30 Mind Blowing Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Audrey Tautou

Audrey Justine Tautou, a French actress named after the legendary actress Audrey Hepburn, was born on August 9, 1976 in Beaumont and was raised in Montluçon. She is an active supporter of several charities. Here some interesting things to know about the actress:

1. She made her acting debut at the age of 18, with "Venus Beauty Institute," as Marie, for which she won the César Award for Most Promising Actress.
2. She was invited to audition over phone by Tonie Marshall, for the role of Marie in her film "Venus Beauty." This was a surprise to her and went on to tell Marshall that it was probably a wrong number.
3. A species of frog was named after her role in the "Amélie," as Cochranella amelie. The scientist who named the frog species said in an interview "This new species of glass frog is for Amélie, protagonist of the extraordinary movie ‘Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain;’ a film where little details play an important role in the achievement of joie de vivre; like the important role that glass frogs and all amphibians and reptiles play in the health of our planet."
4. She received international recognition with the lead role in 2001 movie “Amelie”. Ironically, most part of the script was written for “Emily Watson” in lead role.
5. In the year 2002, she was ranked at #29 in the list of "102 Sexiest Women in the World" by Stuff magazine.
6. Tautou has two BAFTA nominations - Best Leading Actress and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in "Coco avant Chanel," and Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain," respectively - to her name, along with a ACCA nomination for her titular role in "Amélie."
7. She was featured in the music video of "I Love Your Smile", by British singer-songwriter Charlie Winston.
8. British version of the Vogue Magazine ranked her 2nd among their 2009 list of most stylist women.
9. For the most successful titular role of Amélie Poulain, in "Amélie," director Jean-Pierre Jeunet was considering Emily Watson. Luckily, when Watson dropped out of the project, the director cast her seeing her performance on a billboard of the movie "Venus Beauty" in Paris near his home in Bastille.
10. The band “Brand New” has song named after her, titled "Tautou", featured on their album "Deja Entendu"
11. In 2009, Tautou was named as the next spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5, replacing Nicole Kidman. Following this, she was also made the face of L'Oreal and Montblanc and several other ad campaigns.
12. She was not able to skip stones for a scene in the movie “Amelie.” It was later made possible with special effects.
13. Her 2000 movie "Happenstance," was released after her 2001 movie "Amélie," in most of the non-French markets. In Hong Kong, "Happenstance," was titled as "Amelie 2," to capitalize on the success of "Amélie."
14. In the year 1998, she participated and won the Best Young Actress at the 9th Béziers Festival of Young Actors. This led to Tonie Marshall giving her a role in the César-winning "Venus Beauty Institute."
15. She almost missed her audition to her very first role in "Venus Beauty Institute," accidentally arriving an hour late. Luckily director Tonie Marshall allowed her to go ahead.
16. She was considered for the role of “Madame Maxime” in the “Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire” 2005 movie. It was later played by Frances De La Tour.
17. Initially, she hesitated to attend the private screening of "Amélie," which was organized and attended by President Jacques Chirac. To make up for her absence, director Jeunet claimed that she was in Portugal. But she showed up at the screening and when the President said he thought she was in Portugal, she simply said "you'll have to check your sources."
18. She is sometimes referred to as "The Chanel Muse," by the press, having been declared as a fashionista and icon.
19. In the year 2000, Tautou won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti as her country's most promising young film actress
20. By playing the character “Senay Gelic” in the 2002 movie “Dirty Pretty Things,” she got her first English speaking role.
21. Her movie "Amélie," even with the limited theatrical release, grossed over $33 million, making the highest-grossing French-language film released in the United States.
22. At an early age, Tautou was interested in pursuing a career in acting and even took acting lessons at the Cours Florent, a private French drama school in Paris.
23. She started taking modeling courses and other related activities at a very young age and has till date modeled for popular magazines including Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Marie Claire in many countries. She has also attended major fashion week events around the world.
24. Director Ron Howard always wanted Tautou for “Da Vinci Code” but she never showed up for audition, as she was considered too young to play opposite Tom Hanks. After much convincing she accepted.
25. Following her phenomenal success with the titular role in "Amélie," she and her sister went on a roadtrip in Indonesia where no one recognized her.
26. Her 2012 movie "Thérèse," in which she plays the titular role of Thérèse Larroque - épouse Desqueyroux, was filmed in just 21 days in August and September 2011, in the Landes region and in Bordeaux.
27. She was the chosen to host the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 for both the opening as well as closing ceremonies.
28. During audition for “Da Vinci Code” she wanted to take photos with director Howard and Tom Hanks, to prove that she really met them.
29. She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in June 2004, making her one of the few French actors in history to be a member.
30. In 2007, The Empire Magazine, named Tautou as one among the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History."
31. Audrey Tautou Net Worth: $20 Million