The actor opens up about portraying Kate Moss, mastering the catwalk, and the art of transformation.

Portraying a real person is never easy. Portraying a living legend like Kate Moss is something else entirely. So when Ellie Bamber signed on to star in James Lucas’s Moss &amp; Freud, she arrived on set with both excitement and nerves—along with a vote of confidence from the Supermodel herself, who executive-produced the film and selected the 29-year-old English actor for the role. “I felt pressure to get the portrayal just right,” Bamber says. “I think you have a responsibility whenever you're playing a real-life person to do them justice, and I was really conscious of that.”
Bamber, who first captivated audiences in Tom Ford’s 2016 psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals, knew Moss &amp; Freud would push her in new ways. She would have to physically inhabit the Supermodel for the film, which chronicles the 2002 sessions during which a pregnant Moss posed nude for artist Lucian Freud. Bamber started by working with a vocal coach. “Kate has a very particular cadence, rhythm, and tone,” she says. “Her laugh was important, because it’s very specific. That was something I focused on.” She also worked with a movement coach. “I needed to psychologically understand Kate’s mannerisms and why she moves the way she does,” says Bamber. “And then, obviously, there was the catwalk. We did a lot of that, too.”
Filming the runway scenes became one of Bamber’s favorite parts of production, thanks to Moss’s best friend and the film’s costume designer, James Brown. “He was my confidant throughout,” she says. “And he made the most incredible costumes for the film.” Among Bamber’s favorites was Moss’s actual 30th birthday dress, a vintage blue sequined gown with a matching cape, first worn by Bond girl Britt Ekland to a 1974 premiere. “Putting that on really felt like stepping into the role,” says the actor, who also wore Moss’s iconic John Galliano Union Jack jacket—an original gifted to her by Galliano himself—as well as a vintage Versace chainmail gown that Bamber describes simply as “gorgeous.”

Coat BURBERRY

Off-camera, Bamber gravitates toward color in her everyday wardrobe but favors “slinky black dresses at night.” Her closet mixes designers like Dries Van Noten, Prada, and Miu Miu with vintage finds. Brown even let her keep a few thrifted pieces from the set, including a yellow dress, some accessories, and a pair of trousers. “James had this special ability to go into a vintage shop, find something, and know before I'd even tried it on that it was going to be a perfect fit,” says Bamber. “That was always quite trippy to me.”
Sharing the screen with Tony and Emmy award–winning actor Derek Jacobi, as Freud, was another highlight of the experience. “Working with someone like Derek, you learn so much,” she says. “He was so generous, and he has an ability to follow his instincts.” At its core, Moss &amp; Freud is a portrait of an unlikely friendship. “I think it’s a really good reflection on the path of two artists who are just navigating their own journeys at different points in their lives,” she says. “I hope people can gain some insight from that.”

Top and skirt VICTORIA BECKHAM

Bamber’s own career trajectory shows no signs of slowing down. Coming up, she has the live-action animated adventure comedy Animal Friends, co-starring Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, and Dan Levy. She’ll also reprise her role as Princess Beatrice in Red, White, and Royal Wedding, a sequel to Prime Video’s fan-favorite 2023 romance Red, White, and Royal Blue. Still, there’s one genre she hopes to tackle: “I’d love to play a spy, or an investigator,” she says. "To be in something Slow Horses-esque.”
For now, one role she plans to keep playing is redhead. “The red hair will be sticking around for a while,” says the natural blonde. “I need to give my hair a break. But somehow, I feel more myself when I'm red.” Experimenting with beauty remains another creative outlet. “If I weren't an actor, I would’ve loved to become a makeup artist,” she pauses. “Although I also love cooking. Maybe I would’ve tried my luck at being a chef instead.”

HAIR: Shennia Thompson CAROL HAYES MANAGEMENT MAKEUP: Bea Sweet THE WALL GROUP SET DESIGN: Annie Alvin

Ellie Bamber Finds Her Stride

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