Elle Macpherson Praises Authenticity of ‘Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue’ Documentary

The supermodel and SI Swimsuit legend is featured in the film, which focuses on the life and legacy of the brand’s founding editor, Jule Campbell.

Elle Macpherson / Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

Yesterday afternoon, Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue premiered in New York City to a sold-out crowd at Village East by Angelika. The documentary, which chronicles the life and career of the late Jule Campbell, SI Swimsuit’s founding editor, was directed by her daughter-in-law, Jill Campbell.

The film explores Jule’s life and career as a woman who broke glass ceilings in a male-dominated industry, and features interviews with moguls and SI Swimsuit models like Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Elle Macpherson, Paulina Porizkova, Kathy Ireland and Carol Alt.

Since her SI Swimsuit debut in 1985, Macpherson went on to star on the cover of the magazine on five different occasions—the most of any SI Swimsuit model ever—and has appeared in the magazine 10 times total. The 60-year-old supermodel, businesswoman and actress participated in the documentary within the last six weeks of Jule’s life, and Macpherson tells us she feels “so grateful” to have had the opportunity to see the woman whom she credits with kickstarting her career one last time prior to Jule’s death in 2022.

Macpherson, who attended the film’s New York City premiere on Nov. 17 alongside SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day and fellow brand models Hunter McGrady, Camille Kostek, Roshumba Williams and Alt, was blown away after seeing the film for the very first time last night.

Carol Alt, Hunter McGrady, Elle Macpherson, Jill Campbell, MJ Day, Camille Kostek and Roshumba Williams / Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

“I was really impressed by the multi-layered actualization of the documentary,” Macpherson says. “I think it touched on a lot of important subjects and at the same time, it was a tender reverence to Jule herself. I thought Jill did an amazing job ... She didn’t polish it to look too perfect. It was authentic and it was authentic Jule. It was a beautiful study of her character and who she was as a person, but also what she represented in her trajectory of her career.”

Macpherson, whose book, Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself, hits shelves tomorrow, says she was honored to be included in the documentary, and adds that last night’s premiere event was incredibly moving, full of both tears and tenderness.

“[I hope viewers understand] the powerhouse that Julie was and have a deeper understanding of what she achieved throughout her life,” Machpherson notes.

Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue debuted to a sold-out world premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival last month, and has since been screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival and Montclair Film Festival. Visit beyondthegazefilm.com for additional details and find tickets to screenings here.