Who Is Amber Valletta? Boat Name Mystery In Paddington

The 2014 live-action animated comedy film Paddington features a boat with the name Amber Valletta on it. This is a reference to the American actress and model Amber Evangeline Valletta, who was born in 1974 and began her career as a fashion model.

Amber Valletta's career as a model

Amber Valletta's name appears in the movie Paddington because of a photograph taken by Glen Luchford for the Prada 1997 autumn/winter campaign. The photograph, featuring Valletta modelling Prada in a sinking boat, was taken on the River Tiber in Rome.

Now, on to Valletta's career as a model:

Amber Evangeline Valletta, born in 1974, is an American model and actress. She began her career as a fashion model at the age of 15 when her mother enrolled her in modelling school at the Linda Layman Agency. At 18, she landed her first American Vogue cover, and she has since appeared on the cover of American Vogue 13 times, second only to Claudia Schiffer's 16. Valletta has been deemed one of the biggest models of her generation, inheriting the supermodel crown from the likes of Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. She has graced the covers of several international fashion magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, i-D, Interview, and Elle, and has walked in fashion shows for top designers such as Versace, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Valentino. During the 1990s, Valletta reached supermodel status, working as the face of Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Escada, Prada, and Versace, among others. She has also signed multimillion-dollar cosmetics contracts with brands like Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Arden.

In addition to her successful modelling career, Valletta has continued to work with renowned photographers like Steven Meisel, who selected her for the 2014 50th Anniversary Cover of Italian Vogue. Valletta has also been an outspoken advocate for various causes, including raising awareness about the dangers of mercury poisoning in seafood through her work with Oceana's Seafood Contamination Campaign.

Despite leaving the modelling industry for a period to battle addiction, Valletta has returned to modelling and continues to work in the industry. She has successfully balanced her modelling career with acting roles in both television and film, appearing in projects such as "Revenge" and "Legends."

Amber Valletta's acting career

Amber Valletta's name appears on a boat in the Paddington movie due to her modelling work for Prada. In 1997, she posed on a boat on the River Tiber in Rome for the Prada autumn/winter campaign, photographed by Glen Luchford.

Now, onto Amber Valletta's acting career.

Amber Evangeline Valletta is an American model and actress. She began her career in fashion modelling, landing her first of 17 American Vogue covers in February 1993. During the 1990s, she reached supermodel status, working with brands like Giorgio Armani, Chanel, and Prada. In the 2000s, she shifted her focus to acting.

Her first acting role was in the 2000 comedy film "Drop Back Ten". The same year, she landed a supporting role in the supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath", starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. She also appeared in "The Family Man" and had small supporting roles in "Duplex" (2003) and "Raising Helen" (2004).

In 2005, Valletta played the female lead in the romantic comedy "Hitch", starring alongside Will Smith and Kevin James. She also appeared in "Transporter 2" that year, playing the mother of a kidnapped child. She continued to take on film roles, including the lead in the independent coming-of-age film "My Sexiest Year" (2007) and a supporting role in the sci-fi action film "Gamer" (2009).

In 2011, Valletta transitioned to television, landing a recurring role in the ABC drama series "Revenge". She went on to appear in other TV shows, including "Legends" (2014) and "Blood & Oil" (2015).

In addition to her acting career, Valletta has continued her work as a fashion model, appearing in campaigns for brands like Versace, Prada, and Chanel. She has also been an advocate for causes such as Oceana's Seafood Contamination Campaign, raising awareness about mercury poisoning in seafood.

Amber Valletta's personal life

Amber Valletta's name appears on a boat in the Paddington movie due to a Prada photoshoot she modelled for in 1997. The shoot, for the Prada autumn/winter campaign, was photographed by Glen Luchford and took place on the River Tiber in Rome.

Now, as for Amber Valletta's personal life, here is some information I have gathered on the topic:

Amber Valletta was born Amber Evangeline Valletta on February 9, 1974, in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother, Theresa Malaby, worked at the post office, and her father had Italian and Portuguese ancestry. Valletta's mother is of Cherokee Native American and English descent, and her grandmother is Portuguese. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and has a half-brother, Robert Parks-Valletta, who is an actor and producer.

Valletta began her career in the fashion industry at the age of 15 when her mother enrolled her in modelling school at the Linda Layman Agency. She quickly rose to the status of supermodel during the 1990s, working with high-end fashion brands such as Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Escada, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, Gucci, and Versace. She graced the covers of numerous fashion magazines, including American Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, and Love. In addition to her modelling career, Valletta has also ventured into acting and producing. She made her film debut in the comedy "Drop Back Ten" in 2000 and has since appeared in various movies and television shows.

