Monday’s Muse: Anna Karina

As a muse of the director Jean-Luc Godard and one of the pioneers in the French New Wave, Anna Karina is definitely worth celebrating. Ridiculously cute, talented, and with plenty of French-sass, this Danish actress is my Monday’s Muse.

Karina’s first break on screen dates back to 1959 in which she starred in a series of Palmolive soap advertisements. Jean-Luc Godard, who was then casting for his debut feature film Breathless, first saw Karina in these series of ads – in a bathtub covered in soapsuds. He offered her a small part in the film but she refused when he mentioned that there would be a nude scene. When Godard queried her refusal, referring to the supposed nudity in the Palmolive ads, she replied “Are you mad? I was wearing a bathing suit in those ads — the soapsuds went up to my neck. It was in your mind that I was undressed.”

Below is one of my favourite scenes from any film, ever. Bande à part, 1964, by Jean-Luc Godard. Enjoy!