A Field Guide To Laetitia Casta

Twelve years ago, rapper MC Paul Barman crooned that "Laetitia Casta is easily the boss of ya" in "Cock Mobster," his ode to the legion of lovely women who grace our airwaves. And just this week, Lui Magazine reminded us that that sentiment is still quite true. But if you think this gorgeous French actress/model is nothing more than a hot body, gorgeous face, and one of the hottest Victoria's Secret Angels ever to don a pair of wings, well, think again. We've got the full scoop on what makes this beautiful woman tick – or at least a pun filled tour through her life story (basically the same thing, right?).

Laetitia Casta (or Laetitita Marie Laure Casta, for the more formal among you) was born May 11, 1978, in Pont-Audemer, France, and grew up in the beautiful countryside of Normandy. Her career had one of those storybook beginnings: while on vacation in Corsica, Casta was spotted by photographer Frederic Cresseaux, an agent of Paris's Madison Models (legend has it she was building sand castles at the time). After a run of test shoots, Casta managed to impress both the founder of Madison Models and the director of French Elle; modeling contracts followed in quick succession.

That same year, Casta became the teenage face of Guess? Jeans – and that was just the start of decades of phenomenal success (and super sexy photos). After twenty-one years in the industry, she's accumulated far too many credits for us to list them all here (she's appeared on over 100 magazine covers alone!), but career highlights include being named the L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador (a distinction she's held since 1998), three consecutive Sports Illustrated issues, two consecutive Pirelli calendar appearances, and, of course, two years as a Victoria's Secret Angel.

In a different – though equally impressive – vein, a 1999 national survey ordered by the French Mayors Association led to the selection of Casta as the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol for the republic who appears in every town hall. (For those wondering, she beat out Estelle Hallyday, Patricia Kaas, Daniela Lumbroso, Lætitia Milot and Nathalie Simon.) Unfortunately, this honor led to a more negative form of notoriety: Casta's selection set off a controversy in the press when it was discovered that she'd actually relocated to London. The reasons for her ex-patriation were never fully clear: though some claimed she left France in search of a lower tax rate, her father suggested that it was her career that led her to London, while on a TV show, she offered that she'd moved for love. Nevertheless, Casta's bust was eventually cast and graced town halls across the country until she was succeeded in 2003 by Évelyne Thomas.

But don't let Casta's extensive modeling career lead you to believe that looking pretty is the only thing she's good at. No, while it can't be disputed that she's very, very good at looking pretty, she's also forged a career for herself as a film actress (albeit mostly in French films – she didn't make her American film debut until 2012, appearing as Richard Gere's mistress in "Arbitrage"). Given her history of lingerie modeling (and, um, the nudie shoot she just did for Lui) it should come as no surprise to learn that Casta's numerous film roles have led to numerous nude scenes, even including a bit of full frontal (hey, we did say these were French films).

And even with all those amazing accomplishments and hours spent naked on film, what really endears Laetitia Casta to us is her badass personality. She's a staunch feminist (as she told The Daily Mail, "I am very much on the side of women. Since I was a child I was aware that it is very difficult to be a woman.") and, though she's the mother of three, she refuses to be seen as a mom first ("If I was a man, would you say to me, 'You are a father, let’s talk about that. How do you cope having a successful career as well as being a father? How do you find time to spend with your children?' Of course you wouldn’t! Men never get asked those questions. What is interesting about me isn’t that I am a mother, it is who I am."). And she's also incredibly confident – which may explain why she's managed to last over two decades in an industry known for its obsession with youth. Unlike some of her peers, Casta's long refused to change herself to suit the needs of prospective employers ("I didn’t like the idea of changing myself for the industry. I felt to have my teeth straightened and bleached and to starve myself to change my body was not respecting who I was."), a move she attributes her success to: "It is those tiny little imperfections, like my teeth, that make a model stand out. Perfection is boring."

And if there's one thing we know about Laetitia Casta, it's that she's never, ever boring.

For more nude photos of Laetita Casta head over to Mr.Skin!