‘You don’t realise you’re exposing yourself’: Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, and Nicole Kidman on posing for Peter Lindbergh
This article was originally published in January 2018. Peter Lindbergh has died aged 74.
Known for his cinematic images, Peter Lindbergh is recognised as one of the most influential contemporary photographers and the man who created the supermodels. Here seven actors pay tribute to the German.
Kate Winslet, 42
“There is something very beautiful and moving about [Lindbergh] bringing us all together and photographing everybody completely stripped back and very much ourselves.
You won’t see anyone altered digitally. We will all absolutely be the age we are – and that’s very much his intention. Well, isn’t it OK to just be 40, or 50, or 60?”
Nicole Kidman, 50
“I know [Peter] so well so there is an enormous sense of trust involved and friendship there… I would have felt incredibly shy if it was somebody else. So much of trying to capture an image is intuition and that’s what Peter has: a strong idea of what he wants. I love that confidence.”
Helen Mirren, 72
“Looking at women has not simply to do with literal beauty, but more to do with presence, personality, their influence and power. I really thought about it this morning coming to work: about who I am at this very moment in time. And how can I then show that in an honest and straightforward way to Peter’s camera.”
Robin Wright, 51
“It is difficult to open up and show that raw side. [Peter Lindbergh] breaks through the veil so delicately that you don’t even realise that you are exposing yourself. He just eliminates any guardedness.”
Lupita Nyong’o, 34
“When I’m playing a role, it’s a lot of work to get to a point where I’m portraying another character; this is kind of doing the work in reverse.”
Charlotte Rampling, 71
“He wants to get to that vulnerable part of yourself that perhaps you’d only show to your very intimate loved ones. I want him to show that! I want to reveal myself through his eyes to other people in that way.”
Uma Thurman, 47
“[A Lindbergh shoot] is almost like an interview, but with a camera. People might have an idea about you. They want you to be different or something more sexy or more interesting than you are. But with Peter there is no preconception. He has a tremendous respect for everyone around him and that really creates the atmosphere.”
Peter Lindbergh: Shadows on the Wall (Taschen, ￡79.99) is available now
