Ellie Bamber and Greg Williams visit Lucian Freud's London studio.

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Ellie Bamber.

[00:00:01]>> [laughter] >> We have photographed together a number of times over the years.

[00:00:08]Tell me why where we are and why we're here. Okay, so we are in we're at Lucian Freud's studio which has been beautifully like kept by David for so many years and we're here because I shot a film a little while ago about Lucian Freud and Kate Moss and their time working together. She was painted by him in this studio for many many months in the evenings and so we're here And you play Kate.

[00:00:40]>> Kate, yeah. That's That's what I thought would be helpful for you to know as well.

[00:00:43]>> [laughter] >> So I play Kate. So um yeah. Should we go inside? Please.

[00:00:49]Wow.

[00:00:51]It's so It's so incredible.

[00:00:55]And you didn't shoot here? No, we didn't shoot here. They recreated this the part of the studio that we that that Kate was painted in. They They made us that so in a house actually which was quite amazing. They did They kind of did all of this with the the paint because Lucian used to like flick paint at the wall which created like this 3D effect. Um and all of the still like discarded like rags that he would use as well and the paint.

[00:01:24]Um and then he's got little reminders on the wall. The masseuse coming in on Thursday.

[00:01:30]So let's introduce David cuz David's You have kindly let us in here. I'm I'm absolutely blown away cuz I uh I'm very excited that it's for Hollywood Authentic that we're seeing this together. So I'm very very grateful. So you were Lucian's How do I assistant >> his assistant for how many years?

[00:01:53]>> 20. Wow.

[00:01:55]>> I live here.

[00:01:56]>> You live here?

[00:01:56]>> I keep the studio. I mean, I paint in the studio myself. I've turned my paintings around so it doesn't distract.

[00:02:02]It's not a working room. It's not a It's not a shrine or anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was in here for every day for 20 years, so It's So, I didn't want to get rid of it, really. This part was the day studio, no electric in the And that's the night studio. When Lucien was here, the the the shutters were always closed.

[00:02:20]And this is the bed that Kate was painted on. Yeah, I mean, things move around, so And the markings on the floor mean That's the And that's See how different it So, when the lights come on, So different.

[00:02:34]I feel so theatrical suddenly, doesn't it? I feel like I'm on a set. I would love to see you on the bed and talk.

[00:02:41]>> This feels pretty insane, actually.

[00:02:43]This is all as was.

[00:02:45]>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:02:48]Incredible.

[00:02:50]Thank you, David.

[00:02:51]>> Thank you so much, David. I can't believe that we're in here. It's like the craziest craziest thing. There was something that Lucien did, which was trying to get to the true person.

[00:03:03]>> Yeah, I think also like it was such a amazing like interplay between like artist and muse and how involved she was in the piece as well of like bringing herself in that moment, you know? And the fact that she decided that she wanted to be nude for the painting as well, I think. It's also interesting being watched by someone like that and being painted. Could you show me how was she posed in it? The arm was like that.

[00:03:33]Here. Yeah.

[00:03:35]Here's me. Hello.

[00:03:37]I think it was like this.

[00:03:40]I don't know if you feel this being in here, but it does have like quite a warm energy. Mhm. Like it feels like you're in a bit of a cocoon. Also like the hum of the lights as well. Yeah.

[00:03:53]I wonder if they were his shoes.

[00:03:56]Definitely his shoes.

[00:03:57]>> I think they were definitely his shoes.

[00:03:59]Kate is like a Like she's a total one-of-a-kind human being.

[00:04:05]I love her, and I also love having a laugh with her. Like she's very funny and very naughty, which is which is so funny.

[00:04:11]>> She's got the best laugh. Can you do her laugh?

[00:04:14]>> can do her laugh. Do you want me to do it now?

[00:04:17]Oh my god, wait. I haven't done this in ages.

[00:04:20]>> [laughter] >> It's kind of like that.

