The Tamesis
To prepare for the role, Bamber attended boot camp with the likes of Kate Moss. She dug out every video she could find, studying Moss’s voice and mannerisms. On a track set up in the church gymnasium, she practiced Moss’s walk, paying close attention to her stride and attitude. She also worked with movement coach Polly Bennett and vocal coach Louise Jones, who trained Bamber in Moss’s trademark Croydon accent and ensured she accounted for the necessary gruffness and slight air of mischief.
“The biggest thing we spend hours doing is laughter, like giggling,” Bamber said. In fact, she was so obsessed with it that she and her brother, who lived in London, had to get involved. “Towards the end of filming, my daily laughter got a little funny and my brother said, ‘You have to stop,'” she said.
Bamber also spent time with Moss—the two had met at parties before, including once shortly after she landed the role—and wore several rare pieces in the film from the model’s own archives, selected by Moss’ friend James Brown. These include the John Galliano Union Jack blazer and vintage blue sequined dress Moss wore to her 30th birthday party.
To prepare her body, Bamber followed a rigorous exercise regimen, wore photochromic contact lenses and dyed her hair. She also had to get used to performing nude.
“It’s something I think about a lot,” Bamber said, “because obviously Kate has experienced a lot of nude photography in her life.” At home, Bamber would maintain the position Moss occupied in the painting—though there was the more subtle issue of separating Moss’s comfort as a fashion muse from her vulnerability in Freud’s studio as she succumbed to his uncompromising gaze.
All the while, Bamber and Derek Jacobi, who played Floyd, worked hard to cultivate an on-screen intimacy. “We met a few times before we started filming, essentially to get to know each other, but what ended up happening was an unexpected and delightful friendship,” Jacoby wrote in an email.
In another example of life imitating art, Bamber admitted that after smoking so much in the movie, she picked up the habit in real life and learned a few things from Moss in the process.
Bamber recalled that Moss was on set with her on the first day of filming. “I had a dressing room in this house and I was so worried about going out to smoke. I remember her saying, ‘What are you doing? Just smoke right here.’ It was just a perfect moment — just naughty about it. I thought, I need to learn from her experience and break more rules.”
Mauss and Freud Now available on VOD.
