Sophie Marceau (born Sophie Maupu) grew up far from the studio spotlights. When she was 14 she was living in the Paris suburb of Gentilly with her father, a truck driver. She learned from friends that director Claude Pinoteau was looking for new faces for a movie about teenagers called Boum, La (1980). She auditioned for the role, got it, and the film was a success. She played in Boum 2, La (1982), then bought back her contract with Gaumont when she was 16 years old for one million French francs. She is a critically acclaimed actress, having received the Cesar for Best Feminine Hope for "La Boum 2" in 1983. She was elected Romantic actress for Chouans! (1988) at the Festival International du Film Romantique (International Festival of Romantic Movie) of Cabourg in 1988, and was awarded the Moliere of the Best Theatrical Revelation for "Eurydice et Pygmalion" in 1994.