It’s hard to keep your private life out of the public eye when you’re one of the most recognised women in the world – but that doesn’t mean Kate Moss didn’t try. While she was inevitably papped with rumoured boyfriends, outside venues and among friends, if you think long and hard about how much we actually know about her, you’ll likely come up with few facts that have been confirmed by Moss herself. In fact, she’s famous for barely giving any interviews. It’s incredible how one of the most photographed women in the world is also one of the most unknown. 

Moss’ protected privacy has no doubt added to her allure – and yet, at the age of 52, she has finally allowed the cameras in to depict one of her most intimate friendships. Named Moss & Freud, the semi-biographical film by Oscar-winning filmmaker James Lucas hones in on just a nine-month period of her life that resulted in a prized piece of art. As the film lands in cinemas today (29 May 2026), we delve into the true story behind the friendship between Moss and world-renowned painter, Lucian Freud. 

What is Moss & Freud about? 

Charting the unique friendship between 28-year-old Moss and 79-year-old Freud, the true story begins when Moss mentions in an 2000 interview with Dazed & Confused magazine how much she admired Freud’s work and that she’d like to be painted by him. At the time, Freud – despite an artistic career underpinned by international success – was a recluse, and was widely known for being reluctant to paint anyone outside of his chosen circle and actively opted against using celebrity subjects (he even declined Princess Diana). When Moss mentioned him, however, his ears pricked up. Geordie Greig wrote in his 2013 biography Breakfast With Freud that Moss was an exception because “it went against all his instincts to use a professional model, but with her he was intrigued. She was wild and unpredictable. He liked rebels.” Freud asked his daughter, Bella, to arrange a meeting and the two first met over dinner at a London restaurant. 

What followed were discreet meetings at Freud’s Notting Hill studio, where she would sit for him naked from 7pm-2am, seven days a week. At the time, Moss was pregnant with her daughter Lila, which gave Freud a deadline of nine months. At first, the friendship seemed frictious; Freud had little patience for Moss’ tardiness – she told The Times in 2012 “If I was, like, two seconds late, he would kick off. Once, I was three minutes late, and he went absolutely berserk” – and party habits, but he soon started to soften. 

The nocturnal painting sessions involved deep conversations, with Moss & Freud featuring scenes of Freud, played by Derek Jacobi, talking about his second wife Caroline Blackwood and daughter Bella (Jasmine Blackborow). Moss (Ellie Bamber), in return, spoke candidly about feeling burnt out and her qualms with being objectified and stereotyped as a wild party animal. What is not pictured in the film, however, is how Freud, who learned to tattoo in the Merchant Navy, inked two swallows at the base of her spine in between painting sessions. 

Ultimately, the painting resulted in an unlikely platonic friendship between Moss and Freud. She told The Times: “I’ve met lots of interesting people, but Lucian Freud is the one who sticks out because I spent so much time with him. He taught me discipline, which I hadn’t been taught properly before.” Rumours of the duo dating swirled ever since they were photographed together, but Moss vehemently denies this. They remained friends until Freud died in 2011. 

Why is Naked Portrait so significant? 

Named Naked Portrait (2002) – where Moss is lying over a bed with a rounded belly and wispy hair framing her face – Freud initially sold it to a private collector via his New York dealer. Having missed the deadline for it to be shown in his Tate Modern retrospective in 2002 – he didn’t show up to its opening because he was rumoured to be finishing the portrait – the first time the painting went on display to the public was when it was acquired by Christie’s London in 2005 and was sold for £3.9 million ($5.2 million) to anonymous telephone bidder. 

While the price tag broke records at the time, what remains so iconic about Naked Portrait is the way it depicts Moss. Christie’s even described it as a “union of opposites”, making waves in the world of art for combining Moss’s fashion reputation with Freud’s vulnerable and realistic study of the human body. It showed Moss in a different light, moving away from the magazine shots of a young girl to a portrait of an adult woman growing a child. 

Despite it being one of Freud’s most recognised works, he told his biographer Greig that “the picture didn’t really work”. Moss has since said: “He didn’t really like the picture, and I didn’t, really. I had a great time but it’s not, like, my favourite Lucian painting.”

How involved was Kate Moss in Moss & Freud?

Aside from its subject matter, the fervour around the film is also because of Moss’ role as executive producer. Having turned down countless opportunities to take part in films and documentaries, filmmaker Lucas – who scooped an Academy Award for his short film, The Phone Call, in 2013 – penned a handwritten letter to Moss about his ambition and, to his surprise, she agreed to meet him. She was also actively involved in casting Bamber, and they spent time together to ensure the actress could depict Moss as accurately as possible. 

Talking to Variety on her decision to get involved, Moss said: “After watching The Phone Call, I knew that James would convey the emotion in the storytelling in a fitting way, one this memoir deserves. Having been involved in the project and script development from the beginning I am now very excited to see the film come to life.

“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. [...] I cannot wait to see it.” Us too. 

Moss & Freud lands in UK cinemas on 29 May 2026. 

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