On a personal note, Valletta has been open about her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, speaking out about her battle in July 2014. She was married to Hervé Le Bihan from 1994 to 1996 and later to Olympic volleyball player Chip McCaw from September 2003 until their divorce in early 2015. She has a son, Auden, with her second husband.

Valletta has also been an advocate for various causes, including raising awareness about the dangers of mercury poisoning in seafood through her work with Oceana's Seafood Contamination Campaign. She endorsed Democratic President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012.

The plot of the Paddington movie

The 2014 film Paddington is based on the stories of Paddington Bear, a character created by Michael Bond. The film was written and directed by Paul King, with input from co-writer Hamish McColl, and is a combination of live-action and CGI animation.

The plot centres on a young bear from Peru, who travels to London in search of a home. He finds himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, where he meets the Brown family, who offer him a place to stay. The family, including father Henry, mother Mary, son Jonathan, and daughter Judy, name the bear Paddington, after the station.

Paddington is an intelligent, talking bear with a love of marmalade sandwiches, and the Browns soon find him endearing. However, he causes a series of accidents around the house, and Henry is keen for him to move on. Paddington believes he can find a home with the explorer who met his aunt and uncle in Peru, but he doesn't know the explorer's name. With the help of Mary and Mr Brown, Paddington discovers the explorer was a geographer named Montgomery Clyde. Paddington sets out to find him, but in doing so, attracts the attention of a museum taxidermist, Millicent Clyde, who wants to add him to her collection.

Millicent, with the help of the Browns' neighbour, Mr Curry, breaks into the Browns' home and tries to capture Paddington. He inadvertently starts a fire while defending himself, and feeling ashamed, decides to leave and find Montgomery Clyde himself. Paddington discovers that Montgomery Clyde has died, and that Millicent is his daughter, intent on avenging her father's loss of reputation by capturing a Peruvian bear. She captures Paddington, but he is rescued by the Browns, with the help of Mr Curry, who has learned of Millicent's true intentions. In the end, Millicent is arrested and sentenced to community service, and Paddington finds his permanent home with the Browns.

The film was well-received by critics, praised for its humour, heart, and appeal to both children and adults.

Paddington movie filming locations

The live-action Paddington movies are based on Michael Bond's beloved books about a bear from Peru who moves to London. The films feature a mix of real locations and fictional settings, showcasing the appeal of the UK and bringing new life to landmarks and little-known corners of London and beyond.

The opening scenes of the first Paddington movie, where we see the bear in Peru, were filmed in Costa Rica, specifically in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. This reserve is known for its dense mist and incredible biodiversity.

Once Paddington arrives in London, many iconic locations are featured. The exterior of Paddington Station, where the bear is given his name, was filmed at Marylebone Station, known for its late-19th-century design. The platforms seen in the movie are the real Paddington Station platforms.

The home of the Brown family, who take Paddington in, is billed as 32 Windsor Gardens and implied to be in Notting Hill. In reality, filming took place at 30 Chalcot Crescent in Primrose Hill, a picturesque curve of pastel-shaded houses that looks like something out of a traditional storybook.

The Browns' local underground station, Westbourne Oak Station, is a combination of three locations. The exterior is Maida Vale Station, a pretty, red-tiled station. The escalators are from St John's Wood Station, and the platforms are from the unused Jubilee Line section of Charing Cross Underground Station, which is a popular filming location.

Mr Gruber's antique shop, where Paddington's hat is taken to be examined, is Alice's Antiques on Portobello Road in Notting Hill. This street is also featured when Paddington skateboards through the market.

The Geographers' Guild, a gentlemen's club in the movie, is the Reform Club on Pall Mall. This location has been featured in many films, including Sherlock Holmes and two James Bond movies. The interior scenes set in the Geographers' Guild were filmed at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.

Millicent Clyde, the sinister taxidermist, works at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. The exterior of her home is located at 52 Downshire Hill in Hampstead.

The first film also includes scenes at St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Borough Market, where the calypso band performs.

The sequel, Paddington 2, returns to many of the same locations but also explores new areas of London. The Browns are seen hunting down a book robber in Clerkenwell, passing through Jerusalem Passage, St John's Square, and Rosebery Avenue.

One of the most charming scenes in the second film is Paddington's dog-riding chase along a canal, filmed on the towpath in Camden, close to Hampstead Road Locks and the neighbourhood's famous market.

The funfair where Paddington meets Madame Kozlova was built from scratch at Knebworth in Hertfordshire, a popular filming location and concert venue.

For the prison scenes, two locations were used. The exterior is Shepton Mallet in Somerset, Britain's oldest prison until it closed in 2013. The interior is Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, a museum with an open panopticon design that has appeared in films like The Italian Job and In the Name of the Father.

The film's finale involves two trains heading into the countryside. These scenes were filmed in the Lake District around Ullswater and end at the Nidd Gorge Viaduct in North Yorkshire.

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