Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (French: [lɛtisja kasta]; born 11 May 1978)[3] is a French model and actress.

Laetitia Casta
Casta in 2020
Born
Laetitia Marie Laure Casta

(1978-05-11) 11 May 1978 (age 46)
Occupations
  • Model
  • actress
Years active1993–present
Known forBorn in 68
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
A Faithful Man
Spouse
(m. 2017)
Children4
Modeling information
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Agency
Websitelaetitia-casta.fr

Casta became a "GUESS? Girl" in 1993 and gained further recognition as a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1998 to 2000 and as a spokesperson for cosmetics company L'Oréal. She has appeared on over 250 covers of such popular magazines as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle and Glamour, and has walked runways for designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Paco Rabanne, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, Roberto Cavalli, Jacquemus, Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood.

As an actress, Casta appeared in such films as Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999), Born in 68 (2008), Face (2009), Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010), which earned her a nomination for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress, Arbitrage (2012), A Faithful Man (2018) and The Crusade (2021).

Early life

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Laetitia Casta was born in Pont-Audemer, Normandy. Her mother, Line Blin, is from Normandy. Her father, Dominique Casta, is from Corsica. Casta has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Corsica.[4]

Laetitia has one quarter Italian ancestry from her father.[5][6][7]

Career

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Modeling

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Casta's modeling career reportedly began when she was discovered by the photographer Frédéric Cresseaux,[8] during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15.[9] After her unexpected registration by Jeeby, Casta was elected Miss Lumio '93.[10]

Casta has been the L'Oréal Paris brand ambassador since 1998.[11] She has been featured in Pantene, Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Lolita Lempicka, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Nina Ricci, Swarovski, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Jacquemus, J. Crew, Tiffany & Co., Loewe, Bvlgari, Giorgio Armani, H&M, Miu Miu, Pepe Jeans, Escada, Alberta Ferretti and XOXO ad campaigns. She has appeared on more than 250 magazine covers[citation needed] including Harper's Bazaar,[12] Elle, Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, i-D, Rolling Stone and Vogue (Paris, España, Germany, Russia and Turkey). Casta was the last muse of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent,[13] serving as the bride in his fashion shows[14] from 1998 to 2001. She walked down the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. She was one of the company's signature Victoria' Secret Angels from 1998 to 2000. She claims that her career with Victoria's Secret ended because she was "too much of [a] rebel".[15] She also appeared in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three consecutive times, as well at the Pirelli Calendar 1999 by Herb Ritts, 2000 by Annie Leibovitz and 2019 by Albert Watson.

She is the face of fragrances Chanel's Allure, Givenchy's Forbidden flower, Lolita Lempicka's Lolita, Cacharel's Promise, Bulgari's BLV II, Ralph Lauren's Notorious, Yves Saint Laurent's Baby doll and Paris, Nina Ricci's L'Extase and D&G's Pour Femme.[16] The Parisians could follow her Adventures in the Galeries Lafayette by Jean-Paul Goude.[17] For Christmas 2011, Peter Lindbergh shot True Love, the very thought of Casta at the summit of Manhattan and between the snowy lions of marble of the New York Public Library for Tiffany & Co.[18] On 10 March 2010, in Paris, she opened the Louis Vuitton fall/winter 2010 fashion show.[19] On 27 September 2010, she closed the Roberto Cavalli spring/summer 2011 fashion show in Milan.[20] On 18 January 2020, in Paris, she opened Jacquemus fall/winter 2020 fashion show. In September 2020, Casta appeared in the fall/winter ad campaign for Yves Saint Laurent and for Valentino.[21]

She was ranked as an "Industry Icon" by models.com, and was ranked as a "New Super" as of 2021.[22]

Acting

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Her first role was as Falbala in Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar directed by Claude Zidi, a live-action adaptation of the comic book Asterix, in which Obelix, portrayed by Gérard Depardieu, plays Casta's love interest.[23] Casta appeared in Les Ames Fortes, directed by Raul Ruiz.[24] Her performance as Brigitte Bardot in the movie Gainsbourg (Vie heroique) earned her a Cesar Award nomination. Casta served as a jury member at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012.[25]

Marianne controversy

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In 1999, Casta was ranked first in a national survey ordered by the French Mayors' Association 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.[26] Casta became the focus of a controversy[27] when, after being selected to be Marianne, newspapers in Britain and France[28] reported that she had relocated to London where taxes on high earners are lower. Casta's father said she went to London for professional reasons; on a TV show, she also said that she rented a flat in London to be near her boyfriend.[29] The French minister of the interior spoke about Casta on the radio;[30][31] comparing the advantages of living in France with regard to the drawbacks of London[32] after political opponents used Casta's relocation to London as an opportunity to criticise the government.[33][34]

