Class Act

If you're looking for Elizabeth Hurley, check the garden. A longtime staple of screens, glossy magazine spreads and red carpetsparticularly since one unforgettable gown sent her profile stratospheric in 1994-one might be surprised to learn that she has quite the green thumb

- FREYA DROHAN

I'm covered in scratches," Elizabeth Hurley laughs. The revelation seems in contrast with her bona fide movie star guise, which manages to radiate even through Zoom despite the sometimes-spotty WiFi in her Herefordshire, England, manor. "The minute we hang up, I'm about to go outside and attack something! I feel much more creative when I can go outside. If I'm stuck on something, I'll go hack down a weed and then feel better." As the owner of one of the most deliciously posh British accents in the entertainment industry, she makes even the mere idea of weeding sound positively glamorous.

It's one of her golden rules these days: For 15 minutes out of every hour, she'll leave the desk and go breathe in the air of the "deep countryside"-her sanity saver for the past two decades-and peek over at her alpacas and grain fields. From the get-go, the "mummy, actress, model, farmer, bikini designer" (as her Instagram bio proclaims) was adamant that she didn't want to raise her son, Damian, in London.

Now 22 years old, Damian is, to use British parlance, a chip off the old block. A model and actor with a mane of enviable hair and bone structure that echo his mum's, he made his feature writing and directorial debut with the 2024 film "Strictly Confidential." Much to the Internet's delight, albeit with some raised eyebrows, the picture features steamy scenes between Elizabeth and her female co-star. At present, both Hurleys are finalizing financing for Damian's next project, which Elizabeth will produce via her latest labor of love, a production company she formed earlier this year with a friend.