Emma de Caunes

Though brunette-coiffed, olive-skinned Gallic actress Emma de Caunes traces her onscreen involvement back to the late '90s, the first several years of her cinematic activity were confined to continental Europe. The ravishing de Caunes seemed poised to break through to international acclaim as a French heartthrob with serious acting chops, however, and two roles helped her transition: Hansi, a cruel and sadistic young woman who facilitates the sexual initiation of a soon-to-be-incestuous young man in Christophe Honoré's provocative Ma Mère (2004); and Zoé, the friend of the protagonist's eccentric neighbor (whom he harbors a major crush on until he falls for the neighbor herself), in Michel Gondry's wondrous fantasy The Science of Sleep (2005). In 2007, de Caunes played Sabine, a sexy French starlet and the unlikely love interest of the bumbling title character in the comic romp Mr. Bean's Holiday. Later that year, she appeared in the critically acclaimed French drama The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. - Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide