The Man who tamed Kate Moss.
He was a womanising artist, she was a supermodel going off the rails.
Now, a new film reveals what happened when they met…
Both as famous for their debauched lifestyles as for their work, artist Lucian Freud and supermodel Kate Moss were two infamous icons of British culture when he chose her as a muse in 2002.
And while the resulting nude portrait, which sold for almost £4 million at auction in 2005, was loved by neither of them, their sittings were to have a lasting impact on both their lives.
Now, the new film Moss & Freud gives us a peek behind the canvas.
Moss & Freud gives a peek behind the canvas of how Britain’s most famous artist tamed the supermodel, played by Ellie Bamber
The stunning model was at the height of her success then but still scarred by the sexual abuse she had suffered when she was starting out in the industry, while the charming elderly painter, who died in 2011, was fatherly towards Kate yet often brutal towards his own offspring.
The film, created by James Lucas, comes with the stamp of authenticity. It has been co-produced by Kate herself, while the keeper of Freud’s legacy, his aide and associate David Dawson, also gave his approval.
Freud’s fashion designer daughter Bella helped as an advisor, while Kate’s personal hairdresser James Brown worked as a stylist on the film. A lost and lonely Kate is portrayed by Ellie Bamber while Freud, played by Sir Derek Jacobi, is imperious and irascible.
James had been on the very outer edge of the early Noughties celebrity circle known as the Primrose Hill set, which centred around Kate, and when he learned of the painting he developed an obsession about what might have transpired during the long months in which it was being created.
‘I was making my way into film, running around London, living off free canapes at fantastic parties, and Kate Moss was at the very top of the food chain,’ he recalls.
‘She was the goddess. I remember reading about the painting and it just stayed with me. I was desperate to know what these two incredible people had talked about over those hours, days and months that they worked together.’
Without Kate’s help his film would not have happened. James wrote her a letter – ‘the old-fashioned kind’ – explaining who he was and what he wanted to do.
‘It must have struck a chord with her because she came back quite quickly despite having no idea who I was,’ he says.
‘And I’m honoured that she chose to tell this story to the world, to show the public this side of herself. She must have been approached thousands of times but this is the project she said yes to.’
James sat down with Kate and heard her side of the story. Each draft of the script was sent to her, and she also spent time with Ellie, who had voice and movement coaching to learn how to act like Kate. In one scene we discover that Freud, who had once worked as a tattoo artist, inked a flock of birds on the base of Kate’s back.
‘I grew up with a poster of Kate on my wall, and then I found myself at her house where she’s showing me this incredible tattoo that Freud created 20 years ago,’ says James. ‘There were so many pinch-me moments but it was at that point I realised this project really was going to be amazing.’
Moss & Freud is released in cinemas on 29 May. A lost and lonely Kate is portrayed by Ellie Bamber while Freud, played by Sir Derek Jacobi, is imperious and irascible
Each draft of the script was sent to her, and she also spent time with Ellie, who had voice and movement coaching to learn how to act like Kate.
Kate Moss (left) and Ellie Bamber (right) are joined by British acting legend Derek Jacobi (centre) at the film’s premiere
The story begins in arresting fashion with Kate alone in Berlin, going to a swingers’ club with just her driver for company. Soon after she meets Lucian for the first time, having been introduced by Bella. He wants to paint her portrait and Kate ponders his invitation, but it comes with the demand that she must be available every week.
As one of the world’s most successful models she’s barely in the same country from one day to the next, but it’s her determination to make it work – perhaps realising that her jet set lifestyle is not sustainable – that becomes one of the themes of the film.
She begins to turn down work for the first time and her trips to see Lucian at his Kensington studio become an anchor for her.
Kate impacts Lucian’s life in a different way. At first he has little appreciation of how hard she works, but as their friendship deepens – buoyed by afternoons spent on opium and champagne and meals at his favourite local restaurant Clarke’s – he warms to her and becomes almost obsessive.
Yet he becomes frustrated that he can’t control her because she’s a free spirit like him and starts to reflect on why his second wife, Lady Caroline Blackwood, left him.
Freud was a notorious womaniser who slept with many of his models and while they were working on the painting there were rumours about his relationship with Kate, but the film reveals that although there was a passionate meeting of minds it was strictly platonic.
‘This piece isn’t a powder puff for either of them,’ says James. ‘With Kate it shows a person who’s desperately unhappy, but she slowly regains some purpose and meaning in her life. She and Lucian forge this deep rapport; they’re kindred spirits. It’s a wonderful, intense friendship.
‘But while they are household names, this is about the human experience. Peeking behind the curtain, we see humanity. Friendship and the ability to change are threaded through all of us. So while there are some big moments in the film – we see some of Kate’s legendary outfits and there’s one huge party – I wanted to show that, more than anything else, this is a story of connection.’
That party is Kate’s infamous 30th birthday bash. Themed ‘The Beautiful and The Damned’ after F Scott Fitzgerald’s famous flapper novel and held at Claridge’s in London, it was covered feverishly by all the newspapers (although James says it probably wasn’t quite as debauched as was reported).
It’s here that a key scene takes place in which Lucian ignores his own daughter Bella because he only has eyes for Kate, but then he spots her getting cosy with her boyfriend, journalist Jefferson Hack, the founder of fashion magazine Dazed. It later transpired that Kate was pregnant at the time with their daughter Lila.
‘This was all done with Bella’s blessing and that was very brave of her,’ says James. ‘I think seeing see her father depicted in this way perhaps forced her to reflect on their own relationship. It can’t have been easy. Lucian was a very complicated man, and he would be the first person to say that painting was number one, the first thing for him. So that’s a hard thing, perhaps, to comprehend.’
Both Lucian’s art and Kate’s stunning wardrobe are lovingly depicted in the film – some of the original designer outfits she modelled were used, while a wardrobe department recreated others.
And surprisingly, James says casting the film was easy. He was sent a photo of Ellie, perhaps best known for The Trial Of Christine Keeler, and immediately saw the resemblance. And when they met he was struck by the fact she had the same exuberant energy, and Kate agreed.
It was Ian McKellen who suggested his friend Derek Jacobi should play Freud, and the veteran actor leapt at the opportunity.
James started writing his first script in Lucian’s studio, and it was then recreated – paint stain by paint stain – on a film set.
‘The original studio was exactly as it was left, it’s like Lucian just popped out for a pint of milk,’ he says. ‘It was a real privilege to be there. We were given permission to reproduce the painting at various stages of completion. And David Dawson offered his services for the close-ups, because if there’s one person who knows exactly how Lucian painted it’s David. He had even painted two strokes on the original, so it feels like we have come full circle.’
Moss & Freud is released in cinemas on 29 May.