Political involvement

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On 6 April 2008, Casta demonstrated in a White March of nonviolent protest to ask for the immediate release of Ingrid Betancourt, presidential candidate kidnapped since 2002 by the FARC.[35] On 30 April 2002, she attended the demonstration Vive la République after the first round election of the 2002 presidential election.[36]

She was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on 9 December 2016, committed to help the 250 million children living in conflict areas.[37]

Personal life

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On 19 October 2001, Casta gave birth to a daughter, whose father is the photographer Stephane Sednaoui. Casta was engaged to Italian actor Stefano Accorsi, with whom she has a son born in 2006 and a daughter born in 2009.[38] In June 2017, Casta married her boyfriend of two years, French actor Louis Garrel.[39]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Director Notes
1999 Asterix et Obelix contre Cesar
(Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar)
Falbala Claude Zidi
2000 La Bicyclette Bleue
(The Blue Bicycle)
Lea Delmas Thierry Binisti TV film for France2
Gitano Lucia Junco Manuel Palacios
2001 Les ames fortes
(Savage Souls)
Therese Raoul Ruiz
2002 Rue des plaisirs
(Love Street)
Marion Patrice Leconte Performs on the soundtrack
2003 Errance
(Wandering)
Lou Damien Odoul
2004 Luisa Sanfelice Luisa Sanfelice Paolo Taviani
Vittorio Taviani
TV film for France2, RAI Uno
2006 Le grand appartement
(The Big Apartment)
Francesca Cigalone Pascal Thomas
La Deraison du Louvre
(The Irrationality of the Louvre)
The young woman Ange Leccia Short film without dialog shot in the Louvre museum[40] for which Casta was for the first time in cover of Les Cahiers du Cinéma.[41][42]
Nymphea
(Nymphaea)
The naiad Ange Leccia Short film
2007 Le Petit Monde de Charlotte
(Charlotte's Web)
Charlotte A. Cavatica Gary Winick Voice in the French-language dub.
2008 Nes en 68
(Born in 68)
Catherine Olivier Ducastel

Jacques Martineau
Cabourg: Golden Swann for Best Actress
La jeune fille et les loups
(The Maiden and the Wolves)
Angele Amblard Gilles Legrand
2009 Visage
(Face) ? (in Chinese)
Salome Tsai Ming-Liang
Fleurs dans le miroir,
lune dans l'eau

(Flowers in the mirror,
moon in the water)
herself, Salome Francois Lunel
2010 Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life Brigitte Bardot Joann Sfar Nominated — César Award for Best Supporting Actress
2011 La nouvelle guerre des boutons
(The War of the Buttons)
Simone Christophe Barratier
Derriere les murs
(Behind the Walls)
Suzanne Julien Lacombe

Pascal Sid
Островът (Ostrovat)
(The Island)
Sophie Kamen Kalev
Rio Perla (Jewel) Carlos Saldanha
2012 Arbitrage Julie Cote Nicholas Jarecki
Do Not Disturb Anna Yvan Attal
2013 Une histoire d'amour[25]
(Tied)
The young woman Helene Fillieres
2014 Rio 2 Perla (Jewel) Carlos Saldanha
A Woman as a Friend Claudia Giovanni Veronesi
Des lendemains qui chantent Noemie Archambault Nicolas Castro
Sous les jupes des filles Agathe Audrey Dana
2016 En Moi Laetitia Casta Short film
Also writer and producer[43]
2018 A Faithful Man Marianne Louis Garrel
The Ideal Palace Philomene Nils Tavernier [44]
2019 Le Milieu de l'horizon Nicole Delphine Lehericey
2021 The Crusade Marianne Louis Garrel
2022 Coma Sharon (voice) Bertrand Bonello
2023 Consent Vanessa's mother Vanessa Filho

Music videos

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Year Singer Song Director
2010 Rihanna "Te Amo" Anthony Mandler
1999 Chris Isaak "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" Herb Ritts
1998 I Muvrini

Sting
"Terre d'Oru" (in English, Corsican, and Greek) Stefano Salvati

DVD and Blu-ray

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Year Title Distribution Language Region Notes
2007 Laetitia Casta StudioCanal French 2 with Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Berge, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Dominique Issermann, Sylvie Lancrenon, Jamel Debbouze, Omar Sy & Fred Testot, Frederic Lopez, Jean-Paul Goude, Jacques Weber, Claude Zidi

Theatre

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Year Play Role Playwright Stage director Theatre City Review
2017 Scenes from a Marriage Marianne Ingmar Bergman Safy Nebbou Théâtre de l'Œuvre Paris 9th L'Express[45]
2008 Elle t'attend

(She is waiting for you)
Anna[46] Florian Zeller Florian Zeller Théâtre de la Madeleine Paris 8th Madame Figaro[47]
2005

2004
Ondine Ondine[46] Jean Giraudoux Jacques Weber Tour in regions

Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau
Ludwigshafen[48]

Paris 10th
L'Humanité[49]

Humanitarian action

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Year Association Comment
2010 Porteurs d'Eau[permanent dead link] (in French) Water-carrier is an initiative of France Libertes - Danielle-Mitterrand foundation (in French)
2006 Rose Marie Claire[permanent dead link] (in French) Casta among Claire Chazal, Isabelle Adjani, Axelle Red, Monica Bellucci and Tina Kieffer with the Rose Marie Claire (in French) are shot by Jeff Manzetti for the association Toutes a l'ecole (in French)
2005 Action Innocence She belongs to the Committee of support of Action Innocence[50] to protect children from online sexual predators.
2004 Action Contre la Faim Casta drew a winged blue heart on a plate for the bidding of 19 November 2004 to help Action against Hunger
2002 Occi, paese rinascitu (in Corsican) In the headquarters of the association Occi recovered village at the Caffe di a Mossa of Lumio in Corsica, Casta helped to reconstruct the old chapel of Annunziata in the abandoned village of Occi.[51]
Watch the Occi video on YouTube by official Korsika.fr

Awards and recognition

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Year Award By Result
2021 Excellence Award Davide Campari 74th Locarno Film Festival Won[52]
2012 Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres[permanent dead link](in French)
(Knight in Order of Arts and of Letters)
France Minister of Culture and of Communication Honored
2011 Nominated for the Cesar Award of the Best Supporting Actress
as Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg (Vie heroique)
Cesar Awards Nominated
2008 Golden Swann of the Best Actress
as Catherine in Born in 68
Cabourg Film Festival (in French) Won
2001 Ranked No. 1 Top 50 Most Beautiful Women[53] Askmen.com
1999 Marianne for the 21st century[26] 82nd congress of AMF, the French Mayors Association Won

