Sam Taylor-Wood in Cannes with her new actor boyfriend, aged 19

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The artist turned film director Sam Taylor-Wood is dating a teenage actor 23 years her junior. Taylor-Wood fell in love with Aaron Johnson after casting the 19-year-old as the lead in her debut feature film.

Lovers: Sam Taylor-Wood with Aaron Johnson

Taylor-Wood, who split from her husband the art dealer Jay Jopling last year, has been seeing the teenage actor for some months, according to friends.

In so doing, Taylor-Wood, 42, has even managed to outperform her estranged husband. Jopling could only manage a 22-year age gap when he embarked on an affair with Lily Allen, the 23-year-old pop singer. The couple were photographed in January in a passionate embrace aboard a yacht in the Caribbean.

Young love: Lily Allen with Jay Jopling

Taylor-Wood was rather more discreet in showing her affections for Johnson at a party at the Cannes Film Festival to publicise her first movie Nowhere Boy, a biopic based on the early life of John Lennon. The former Beatle is played by Johnson, whose previous film appearance was in the perhaps aptly titled British movie Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

Taylor-Wood and Jopling were during their 11 year marriage the golden couple of Brit Art. He runs the White Cube galleries and represents such artists as Damien Hirst while she is a Turner prize nominee, perhaps best known for making a video portrait of David Beckham sleeping.

Her directorial feature length debut is eagerly anticipated. The film, produced by Harvey Weinstein and due to be released in December on the anniversary of Lennon's death, tells of Lennon's coming of age in Liverpool. It also stars Kristin Scott Thomas, David Morrissey and Anne Marie Duff.

At last night's party, hosted by Weinstein and concierge service Quintessentially, Taylor-Wood, grinning from ear to ear, held court with her toyboy lover but refused to be drawn on their relationship.

She said: “I'm very excited. We've wrapped and I'm editing at the moment - I hope it's ok.”

But a member of the production team told the Standard: “From the start Aaron was dead set on her... Sam resisted it for a long time.”

Last night's party shows the interest in Nowhere Boy even with months to go before its release.

Actors attending last night's beach party included Ralph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Ben Whishaw, Robin Wright Penn and Rosanna Arquette as well as celebrities including Paris Hilton and Peaches Geldof. David Furnish, Sir Elton John's partner and a close friend of Taylor-Wood, said: “There's a progression from photography and film to cinema - it's hugely exciting. There's always been a cinematographic aspect to her work. The film business is a difficult one for female directors so it's great to see Sam making her debut.”

Julian Lennon, the late Beatle's son, was at the party, organised by Quintessentially, but appeared to have strong reservations about the latest depiction of his father. He said: “It's weird. I know what I know, I like what I know, and I don't like some of what I know and I don't particularly want to see someone else's variation on that. But Sam seems extremely nice and the film looks as though it will be something interesting.”

 

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