WITH her sequined dress clinging to every curve and her hair a mass of curls, Ellie Bamber took us back 20 years.
The British actress transformed into Kate Moss for a biopic about the supermodel, recreating her glamorous 30th birthday look.
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Photos from yesterday showed the 27-year-old dressed in early 90s fashion as she casually smoked a cigarette while on set in London.
Moss & Freud begins in 2002, when the catwalk queen sat naked for Lucian Freud, and details her infamous relationship with the artist, played by veteran actor Derek Jacobi.
However, it’s no wonder that Kate’s famously debauched birthday party is immortalized in the film, written and directed by Oscar-winning New Zealander James Lucas.
Society magazine Harper’s Bazaar ranked the party third among its top ten scandalous moments of all time, which also included all of Babylon, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the last days of Rome.
Soaked in booze and cocaine, and packed with Britain’s biggest rock and roll performers, the night became so wild that some guests reportedly had an orgy.
Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood spectacularly got out of the way by downing a bottle of champagne, later describing Kate – once nicknamed The Tank for her drinking – as “a lovable nutcase”.
The event, on January 16, 2004, was organized by public relations guru Fran Cutler – nicknamed the “Rottweiler Party”.
Kate was inspired by spoiled Gloria Gilbert from F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Beautiful And Damned, which was the theme of the event.
It all started innocently enough at London’s elegant Claridge’s hotel, where Kate and her entourage, including her longtime best friend Sadie Frost and fashion designer Stella McCartney, got ready in their suite with the help of a army of makeup artists.
She then donned the midnight blue dress, originally worn by Bond girl Britt Ekland at the premiere of The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974, before she and her friends were chauffeured to the main event.
Kate’s friends, Agent Provocateur co-founder Serena Rees and artist Sam Taylor-Wood, hosted two adjoining parties at their homes, which shared a patio.
Guests included Kate’s then-boyfriend Jefferson Hack, artist Tracey Emin, now-deceased fashion designer Alexander McQueen and supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Pregnant Gwyneth Paltrow was also there with her then-husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin – but they reportedly left early.
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They say things got so raucous that neighbors he complained and noise prevention officers arrived at the property at 1.45am.
But the supermodel refused to let that end her celebrations, with the party returning to Claridge’s.
A source said at the time: “As far as Kate was concerned, it was her day and no one was going to ruin it – especially Westminster Council.”
Spread across two suites on the seventh floor, guests queued up to enter.
Writer Laura Collins was there that night and remembers seeing the late Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale waiting her turn along with Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull.
‘Pyramid of Profiteroles’
Laura, author of Kate Moss: The Complete Picture, remembers someone asking the radio host what she did for Christmas, with Annie responding: “Mushrooms. And you?”
Inside, Kate treated guests to a raucous rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s Summertime, whilst drinking bottles of bubbly, accompanied by Jools Netherlands on the piano.
Laura remembers that the birthday girl even “unceremoniously kicked everyone out” before letting them return.
And both bathrooms were in regular use that night. She says: “Certain guests withheld their hair as they bent over to snort cocaine off the pristine bathroom surfaces.”
Free-flowing Krug and Cristal champagne was distributed by scantily clad waiters.
For Kate, it was her day and no one was going to ruin it – especially the Westminster Council
Source
But there appears to have been little food – with Laura remembering supermodel Naomi declaring “she was going to bed before she ‘starved’”.
At least there was Kate’s birthday cake, a “towering pyramid of profiteroles dipped and glistening with honey, toasted almonds, cream and rose petals.”
Laura recalls: “Kate blew out the candles to screams and applause.”
But the real action seemed to take place in the suite’s second, smaller bedroom.
Laura recalls: “That door remained closed. That, one guest told me with a leer, was where the real party was happening.
“At one point, a dark-haired woman opened the door – behind her was visible a flash of bare limbs and people entwined on the bed, their faces obscured by her body.
“She was walking around the room shouting, ‘Does anyone have a condom?’ I don’t remember if anyone came to her aid before she disappeared back inside.”
Guests – those who were still able to stand – later made their way to the balcony to watch the sun rise before the party ended at 8am. But Laura remembers: “Kate was nowhere to be found.”
It’s a world away from her recent 50th birthday celebrations, which were much more sober – Kate is now a teetotaler, reinventing herself as a wellness guru.
‘Pressure on the family’
The fashion icon handpicked actress Ellie to play her in Moss & Freud.
Kate, who is the film’s executive producer, previously said: “As this is a very personal story of mine, it was essential that I was involved in every aspect as the project developed.
“I am thrilled with the recent casting. I can’t wait to see.” And the similarities between the two women – who last year posed together in a photo shared by Kate – go beyond good looks.
Ellie was born in Surrey, around a 45-minute drive from the fashion icon’s birthplace of Croydon.
As this is a very personal story of mine, it was essential that I was involved in every aspect as the project developed.
Kate
She later went to Eagle House School and Wellington College in Berkshire on drama scholarships.
Just like Kate, who was chosen as a model at age 14, the actress’ talent was discovered at a young age.
Ellie was just 13 when theater director Sir Trevor Nunn chose her to play Jenny in Aspects Of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory in South East London.
She said: “Acting, for me, was therapeutic. It was a way to express yourself.”
At 19, Ellie got her big break in Tom Ford’s dark thriller Nocturnal Animals.
She made a name for herself playing complex women, including model and dancer Mandy Rice-Davies in the 2019 drama The Trial Of Christine Keeler.
Speaking in 2021 about what draws her to dark roles, Ellie – who also starred as Cosette in the BBC series Les Misérables – said: “I’m really interested in exploring the human psyche and how we as human beings work.
“I’m intrigued by all kinds of characters who have different kinds of flaws and [experiences of] human suffering. I’m not afraid of it being too dark because I can separate it in my mind.”
For Ellie, fashion has also played an important role in her life, with the late designer Karl Lagerfeld himself making her a Chanel “It Girl” in 2017.
She said: “I love fashion because it is an external reflection of my mood for the day. It can transform you and take you to a different place – especially in acting.”
And like Kate, who rarely gives interviews, Ellie is very private about her love life – perhaps unsurprisingly after her break-up with The Bodyguard’s Richard Madden made headlines in 2019.
Ellie, believed to be single, said a year earlier: “Being away puts pressure on family and friends.”
And with Moss and Freud ready to make her an even bigger star, it looks like she has much bigger things ahead of her.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
