Sadie Frost knew she wanted to document Twiggy: ‘Such an exciting, wonderful human being’
Director Sadie Frost wanted to celebrate Twiggy in her new documentary about the iconic model, actress, and singer who was dubbed “the face of 1966”.
Sadie Frost wanted to make a documentary about Twiggy because she is still a fashion icon now after first exploding onto the scene in 1966.
In an exclusive interview with BANG Showbiz at the premiere of ‘Twiggy’ held at Vue Cinema in London’s Leicester Square on Thursday night (06.03.25), Frost said: “Twiggy is such an exciting, wonderful human being.”
The director continued: “From the moment she became a model in 1966, she became the face of 1966. Right up until now, she’s still relevant, doing Charlotte Tilbury campaigns, on the cover of Vogue, still modeling, still being active, recording albums. I just wanted to tell that story and celebrate women and celebrate her.”
The documentary ‘Twiggy’ — directed by Frost and produced by the BBC and Film Soho — became available for wide release in the UK and Ireland on Friday (07.03.25). The film follows the legendary career of Twiggy, who skyrocketed to international success after she was discovered to model at the age of 16 and dubbed “the face of 1966”.
Frost, also a producer, fashion designer, and actress, said of Twiggy: “She was quite nervous about telling her story. People had asked her before, but there was a certain amount of trust between the two of us.”
The idea first arose when Frost appeared on the podcast ‘Tea with Twiggy’ to promote ‘Quant’, her 2021 documentary about fashion designer Mary Quant. Frost teased Twiggy — whose real name is Dame Lesley Lawson — that she could be the subject of her next project.
Frost said: “We realized, actually it could become a reality. And then she rang me up and she said, ‘Let’s go for lunch, let’s discuss it’.”
Twiggy said she hadn’t planned to be the subject of a documentary, despite having been approached over the years.
The 75-year-old fashion icon said: “For whatever reason, I was too busy, or the person wasn’t right, or the idea wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
But the instant connection Twiggy felt with Frost made her feel the time was right to tell her story.
Twiggy said: “We got on really well. I loved the fact she was a woman. Actually, our lives are kind of parallel. … I knew we’d be on the same wavelength.”
She added: “She’s become one of my best friends now.”
The quick bond and mutual trust between the two women made for a successful partnership while producing ‘Twiggy’.
Frost said: “I pushed her sometimes because she didn’t want to reveal certain things, but you have to kind of find your journey and your arc in a documentary, and I think we did.”
Frost emphasized that Twiggy was one of the first working-class models at the time, and she hopes audiences take away from the film those themes of possibility and determination.
She said: “[Twiggy] reminds people that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
