A Kate Moss biopic is in the works, but not the type you thought it would be.
Rather than detailing her meteoric rise through the echelons of the fashion world, it will cover Moss’ experience being painted by famed artist Lucian Freud (a.k.a. Sigmund Freud’s grandson) in 2002, while she was pregnant with daughter Lila.
Called Moss & Freud, the film will be a dramatized narrative on the creation of the painting, titled ‘Naked Portrait 2002’. The artwork (and its creation) has reached mythic status, in part because it sold for £3.9 million (approximately AUD $6.7 million) at Christie’s in 2005.
Reportedly, Moss posed for Freud seven days a week, between 7pm and 2am, for the nine months it took to finish the painting. The two apparently forged an intimate friendship, with Freud tattooing two swallows on the small of Moss’ back. (In modern parlance, it would be a tramp stamp.)
In the film the part of Lucian Freud will be played by Derek Jacobi, 84, while Moss will be played by Ellie Bamber, 26. This is not too distant from the ages of the actual people, with Moss just 28 at the time she was painted, and Freud, 80.
The biopic will be directed by Oscar winner James Lucas, and Moss has worked directly with him on the film.
“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,” Moss said in a statement. “I am thrilled by the recent casting and excited that the film will begin shooting soon. I cannot wait to see it.”
Ellie Bamber has gained critical acclaim for her parts in The Serpent and Nocturnal Animals and does quite closely resemble Moss.
While some critics have commented that she does not quite look similar enough, her high cheekbones, wide-set eyes and signature pout do reference the hallmarks of an early 2000s Kate Moss.
We will have to wait and see if the right hair, makeup and styling can quiet the naysayers, but with Bamber’s acting prowess and Moss’ sign off, we can only imagine that the casting is a match made in heaven.
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