Director James Lucas believes his film about a fascinating chapter in Kate Moss's life offers an intriguing glimpse into the complex woman behind the supermodel13:16, 27 May 2026A film out this Friday which ‘lifts the veil’ on supermodel Kate Moss is going to surprise fans, says its Oscar-winning director, James Lucas.‌The 49-year-old, speaking to the Mirror at the premiere of Moss & Freud - which stars Ellie Bamber and Derek Jacobi, says, “Kate has so many layers. She’s fascinating. I really think people watching this film will be surprised.”‌He adds of the enigmatic supermodel, who rarely gives interviews, “She’s very different to how the public might imagine her. She’s very intelligent, charismatic, funny.. She’s Kate Moss. She’s earned it all, as far as I’m concerned!”‌Lucas, who co-wrote and produced The Phone Call starring Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent, which won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, met Moss for the first time when he approached her about making his feature film debut.He says. “Meeting her was definitely a ‘meta’ moment. I was just some film and art bunny on the periphery in the 90s - surviving on canopies at parties and jumping from place to place.‌“Kate Moss was already the high priestess. So going from that to meeting her in the flesh for a movie I was making about her was very special.”Lucas continues, “I wouldn't have been able to do this film without Kate’s approval. I sent her a very old-fashioned letter, outlining who I was and that I had this great idea about a movie about this intriguing section of her life.“I outlined what I thought she might be going through at that pivotal, transformative time in her life. I think that definitely resonated with Kate and pretty soon, we were talking about the movie.”‌Biographical drama Moss & Freud does a deep dive into the unique relationship between catwalk darling Moss and legendary British painter Lucian Freud, who died in 2011, aged 88.‌Theirs was one of the most unlikely artist collaborations of the early 2000s, leading to a lifelong friendship between the two and of course, the celebrated portrait of a Moss - who was pregnant at the time with daughter Lila-Grace, The Naked Portrait (2002) auctioned at Christie's in 2005 for a whopping £3.93 million .It all began when Moss declared in an interview with Dazed and Confused that one of the big ambitions she had left in life was to be painted by Freud, who got wind of her wishes.And though he famously turned down most celebrity commissions, including Princess Diana, Freud invited her to his studio - and after months of late night sittings for him, the result was an impressive full-length oil painting of the supermodel completely nude, reclining on a bed.‌The exacting artist made Moss sit for him seven nights a week, from 7pm to 2am, over a nine-month period - and would famously berate Moss if she was just a few minutes late.For Moss, her life jetsetting across the globe was tumultuous and unpredictable and the sessions provided solace, an eye in the hurricane. She later admitted that he was the first person to have taught her ‘true discipline’.Moss didn’t only come away with an acclaimed portrait - Freud, who learned how to tattoo during his time in the Merchant Navy, also designed and inked two swallows on her lower back, as a symbol of their friendship.‌The artwork is widely considered one of the most valuable pieces of body art on the planet - with estimated valuations exceeding £1 million.Lucas was also drawn to the fascinating story as he loved how creative the backdrop of London was at the time.‌“London in the late noughties, which I was very much part of, was a very exciting time and place.“I'm interested in art, fashion, the psychological and emotional themes we explore, music, the soundtrack we use - and I’m supremely interested in Kate Moss. All these things propelled me to make this film. ““It was a city bristling with creativity from fashion to art, electronic music, the backend of Britpop, film. Wherever you turned someone was creating.‌“It felt like there was a lot of equality back then - if you had a bold idea and a lot of ambition, no matter your background, you could run with it. I don't think that exists so much today - and I’d love to see a return to that.”Sadly, the filmmaker never met Freud, but making the film says he was lucky enough to get to know his long-term assistant David Dawson, who worked with him for twenty years.‌“He gave me some invaluable insight into Freud’s life and character. He was a quirky, idiosyncratic character. And I started writing the screenplay in Lucien’s actual art studio.“Through my research, I was able to create an authentic world, so hopefully, the audience gets to peek behind the curtain and see the real Kate, and the real Lucien.”Beyond the celebrity, Lucas hopes people see the film’s main theme as universal - about the power of human connection.‌“If I could distill it, it’s about truth. About human connection, perhaps in very unexpected places or pairings.“I hope audiences go away seeing commonalities with Kate and Lucien though they’re these huge cultural figures - they’ll empathise with these two incredible people. We're all human, after all. But… Kate Moss is still Kate Moss!Moss & Freud is in cinemas from Friday, 29 MayArticle continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .