Eva Green: From Bertolucci to Bond

French actress Eva Green made quite impression with her debut performance in Bernardo Bertolucci's erotic coming-of-age drama "The Dreamers." It wasn't just that she was insanely gorgeous. (She was.) The dark-eyed intensity she delivered as enigmatic twin Isabelle made Green an actress to watch. She followed up with the blockbuster "Kingdom of Heaven," in a role that was unfortunately relegated to the cutting room floor.

Now, superstardom lies ahead. After an intensive search, Eva Green has been cast as the new Bond Girl, starring opposite Daniel Craig, the latest incarnation of 007, in "Casino Royale." The 25-year-old actress will play the role of Vesper Lynd. Green is not the first French actress to achieve Bond Babe status; in 1999, Sophie Marceau made waves as seductive Elektra King in "The World is Not Enough" while continuing to act in her native France.

Green has also been cast as an exotic bird smuggler in the French/German/Russian thriller "Zhivaya Riba" as well as an adaptation of the Paul Auster novel "In the Country of Last Things." [posted by Marcy]