Books

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  • Casta, Laetitia (24 November 1999). Assouline (ed.). Laetitia Casta (in French). Editions Assouline. ISBN 978-2-84323-179-7.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Laetitia Casta". DNA Models.
  2. ^ "Laetitia Casta - Model".
  3. ^ FMD profile. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  4. ^ Laetitia Casta, Assouline 1999, p. 12.
  5. ^ ""Avevo una bisnonna che si chiamava Zelinda, il marito faceva il ciabattino..." Laetitia, top con sangue toscano Origini pistoiesi per la Casta, stella di Sanremo - Il Tirreno". Archivio - Il Tirreno (in Italian). Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Laetitia Casta a Maresca per il nonno". La Nazione (in Italian). 25 February 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  7. ^ "SANREMO: LA CASTA PROMOSSA DAI PARENTI ITALIANI". www1.adnkronos.com. 24 February 1999. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  8. ^ Laetitia Casta's biography Archived 28 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine by Vogue Paris.
  9. ^ Laetitia Casta, Assouline 1999, p. 15.
  10. ^ Laetitia Casta Official: Miss Lumio 93 Archived 19 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in French).
  11. ^ L'Oréal Paris Archived 5 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Laetitia Casta's biography.
  12. ^ Harper's Bazaar uk Cover October 2012 by Sebastian Faena Hairstyle by Nicolas Jurnjack "Laetitia Casta", models.com.
  13. ^ Mallard, Anne-Sophie (19 April 2012). "Laetitia Casta in 15 unforgettable runway moments". Vogue France (in French). Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  14. ^ Zahm, Olivier (Spring 2011). "Laetitia Casta". Purple Magazine. No. 15. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  15. ^ Laetitia Casta: The supermodel who rebelled against Victoria Secret Archived 30 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ Laetitia Casta: "Dolce & Gabbana's latest fragrance muse" Archived 18 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Swide, 15 June 2012.
  17. ^ Jean-Paul Goude Archived 6 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine official: Work > Advertising > Photography.
  18. ^ Laetitia Casta's campaigns Archived 14 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Alla Rosa Production.
  19. ^ Mower, Sarah (10 March 2010). Style, Louis Vuitton, Fall 2010, Paris.
  20. ^ Style, Roberto Cavalli Spring Summer 2011 RTW, Milan, 27 September 2010.
  21. ^ "Valentino Empathy: la campagna che annulla il distanziamento sociale". Vogue Italia (in Italian). 28 July 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  22. ^ "Laetitia". models.com. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  23. ^ Elley, Derek (31 January 1999). "Asterix & Obelix Vs. Caesar". Variety.
  24. ^ "Laetitia Casta cuts teeth on Serious Film". International Herald Tribune. 29 May 2001.
  25. ^ a b "Marina Abramovic, Laetitia Casta, Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Ari Folman, Matteo Garrone, Ursula Meier, Samantha Morton, Pablo Trapero to form the Venezia 69 International Jury chaired by Michael Mann". Venice Film Festival. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  26. ^ a b "The Marianne". Consulate General of France in New York. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  27. ^ La fugue Casta, affaire d'Etat (in French), Le Soir, 4 April 2000.
  28. ^ "Quand Marianne s'exile a Londres" Archived 22 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine (in French), Le Point, 31 March 2000.
  29. ^ Marianne: impots ou intox a la Une (in French), Libération, 6 April 2000.
  30. ^ "Au revoir, les taxes" Archived 2 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Salon, 17 April 2000.
  31. ^ "Zut Alors! A National Treasure Flirts With Heresy", The New York Times, 9 April 2000.
  32. ^ "France galled by model move", BBC News, 3 April 2000.
  33. ^ "Symbol of France prefers London", The New Zealand Herald, 5 April 2000, also in Die Welt (in German) on 10 April 2000 quoting the Daily Mail′s title Marianne Unfaithful.
  34. ^ "The disloyalty of Marianne", The Economist, 6 April 2000.
  35. ^ "White March for Ingrid Betancourt"[permanent dead link] (in French), INA, 6 April 2008.
  36. ^ Demonstration Vive la Republique Archived 23 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine (in French), France 3 TV news 19|20 by INA, 30 April 2002.
  37. ^ Morris, Christopher (8 December 2016). "Laetitia Casta, nouvelle ambassadrice UNICEF : 'Protégeons les enfants de la guerre !'" [Laetitia Casta, new UNICEF ambassador: "Let us protect the children of war!"] (in French). UNICEF. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  38. ^ Sei mamma? Ti licenziano Archived 17 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian) (You are mother? You are fired), Style, 28 April 2009.
  39. ^ "Laetitia Casta Married Actor Louis Garrel in Secret Wedding". Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  40. ^ Danesi, Fabien. Review about The Folly of the Louvre Archived 26 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Films by The Louvre.
  41. ^ Frodon, Jean Michel (April 2006). "The Dream of Light". Les Cahiers du Cinema Archived 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, issue 611.
  42. ^ Frederic Sanchez: English > Press > Les Cahiers du Cinéma, April 2006.
  43. ^ Richford, Rhonda (18 April 2016). "Cannes: Critics' Week Unveils Lineup, Including Closing Film From Chloe Sevigny". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  44. ^ Silvestre, Juan (3 November 2020). "'El palacio ideal': Un monumento a Laetitia Casta". Fotogramas (in European Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  45. ^ Casta, Laetitia (2 February 2017). "La célébrité a parfois du bon, c'est un véhicule". L'Express (in French).
  46. ^ a b "Laetitia Casta Officiel: Theatre". www.laetitia-casta.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 May 2012.
  47. ^ Laetitia Casta: "Quand on est tendre, on est soi" (in French), Madame Figaro, 23 August 2008.
  48. ^ "Laetitia Casta begeisterte als Wassernixe Archived 9 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine in Ludwigshafen" (in German), Hamburger Morgenpost, 30 November 2005.
  49. ^ Leonardini, Jean-Pierre (27 September 2004). "Devine qui vient ondiner". L'Humanité (in French).
  50. ^ L'Oréal about the associations Archived 10 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine of Action Innocence and of Sebastien Proyart.
  51. ^ L'oeil de la Balagne Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in French), L'Express, 20 June 2007.
  52. ^ "Excellence Award to Laetitia Casta: "If you choose a film with your heart, you can't go wrong"". Italy 24 News. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  53. ^ "AskMen.com - Laetitia Casta former Number 1". Au.askmen.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.

Further reading

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