[00:04:24]So, that's the position.

[00:04:30]This leg's a bit bent. Your right leg needs to bend a bit. That's it.

[00:04:33]>> That.

[00:04:37]So, that's you.

[00:04:38]And then he would have been here. There.

[00:04:41]Yeah.

[00:04:43]I guess so.

[00:04:45]It'd be about here.

[00:04:51]Is this a milestone in your life, this film? It feels like one of the biggest kind of like learning experiences I've had, really. I felt like I had responsibility to her to make it like truthful, but and I wanted to handle it with a lot of care. You've done serious theater.

[00:05:10]Yeah, I love I love doing theater, and but it did I think maybe what you're leading on to is that it did feel like a play.

[00:05:18]>> It did, yeah. It really did, because I think working like Sir Derek Jacobi, I mean, Derek is just When I When we first met, we had like lunch together, and he kind of mentioned Laurence, and I was like, "Okay." And then I was like, "Wait.

[00:05:35]Wait. Are you talking about Laurence Olivier?" And he was like, "Yes." If you think about the people that have come in and out of this room throughout time, it's baffling, you know?

[00:05:46]It's so amazing to be singing here like now the film is done and it's coming out.

[00:05:52]It feels like a this definitely feels like the end of like the chapter, you know?

[00:05:58]Yeah.

[00:05:59]It's full circle. Full circle, exactly.

[00:06:02]Can you tell me about where you grew up?

[00:06:05]What sort of Yeah.

[00:06:08]I lived in a place near Reading called Finchampstead. It's a small town. When I started acting I was like traveling so much up to London for auditions, for like work and then I did a play at the Old Vic.

[00:06:24]Um it was a musical, High Society. I moved up to London up to London from then basically and I stayed. At the time I was in Waterloo and I was staying in a lady's house. It was like a house share. And I was quite young and I think maybe at quite a rebellious point in my life. How old?

[00:06:43]I think I was like 17. How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an actor?

[00:06:48]I think I was quite young when I really knew because I would kind of get all of the members of like my family to do like little shows with me. I did a lot of it when I was younger and then forgot about it for a while and then I had this amazing drama teacher who basically convinced me to audition for the school play cuz I was a bit like, "Mhm, I don't know if I wanted to do that." And he was like, "No, no, you should definitely come in and audition."

[00:07:11]And then after that I kind of I knew knew then, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:07:15]What age is that?

[00:07:17]I got must have been like 12, 13.

[00:07:23]Yeah, and then I did my first theater job when I was like 15, 16 I think it was.

[00:07:30]And did you have an a B plan?

[00:07:34]No.

[00:07:35]>> [snorts] >> I didn't have a B plan. I've started like doing some producing myself because I feel like I want to be able to like try and create the roles that I might want to do and maybe also other people might want to do, too.

[00:07:48]So, I'm really enjoying like being that side of the camera and like creating something from a conception, I guess.

[00:07:56]Kay also liked starting working at 15, so that was like a that was a similarity that I think from the beginning going into it, I had this idea that she started working at such a young age and kind of was thrown into a creative world and had to kind of roll with it. It's been a learning experience for me, you know, I would kind of roll with it to begin with and and go with things and, you know, I kind of be quite hopeful and now I think more I'm quite driven by my choices and what I want to do and like where I want to go.

[00:08:31]Um, so leaning into that more, I guess.

[00:08:34]So, more empowered. More empowered, exactly. Yes, that's the word.

[00:08:39]Um, so I think maybe that's where I've been on that journey with Kay is like feeling more empowered and having like more agency. Nice. Yeah.

[00:08:49]Nice. Thank you so much for your time and for arranging this incredible experience. Thank you.

[00:08:55]>> can't believe that. I know, I literally can't believe it. It's crazy. No, no, no, no, it's wonderful.

[00:09:00]Thank you so much for organizing. Thank you. No, thank you so much. Thank you.