To prepare for the part, Bamber underwent a Kate Moss boot camp of sorts. She dug up every video she could find and studied Moss\u2019s voice and mannerisms. On a runway set up in a church gymnasium, she practiced Moss\u2019s walk, paying close attention to her stride and attitude. She also worked with movement coach Polly Bennett and vocal coach Louise Jones, the latter of whom drilled Bamber on Moss\u2019s signature Croydon accent and made sure she factored in the requisite rasp\u2014and slight air of mischief.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big thing that we spent hours on was the laugh, like the cackle,\u201d Bamber says. In fact, it grew into a bit of an obsession\u2014so much so that her younger brother, with whom she lives in London, had to intervene. \u201cTowards the end of filming, my everyday laugh got a bit funny, and my brother was like, \u2018You have to stop,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Bamber and Kate Moss last October<\/p>\n
<\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Bamber also spent some time with Moss\u2014the two had met before at parties, including one just after she got the part\u2014and wore a few prized pieces from the model\u2019s own archive for the film, pulled by Moss\u2019s friend James Brown. These included a John Galliano Union Jack blazer<\/a> and a vintage blue sequined dress that Moss wore to her 30th birthday party<\/a>.<\/p>\n To prepare physically, Bamber stuck to a rigorous workout routine, wore color-changing contact lenses, and dyed her hair. She also had to get comfortable performing nude.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was something that I thought about a lot,\u201d says Bamber, \u201cbecause obviously Kate has experienced being nude for photographs so much in her life.\u201d At home, Bamber would hold the position that Moss assumes for the painting\u2014though there was also the subtler matter of teasing apart Moss\u2019s comfort as a fashion muse from her vulnerability in Freud\u2019s studio, as she surrendered to his uncompromising eye.<\/p>\n Freud\u2019s real portrait of Kate Moss, titled Naked Portrait 2002<\/em>, at Christie\u2019s in 2004<\/p>\n <\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n All the while, Bamber and Derek Jacobi, who plays Freud, worked to cultivate a closeness that comes through onscreen. \u201cWe met several times before we started shooting, essentially to get to know each other, but what transpired was an unexpected and delightful friendship,\u201d Jacobi writes in an email.<\/p>\n In another instance of life imitating art, Bamber admits that after smoking so much in the film, she picked up the habit in real life\u2014and learned a little something from Moss in the process.<\/p>\n On the first day of shooting, Moss was on set with her, Bamber recalls. \u201cI had this dressing room in this house, and I was quite concerned about going out and having a cigarette. And I remember her being like, \u2018What are you doing? Just have a cigarette in here.\u2019 It was just this perfect moment\u2014just the naughtiness of it. I needed to take a leaf out of her book and break a few more rules, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Freuds](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/62e704ae65f1825cb32e3926\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/GettyImages-119557034.jpg\"\/)
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