[1][2] Bau was born Ophélie Baufle in Besançon, where she was crowned Miss of this city in 2014.

[3] Bau made her acting debut in the 2017 film Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno.

While the film received mixed reviews Bau's performance was widely praised.

It was also revealed that Bau and her co-star had been intoxicated during the filming of the scene, also due to pressure from the director.

In 2020 in an interview she revealed she walked away from the premiere because she had asked Kechiche to allow her to view the sex scene in private before it was screened in public, a request which he denied.