Who is she?

This gorgeous, freckle-splashed redhead moved from St. Petersburg, Russia to New York when she was 17. In a fairy tale moment, famed French director/producer/screenwriter Luc Besson and his assistant flagged down the fetching former hair stylist on the street and convinced her to try acting classes. Recapturing the performing bug from her childhood, Rudakova then auditioned for Besson in Paris and became his newest shining star.

What has she done?

Move over, Milla. Besson’s latest Russian muse crashes the big screen with tough guy Jason Statham in the new Transporter movie, playing the kidnapped daughter of a Russian government official whom Frank Martin is forced to deliver safely from Marseilles to Odessa. Along the way she steams up the screen and his windshield.

Why do we care?

The amiable Rudakova possesses down-to-earth charm, a smoldering sensuality and a zest for life that we love. She’s bilingual and wants to learn French, which we hope will sound as seductive and sexy as her English. If she can capture Besson’s gaze and melt Statham’s heart, she’ll quickly rocket to the top.

Playboy: Why was Luc Besson captivated by you?

Natalya Rudakova: He said that it was my freckles and my blue eyes; and he also said that I had an expression on my face, like I was not on this planet. That day I was just walking and smiling and just being happy to be there.

Playboy: Tell us about your sexy character in Transporter 3.

Rudakova: She loves to live. She seduces Frank Martin because he’s really strict, sticking to his rules, and is not open to living fully. She’s really feisty, fun and crazy. He’s trying to save me.

Playboy: And you’re trying to lure him away from crime?

Rudakova: No, just to live fully, to fall in love for the first time because he’s never actually experienced that. In the first and second movies, he was like a machine. Now he becomes like a human being. He opens up to being a sensitive and gentle person, which is really interesting because you’ve never seen Frank Martin in this way.

Playboy: What was Jason Statham like to work with?

Rudakova: He’s really fun and really protective. I got lucky to have him as a co-star. I had never acted [in a movie] before, so it was hard for me to be there, and he was supportive. I didn’t have a chance to see it during shooting, but he was looking at the takes and saying that I did good. He was really supportive, fun and well-trained, so I had to keep up with him.