About Supermodels Relationship With Lucian Freud

 Posted on August 25, 2024  |  6 minutes  |  1070 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Ellie Bamber is set to star as Kate Moss in a new film detailing her infamous relationship with Lucian Freud.

The “Serpent” and “Nocturnal Animals” star will play the British supermodel in “Moss & Freud,” which will cover a period in the early 2000s when she sat for Freud, who will be played by Derek Jacobi (“Murder on the Orient Express”).

The project will be directed by James Lucas, who is known for his Oscar-winning live action short film “The Phone Call,” starring Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent. Moss will executive produce with the support of the Lucian Freud Archive.

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“Moss & Freud” is a GFC Films production, produced by Matthew Metcalfe.

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Set around Freud’s Holland Park studio and London in the heady days of early 2000s Britain, the story opens up to explore Freud’s mysterious past and Moss’s life as a globally recognized supermodel.

Cornerstone is handling worldwide sales at the upcoming European Film Market. The Reset Collective will handle the release in Australia and New Zealand.

At the peak of the supermodel era, Moss was at a crossroads in her life and work when she agreed to sit for Freud — the grandson of psychologist Sigmund Freud — over an intense nine-month period at his studio in Holland Park. Although from seemingly different worlds and often at odds, as their relationship develops, the two personalities discover they’re kindred spirits with lots to learn from each other and, as a consequence, about themselves. The process becomes cathartic, leaving both changed forever.

Moss recently spoke about the experience on BBC Radio 4 program “Desert Island Discs,” revealing that the artist etched a tattoo of a bird into her thigh that now look like “varicose veins.” “I’m still probably the only living person with a Lucian Freud on my thigh,” she told host Lauren Laverne.

In recent years, Moss has expanded her role within the fashion industry, enjoying design collaborations with brands such as Longchamp and Top Shop, and working as a contributing fashion editor for British Vogue. Most recently, she was appointed as creative director for Diet Coke. She founded Kate Moss Agency in 2016.

Freud was one of the leading artists of the 20th century. He is known for his figurative art and his subjects, who needed to make a very large and uncertain commitment of their time. The sculptures were often the people in his life, such as friends, family, fellow painters, lovers or children. His work is sold for staggering amounts and his nude portrait of Moss sold in 2005 for almost £4 million ($5 million).

Bamber can currently be seen starring in Disney’s “Willow,” which is a sequel to the 1988 film of the same name. In 2021 she starred in BBC One/Netflix co-production “The Serpent” and in BBC One’s “The Trial of Christine Keeler.” Recently, Bamber completed filming roles in “Red, White and Royal Blue,” Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ romance, and in Warner Bros. feature “Barbie.”

Moss said: “As this is such a personal story of mine it has been essential that I be involved with James in all aspects as the project has developed. I am thrilled by the recent casting and excited that the film will begin shooting soon, I cannot wait to see it.”

Bamber is represented by Curtis Brown and UTA and Jacobi is represented by Independent Talent Group.

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