A Field Guide To Eva Green

Lately, Eva Green's been getting a lot of attention because of the semi-bare boobs she showcases on the poster for "Sin City 2" (and also because she is naked in the movie, too, we hear). It's nice to see Eva getting all this attention, though if we're being honest, we're a little baffled that it's taken this long: we've been fans of Eva Green for over a decade, since she stripped off and got pseudoincestuous in 2003's "The Dreamers." But if you're just getting to know Eva, we won't hold it against you: here's everything you need to know about this darling dame (to kill for).

Eva Green was born July 5, 1980, in Paris, France, the oldest (by two minutes) of twin girls (her sister is named Joy). Growing up in France, she attended the American University of Paris (hence her excellent English), and spent a whole lot of time in Ramsgate, London, and Ireland growing up. She was bitten by the acting bug at age fourteen: after seeing Isabelle Adjani in The Story of Adele H, Green knew that she'd found her future career. Dropping her passion for ancient antiquities, she began playing at pretend, inventing personalities and costumes for herself in her spare time; exploring roles like geisha, Hindu goddess, and whatever else she could dream up. It wasn't too long before her after school pastime soon turned into a full fledged field of study: after persuading her mother that she was strong enough to survive the trials and tribulations of acting, Green eventually enrolled in Paris's St. Paul Drama School, taking additional classes at London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

The years of acting school trained her well. Once her education was at an end, Green launched her career by performing on stage, garnering attention and praise for roles in productions of Jalousie en Trois Fax and Turcaret. She soon caught the eye of famed director Bernardo Bertolucci, who gave her her first big break in, yes, "The Dreamers." Green was cast in the starring role, as Isabelle, a young French girl who indulges in a bit of sexual exploration with her brother and their American friend during the summer of 1968. As we mentioned above, the film features Green in some rather explicit scenes (to put it mildly). The incredibly sexual nature of the role initially gave Green (or at least her parents and agent) pause about accepting the role; with her parents in particular afraid she might face the same fate as Maria Schneider, a former Bertolucci star who ultimately regretted her role in "Last Tango in Paris." But despite her parents' fears that beginning her career with such a sexy role might leave her permanently typecast as a sexual icon, Green decided that she trusted Bertolucci enough to take the risk, and, well, history was made. When the movie was released, Green made a major splash in the press – and not just, cause, well, she was totally naked. Critics compared her to the likes of Liv Tyler, and – despite those fears of typecasting – she found herself offered quite a few roles (and not just naked ones, though we're pleased to note she's done quite of few of those too).

Since "The Dreamers," Green has had a pretty exciting career, mixing steamy roles like Morgan Le Fay in "Camelot" with more innocent roles like Serafina Pekkala in "The Golden Compass." Those not hip enough to have seen her in "The Dreamers" may have discovered her unbearable sex appeal when she was cast as a Bond Girl in 2006's "Casino Royale." After a break from onscreen nudity, she started getting her kit off once more in 2009's "Cracks," and hasn't shown much desire to put her clothes back on since (see her nice and nude in "Womb," "Perfect Sense," "300: Rise of an Empire," and "Penny Dreadful," in addition to everything else we've mentioned above). And now, of course, she's in "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," which has given her the opportunity to go on national TV and talk about how crazy it is that Americans are freaked out over seeing a bit of boob on the movie poster. And it is crazy: we can't imagine what the American public would do if they knew what Green reveals in "The Dreamers," guys.

But behind all the nude scenes and sex appeal, who is Green, really? Someone we'd definitely like to spend some time with, that's for sure. She's a self-identified nerd more likely to wear rings sporting fossilized insects than diamonds. During her childhood, a trip to the Louvre inspired a deep and abiding interest in Egyptology (which we can totally relate to); as an adult, she loves filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman and Lars von Trier, and adores the classic femmes fatale of film noir (such as Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, and Bette Davis, who also make us swoon.)