Natural Nylon was a British film and theatre production company, in operation from 1997 to 2003.
It was officially formed in 1997 by Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewan McGregor, Sean Pertwee, Damon Bryant, Bradley Adams, and Geoff Deehan, although the history of the group goes back a few years earlier. Natural Nylon was formed with the aim of giving those involved more control over their careers, 'supporting British acting talent, and keeping it in the UK'. [1]
Bryant had quit his job as cameraman in 1991 and, together with his wife, opened a club on Beak Street in London's Soho. He struck up a friendship with TV producer Bradley Adams, whose wife introduced them to Frost, who was going out with Law after meeting him on the set of Shopping . McGregor and Pertwee had also met Law through this film - Pertwee also appeared in it and McGregor read for the part that went to Law. Completing the line-up was Miller, a friend of Law since they met at the National Youth Music Theatre in their late teens. The majority of the group lived in the Primrose Hill area, and were part of the Primrose Hill set.
Natural Nylon was formed in the late 90s, and the first film to be produced by Natural Nylon was David Cronenberg's eXistenZ (1999) which was followed by Nora (2000), XX/XY (2002), Owning Mahowny (2003), To Kill a King (2003), and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004). They co-produced an acclaimed adaptation of Dr Faustus at the Young Vic in 2002. [2]
Bryant and McGregor left the company in 2002, and Law resigned as director in January 2003, with the reason given as the taking off of the Hollywood careers of McGregor and Law. [3] [4] As the company was effectively wound down in early 2003, Variety wrote "Natural Nylon never lived up to its Britpack hype. Founded seven years ago amid claims by the actor partners that it would enable them to take greater control over their careers, it only managed to get its name on four films — 'eXistenZ,' 'Nora' and the upcoming 'To Kill a King' and 'Owning Mahowny.'" [5]
A Doll's House is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month. The play is set in a Norwegian town c. 1879.
Jonathan Lee Miller is a British actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama film Trainspotting (1996) and as Dade Murphy in Hackers (1995) before earning further critical recognition for his performances in Afterglow (1997), Mansfield Park (1999), Mindhunters (2004),The Flying Scotsman (2006), Endgame (2009), and T2 Trainspotting (2017). For The Flying Scotsman he received a London Film Critics' Circle nomination for Actor of the Year. He was also part of the principal cast in the films Melinda and Melinda (2004), Dark Shadows (2012), and Byzantium (2013). He has appeared in several theatrical productions, most notably After Miss Julie and Frankenstein, the latter of which earned him an Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Existenz is a 1999 science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by David Cronenberg. The film follows Allegra Geller, a game designer who finds herself targeted by assassins while playing a virtual reality game of her own creation. An international co-production between Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, it also stars Jude Law, Ian Holm, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie, Sarah Polley, Christopher Eccleston, Willem Dafoe, and Robert A. Silverman.
David Jude Heyworth Law is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films, later gaining recognition for his role in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Sean Carl Roland Pertwee is an English actor, narrator and producer with an extensive career since the 1980s in television and cinema productions.
Sadie Liza Frost is an English actress, producer and fashion designer. Her credits as an actress include Empire State (1987), Diamond Skulls, also known as Dark Obsession (1989), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), The Krays (1990), Magic Hunter (1994), Shopping (1994), A Pyromaniac's Love Story (1995), Flypaper (1997), Final Cut (1998), Captain Jack (1999), Love, Honour and Obey (2000), Beyond the Rave (2008), Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism (2015), and A Bird Flew In (2021).
The Primrose Hill set is a name applied to a group of celebrities in the 1990s, who were based in Primrose Hill, near Camden Town in North London, and had, in the words of Andrew Johnson writing in The Independent in 2010, a reputation for "having a whale of a time with drink, drugs and bed-hopping".
John Reginald Neville, CM, OBE was an English theatre and film actor who moved to Canada in 1972. He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).
Niamh Cusack is an Irish actress. Born to a family with deep roots in the performing arts, she has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre, and many others. Her most notable television role was as Dr. Kate Rowan in the UK series Heartbeat (1992–1995). Other tv and film credits include Always and Everyone (1999–2002), The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992–1995), The Closer You Get (2000), Agatha Christie's Marple, Midsomer Murders (2008), A Touch of Frost (2010), In Love with Alma Cogan (2011), Testament of Youth (2014), Departure (2015), Chick Lit, The Ghoul (2016), The Virtues (2019), Death in Paradise (2021), The Tower (2023). She has been nominated at IFTA for her performance in Too Good to be True (2004).
Tube Tales is a 1999 British anthology film of nine short films based on the true-life experiences of London Underground passengers as submitted to Time Out magazine. The stories were scripted and filmed independently of each other. Filming took place on the London Underground network in 1999 by nine directors including Stephen Hopkins, Charles McDougall and Bob Hoskins, with directorial debuts by Ewan McGregor and Jude Law. The film was produced by Richard Jobson and is also Simon Pegg's film debut, in a small role.
Final Cut is a film released in 1998, jointly written and directed by Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis. It features several actors from the Primrose Hill set. It was nominated for the Golden Hitchcock at the 1999 Dinard Festival of British Cinema. All the characters in this film share their forename with the actors who play them, a gimmick used in the directors' later film Love, Honour and Obey.
Love, Honour and Obey is a 2000 mock gangster film starring several members of the Primrose Hill set. It was jointly written and directed by Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis as a follow-up to their 1998 film Final Cut. As with Final Cut, most of the characters have the same name as the actors who play them. The film also features a cameo appearance from former East London boxer turned comedian, Ricky Grover.
Blue Juice is a 1995 British comedy drama film directed by Carl Prechezer and starring Sean Pertwee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ewan McGregor, and Steven Mackintosh. It follows JC (Pertwee) as he attempts to reconcile his surfer lifestyle and loser friends, with the pressure to grow up from his girlfriend (Jones). Blue Juice was set in Cornwall, and released in 1995 by FilmFour.
Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from 2000 to 2005 he was Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres.
Shopping is a 1994 British action crime drama film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, in his directorial debut, about a group of British teenagers who indulge in joyriding and ramraiding. It was the first major leading role for actor Jude Law, who first met his co-star and future wife Sadie Frost on the set of the film.
Sean Gerard Mathias is a Welsh actor, director, and writer. He is known for directing the film Bent and for directing highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York City, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney.
Christopher Oram is a British theatre set and costume designer.
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Kevin Loader is a British film and television producer. Since 1996, he and co-owner Roger Michell have run a London-based production company, Free Range Films, through which the pair have made several feature films directed by Michell, including The Mother, Enduring Love, Venus, Hyde Park on Hudson, and Le Week-end. Their most recent film is an adaptation by Michell of Daphne Du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel. The company is also developing and producing film and television projects with other directors. Loader was awarded the Bafta for Best Television Serial in 2015 for The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies.
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