Laetitia Casta

Laetitia Casta
Born	Laetitia Marie Laure Casta May 11, 1978 (1978-05-11) (age 32)[1] Pont-Audemer, Eure, France
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 in)[2]
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Blue
Measurements	(US) 35-23.5-35.5 in (EU) 89-59.5-90 cm
Weight	125.4 lb (57 kg)
Dress size	(US) 6 (EU) 36

Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (born May 11, 1978) is a French fashion model and actress.

Personal life and background

She was born in Pont-Audemer, Eure, France. Casta's mother, Line Blin, is from Normandy. Her father, Dominique Casta, is from Corsica. She has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Noisy-le-Grand (93 - France). On October 19, 2001, she gave birth to her daughter, Sahteene. The father is her former boyfriend Stéphane Sednaoui. Casta is engaged to Italian actor Stefano Accorsi. The couple have two children, a son named Orlando, born on September 21, 2006, and a daughter named Athena, born on August 29, 2009.

Career

Casta's career reportedly began when she was discovered by a photographer, during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15.

Casta was the official face of L'Oréal, Dior, and Chanel. She has been featured in Guess? Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Miu Miu and XOXO ad campaigns. Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Victoria's Secret catalogs, ELLE magazine, and Vogue magazine. She also appeared in three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, Rolling Stone, and a Pirelli Calendar. She is now the face of Ralph Lauren's newest fragrance, Notorious.

Acting

Casta has made forays into Francophone film and television productions, including Astérix et Obélix contre César (known as Astérix and Obélix vs. César in English language versions), a live-action film of the Astérix world in which she plays a potential love interest for Obélix, portrayed by Gérard Depardieu.^[3] More recently, Casta appeared in Les Âmes Fortes, a dramatic film directed by Raùl Ruiz.^[4] She has been cast as Brigitte Bardot in the movie Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque (2010).^[5] Casta stars in the French thriller film Behind the Walls, which is directed by Pascal Sid and Julien Lacombe.^[6]

Casta was also prominently featured in the music video for the Chris Isaak song "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" in 1999. Through most of the video, Casta was seen in a motel room and sexy lingerie while being watched by Isaak in the next room. There were two versions of the video. VH1 aired the censored version before 9 p.m. and the uncensored version was aired after the 9 p.m. watershed. This video was ranked #28 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Video Moments. The video was regarded as too steamy by the network. She is also the subject of a song written by popular alternative rock band, Brand New, in their song "Magazines". Casta also stars opposite singer Rihanna for her music video "Te Amo".

As Marianne

In 1999, Casta came out first of a national survey ordered by the Association des Maires de France to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands inside every French town hall. Casta succeeded model Inès de la Fressange. Marianne's embodiements are changed frequently, but each mayor chooses which bust he wants for his town, so past Mariannes can be used. Polls have shown that Casta, Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve were the most popular among French mayors.

Casta became the focus of a minor controversy when, shortly after being selected to be Marianne, she relocated to London. Although she stated her move was motivated by professional reasons, the magazine Le Point, among others, suggested that she was trying to escape taxes, something for which French celebrities are often criticized by journalists and left-wing politicians.^[7]

Filmography

Theatre

• Ondine (2004) play by Giraudoux, Théâtre Antoine
• Elle t'attend (2008) play by Florian Zeller, Théâtre de la Madeleine

Books

• Heath, Christopher; Laetitia Casta (September 1, 1999). Laetitia Casta. ISBN 0-670-88819-2. 

References

1. ↑ FMD profile. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
2. ↑ Elle magazine (France). May 2004. Retrieved 2009-12-04
3. ↑ Laetitia Casta joins 'Walls' Sid, Lacombe helm 3D fantasy thriller
4. ↑ Laetitia Casta cuts teeth on Serious Film International Herald Tribune, May 29, 2001.
5. ↑ French Model Hallucinates 'Behind the Walls
6. ↑ Laetitia Casta Goes Behind the Walls
7. ↑ "France galled by model move", BBC News, April 3, 2000
8. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Savage Souls". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/1100077/year/2001.html. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 

External links

• Laetitia Casta at the Internet Movie Database
• Laetitia Casta at Fashion Model Directory