[9] Her film industry breakthrough came in 2001, when she was recommended by her friend, American actress Rebecca Romijn, for the role of model Veronica in the erotic thriller Femme Fatale.
[10] Rasmussen was given the role after director Brian De Palma was impressed by short stories she had written about her life experiences.
After initially rejecting the idea, Besson eventually produced Rasmussen's first short film Thinning the Herd,[11] which screened in competition at the 2004 Festival de Cannes for the Palme d'Or du court métrage.
The film highlights the problems with immigration and learned aggression, and unfolds in a non-linear storytelling structure with scenes of extreme violence.
[9] Human Zoo was officially selected at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival, opening the Panorama section,[18] and was hand picked by Quentin Tarantino to have its US premiere at Los Angeles' New Beverly Cinema.
[16][8] Rasmussen's role in Femme Fatale attracted attention to her in fashion circles, and she was chosen as the face of Gucci under director Tom Ford.
[citation needed] While working as a model she continued to write scripts and short stories, and directed smaller surf-skate videos.
Her book of art and photography, Grafiske Historier (Graphic Tales) was published in 2006 under the pseudonym Lilly Dillon (a character from the novel The Grifters by Jim Thompson, one of her favorite American writers).