Victoria Szelachowska and Isabel Langguth
26 Mar 2025
Blimey’s Victoria Szelachowska and Izzy Langguth attended an early screening of the new biographical documentary, Twiggy at the Electric Cinema with an exclusive opportunity to interview director Sadie Frost and Twiggy herself.
Sadie Frost’s new documentary Twiggy gives us an unfiltered glimpse into an era defining supermodel that shaped not only the modelling world but also all aspects of the entertainment industry. Frost captures the enigmatic life of Lesley Lawson, a fifteen-year-old girl from Northwest London who is swept up in the tide of her fame with a carefully curated mix of interviews from friends and family, archival footage, and never before seen photographs. The documentary provides a rare insight into all aspects of Twiggy’s life through her acting, singing, and modelling careers. Whether you are a die-hard fan or know her as the girl who humiliated Woody Allen on TV, there are things that will still surprise you in this documentary.
At the forefront of this documentary is a beautiful ode to individualism. Frost fiercely captures elements of Twiggy which are seen as a little odd and quirky but are hailed as the defining reason as to why Twiggy has become so revered. Her boyishly styled hair, freckled cheeks and wide doe eyed gaze sensationalised the 60s with a refreshingly novel approach to the conventional standards of female beauty.
She serendipitously stumbled into the world of modelling, but her impact was crystal clear from the very first photo. A posterchild for the decade’s Mod movement, she revolutionised the fashion scene by embracing simplicity and propelling her quintessential androgenous style into the fashion world.
The documentary explores the many eras of Twiggy, looking beyond her surprisingly short yet impressionable four-year modelling career. After leaving the modelling world behind in 1970, Twiggy broke her way into the world of acting, securing two Golden Globe wins for Ken Russell’s 1971 ‘The Boy Friend’. She continued her acting career until eventually making her Broadway debut in the musical ‘My One and Only” in 1983. Though initially scared, it turned out to be a cherished experience in which she would soon win a Tony award for her portray of Edythe Herbert.
Sadie Frost manages to provide a nuanced portrayal of Twiggy’s life, showing moments filled with heartbreak, oppression and despair. Because like us all, Twiggy is only human, she transcends her icon status and showcases that beneath all of the glitz and the glam is a women has also struggled to find herself.
Frost interweaves an impressive collection of celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Sienna Miller and Dustin Hoffman that speak to Twiggy’s uniqueness as well as her indelible impression within the industry. Paul McCartney’s rerecording of Blackbird was particularly moving, with the documentary wrapping up with unseen archival footage of Twiggy, that she herself found quite emotional.
In a post-screening interview with Blimey, we asked Twiggy if her level of fame had ever got easier; she had mixed feelings. “I’ve been famous most of my life now, and there are parts of fame that I like and parts that I don’t. I think my family has always helped keep me grounded and protected, so I think I would have struggled a lot more without them. In careers like this, family and friends are the most important things to see you through.” We also managed to ask Sadie Frost about her process of curation of the archival footage, with her stating that it was a substantial task as she “sorted through hundreds of hours of footage and till she found the ones that showcased Twiggy’s authenticity and life best’
When asked if there was any chance of a biopic in the future, she responded with a sly grin and a vague “watch this space, is all I can say.”