Like Mother, Like Son

THE ACTRESS AND HER ONLY CHILD GET CANDID ABOUT THEIR HEADLINE-MAKING NEW MOVIE AND 'TWIN-LIKE' BOND

- ERIC ANDERSSON

Elizabeth Hurley's son Damian had the vision, precision and ambition of a polished Hollywood director when he was just a kid. "I gave him his first camcorder when he was around 8. And from that moment on, he filmed us nonstop. He wrote scripts. He bullied every friend and family member into making his mini-films," recalls the British actress and model. Cast members included A-listers and athletes alike: Four Weddings and a Funeral star Hugh Grant (Elizabeth's ex and one of Damian's godfathers) was featured, and Elizabeth's then fiancé, the late cricket player Shane Warne, "played many a lead role," adds Damian. "Every single person was a phenomenal sport." Thinking his obsession was a childhood hobby, Elizabeth, 58, made her boy a promise, she remembers: "If you ever make a real movie, I'll be in it.""

Then "my bluff was called," as Elizabeth puts it. A couple years ago the 22-year-old model and drama school grad was asked by a Lionsgate exec, who'd seen a short movie Damian had made, to write and direct a full-length feature film. The result is the sexy, twisty mystery Strictly Confidential, which stars Elizabeth as Lily, a wealthy woman whose daughter Rebecca drowned near the family home in the Caribbean. A year later Rebecca's best friend, Mia (Georgia Lock), and their group of twentysomething friends reunite at Lily's beachside retreat, where secrets emerge. "To immerse yourself in this world, it's an adventure," says Elizabeth, who calls her role "a bloody good part."