'I felt objectified and scared': Kate Moss reveals unease shooting Calvin Klein campaign with 'macho' Mark Wahlberg in 1992
Kate Moss, the British fashion model whose willowy figure and natural beauty redefined the industry in the 1990s, has spoken out about the entertainment industry's dark side. In a recent interview, Moss, 48, recalled the shoot she did for Calvin Klein with Mark Wahlberg in 1992, as well as other events that made her anxious.
Speaking with host Lauren Laverne of BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs' show on Sunday, July 24, Moss said she felt "objectified" on the set of her infamous Calvin Klein photoshoot. When asked about the black-and-white ad in which she sat topless on Mark Wahlberg's lap, the supermodel replied, "Not very good memories. He was very macho, and it was all about him. He had a big entourage. I was just this model."
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"You felt objectified?" Laverne questioned, to which Moss replied, "Yeah, completely. And vulnerable and scared … I think they played on my vulnerability. I was quite young and innocent, Calvin loved that." This shoot tormented Moss for a while, and she later admitted that she "really didn't feel well" in the days leading up to the photoshoot. She claimed that she couldn't get out of bed for a week or two and had severe anxiety.
Moss had previously spoken to Vanity Fair about her discomfort during the Calvin Klein shoot. She revealed during the conversation with James Fox that she had a "nervous breakdown" and started to think she was "going to die." Moss said at the time, "I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts. It didn't feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn't like it. I couldn't get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die."
In 2020, Wahlberg discussed the infamous ad in an interview with The Guardian. Wahlberg, 51, admitted that he was "probably a little rough around the edges" during the shoot, but he and Moss aren't picking fighting. Wahlberg told the publication, "I wasn't very … worldly, let's say that. But I've seen her and said hello. I think we saw each other at a concert here and there, we said hi and exchanged pleasantries."
Moss also discussed her modelling career and recalled a "horrible experience" when she was 15 years old during the 'Desert Island Discs' interview. She claims she was asked to take her bra off during a photoshoot. "I was only 15, probably, and he said, 'Take your top off' and I took my top off. And I was really shy then about my body," Moss tried to explain. "And he said 'Take your bra off,' and I could feel there was something wrong, so I got my stuff and I ran away. I think it sharpened my instincts. I can tell a wrong 'un a mile away."
