Meet Damian Hurley, the nepo baby causing controversy for directing his mum Elizabeth in sexy thriller Strictly Confidential – the duo often make headlines for their Instagram posts together too
British actress Elizabeth Hurley and her 22-year-old son Damian are causing a stir after it emerged that the youngster’s directorial debut – Strictly Confidential – sees him directing his mum in a hot and heavy risqué scene.
Though the fact that Elizabeth’s provocative scene was directed by her son has raised eyebrows, the pair have defended their work, with the 58-year-old actress saying she had no problem filming it. “It was important. There’s nothing gratuitous. I guess it’s just for me. I’ve just been myself, I can’t help it if people view it that way.” she told Entertainment Tonight.
This isn’t the first time Damian has worked on a project with his mum either. Like all nepo babies worth their salt, he is already well on his way to a career in showbiz, having previously co-starred with Elizabeth in an E! series called The Royals. The spitting image of his mother, he’s also found plenty of work in the modelling scene.
Here are five things to know about Damian Hurley …
He lost his father
Damian was born into a well-off family. Other than his famous mother, his late father, Steve Bing, was a wealthy businessman and producer, and his grandfather was billionaire Peter Bing, a property developer and one of the wealthiest people in the US.
Bing had initially denied being the father of Hurley’s baby until a DNA test confirmed otherwise, per a BBC report. Later, Hurley refused Bing’s offer of financial support for Damian – said to be worth about US$2.2 million – British Vogue reported in 2002. “Damian and I are managing very well by ourselves,” the Austin Powers actress said at the time.
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In 2020, Bing died by suicide, having jumped from his flat window, according to People. He was just 55. Damian later posted about his grief on Instagram, and thanked those who had extended their condolences.
The mother and son duo were later in the news again, this time concerning Damian being cut off from Steve’s inheritance, per Hello!.
Born to be a model
Damian was only 17 when he got a call telling him that renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel wanted him to star in a campaign he was shooting in New York. Despite not having modelled before, he took the chance. “In a moment of madness I agreed, flew out, did the shoot and made it back to school in time for my first class on Monday,” he told Vogue India.
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In the same interview, he named supermodels Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen as his inspirations. He signed with IMG models in 2021 and has been the face of make-up artist Pat McGrath’s cosmetics line.
He’s a fragrance guy
Asked about his daily essentials by Vogue India, Hurley said that he always brings a mini cologne sample with him together with his phone, wallet and chapstick. “Scent is very important – it can instantly wake you up and make you feel sexy,” he told the magazine.
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His godfathers are famous icons
Cool mum Liz chose A-listers to stand as her only son’s godfathers. The list includes the actress’ former flame Hugh Grant, musical legend Elton John and the late Heath Ledger among them.
His directorial debut
Damian’s inspiration for the thriller Strictly Confidential – which gets its release on April 5 – came after the loss of a close friend according to an interview he gave to Entertainment Tonight.
“I first came up with this idea when I was 17 after I lost a very close friend of mine to suicide, which was a really devastating time,” he said.
“It was the first loss that me and most of my friends had ever known and the world fell apart and Covid happened and that idea got tucked into a little drawer. I made a short film over lockdown, which one of the head executives at Lionsgate saw and I got a call out of the blue saying that they wanted me to write and direct a feature for them, which is insane to hear.” he added.
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He shares a close relationship with his mother
Other than the striking resemblance to his superstar mum, Damian is also his mother’s biggest cheerleader. The mum-and-son duo have often made headlines for their Instagram posts – in particular the countless shots of Elizabeth posing in sultry bikinis photographed by her son.
A staunch advocate of breast cancer awareness, Elizabeth once revealed via Hello! how much her son has supported her in this journey. “It’s been part of Damian’s life ever since he could walk and talk, to be honest,” she said.
Damian has called his mother his best friend, twin and favourite human on Instagram.
- Mum and son have worked together before in an E! series called The Royals, and Damian has found himself in demand as a model since the age of 17 thanks to his striking looks
- His celebrity godfathers include Elton John and his mother’s former flame Hugh Grant, and he cites supermodels Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen as his inspirations