Parillaud was born in Paris, France. While in school she studied ballet and her ambition was to become a Lawyer, but a role during summer vacation – when she was only 16 – in Michel Lang's L'hôtel de la plage launched her into the world of film. She met Director Luc Besson and married him in 1986, but the couple separated shortly after he directed her in Nikita. Nikita was an especially intense experience for Parillaud: