European actress Eva Green is having a remarkable year. She's given a career-defining performance on the Showtime drama Penny Dreadful as the haunting, tortured Vanessa Ives. She's also set to star in the Sin City: A Dame to Kill For as the title 'dame' Ava Lord.

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While Green made quite an impression as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, she didn't take on a lot of big projects immediately following the 2006 James Bond film. "To tell you the truth," said Green in an interview with Rolling Stone on Thursday, "I was not offered something interesting by Hollywood. Every role was the boring beautiful girl."

Much like her Penny Dreadful co-star Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, 30 Days Of Night), Green opted to go against the grain, taking on smaller but more meaningful projects instead of big budget films with flat characters.

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"I made movies that not a lot of people saw," admitted the actress, "but were good for my heart."

While Green is known for her bold, subtly soul-shattering performances, the 33-year-old actress maintains that she's rather "shy" in her personal life. "If I go out," said the actress, "I'm hugging the walls."

Even with Green's shy persona, her nature does not get in the way of her performances. "It's been funny playing these strong, sexual women…" she claimed, noting that she'd love to be as fierce as some of the characters she's played.

The first season of Penny Dreadful ended with Miss Ives visiting a priest to discuss the evil forces inside of her, and so the character will need a whole lot of strength going into Season 2. Production for the new episodes is currently underway.

Penny Dreadful returns to Showtime for a second season in 2015.

Tags: Penny Dreadful showtime television