Paulina Porizkova (originally Pavlína Pořízková), the Czech-born supermodel and actress who became a star in the United States, is back on home soil this summer to film Bardotky, a new Czech-language movie centered on three women celebrating life in their sixties. The project marks Porizkova’s first acting role in a Czech production, and her first major screen appearance in years.
Directed by Hana Hendrychová, from a script written with Pavla Krečmerová, Bardotky pairs Porizkova with two beloved figures in Czech cinema: Eva Holubová and Dagmar Havlová. Their playful chemistry with Porizkova has already been drawing attention online, thanks in part to behind-the-scenes glimpses shared on social media.
A long journey home
Born in Prostějov in 1965, Porizkova emigrated from Czechoslovakia in the early 1970s. Her family was separated by the Cold War — her parents fled to Sweden in 1968 following the Warsaw Pact invasion, and she remained in Czechoslovakia under the care of her grandmother until she was eventually reunited with her family five years later. The experience shaped her outlook, as she has often spoken about identity, exile, and resilience in later interviews and writings.
Porizkova rose to international fame in the 1980s as a fashion model, becoming the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated‘s swimsuit issue in 1984. She made her acting debut in 1987’s Anna, a film about a Czech actress in New York, which earned Sally Kirkland an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. While Porizkova’s filmography remained selective, Anna was a notable effort that touched on the émigré experience—a theme now echoed in her return to Czech cinema.
Despite occasional television and film roles, Porizkova largely stepped away from acting to focus on writing, family life, and activism. Her reappearance in a Czech-language film decades later is a personal milestone.
“It’s a Czech production, written and directed by women, all spoken entirely in Czech,” she wrote on Instagram, calling it “an incredible honor” to work alongside Holubová and Havlová.
‘Bardotky’ spotlights women, age, and friendship
Official details about Bardotky have yet to be shared by producers, but Porizkova describes it as a story about “three friends celebrating their 60s.” Social media posts show the trio laughing in a convertible, sharing snacks, and bonding during the early days of filming—creating the impression of a warm, character-driven dramedy focused on later-life camaraderie.
Bardotky is directed by Hana Hendrychová, whose 2024 feature Runaway Mum (Matka v trapu) was a commercial hit despite lukewarm reviews. That film, centered on a single mother’s chaotic journey toward self-reinvention, proved popular with Czech audiences both in cinemas and on Netflix. Bardotky screenwriter Pavla Krečmerová, who previously wrote 2019’s My Story (Můj příběh), adds another experienced female voice to the creative team.
Havlová, the widow of former president Václav Havel, is both a cultural icon and a seasoned stage and screen performer. Holubová, meanwhile, is one of Czechia’s most respected actresses, with credits spanning from beloved classic Cosy Dens (Pelíšky) to The Can (Gympl) and most recently Shotgun Justice (Teroristka).
The two actresses previously appeared together in Leaving (Odcházení), Václav Havel’s only directorial effort. Their reunion in Bardotky, alongside Porizkova’s debut in Czech-language cinema, gives the film a weight that should resonates with local audiences—especially women of their generation.
Porizkova praised the production’s atmosphere as collegial and fun, noting that although she had only recently met her co-stars, they had “already become fast friends.”
Porizkova has also used her platform to share humorous and heartfelt anecdotes from the set of Bardotky. In a June 20 post, she described her rediscovery of koláče, the Czech pastry she recalls from childhood.
“Koláče are as ubiquitous to Czechs as baguettes are to the French,” she wrote, adding that she’s been indulging in the pastries daily, despite attempts to stick to an intermittent fasting schedule. “It’s also the scent of my childhood: vanilla, sugar, butter warming in a summer sun garden bursting with elderflower trees and roses.”
While little official word about Bardotky has been made public, the film is expected to release in Czech cinemas at some point in 2026. For Porizkova, the project is both a homecoming and a statement—a way of reconnecting with her roots while embracing the next phase of her life on her own terms.
Lead photo: director and co-writer Hana Hendrychová, star Paulina Porizkova, and co-writer Pavla Krečmerová behind the scenes on Bardotky via Instagram / Paulina Porizkova
