Isabella Rossellini is well-known for her 14-year career from 1982 to 1996 as the exclusive spokesmodel or the face of Lancôme. In recent years, Isabella has let her natural Swedish and Italian passions steer her full circle in her life and career. The two become beautifully entwined for her. It is interesting how this all came about.

Born in Rome as Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini, her career began in film. How could it not as a daughter of actress Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini?

Isabella made her debut opposite her mother in a brief appearance as a nun in the film "A Matter of Time" in 1976. Rossellini's first role was in the 1979 film "II Prato." In 1985, she was cast in "White Nights," which was her first American film. Her breakthrough role came with the character of Dorothy Vallens in the captivating drama "Blue Velvet." Isabella went on to star in several other successful films, which include "Cousins," "Death Becomes Her," "Immortal Beloved," and "Fearless."

Even though she had a great measure of success in both modeling and acting under her belt, it seems that Isabella was possibly yearning for something a bit different.

In regards to acting, Isabella was quoted saying, "My mother loved acting more than anything. She was very shy and I think she felt great release from this constant sense of embarrassment when she could become somebody else. I'm not so shy, so actually acting for me is not as important as it was for my mother."

Rossellini also knew in all practical sense that modeling would not last forever as her career choice. As a model, Isabella made the most of the time and experience. She saw it as a 'fantastic voyage.'

"There's nothing wrong with modeling, except that it doesn't last. I had the stereotype most people have, that it's stupid, but it wasn't stupid at all. I loved spending a day with Richard Avedon. People who are so artistic, so intelligent -- you are interpreting what they are trying to express. You have taken a trip into this brain, You are a tourist in this fantastically interesting brain. People always say to me that I do such strange films, but it's not that I'm looking for something so different necessarily, it's simply that I meet a person who strikes me as intelligent and interesting and I want to take a trip into their brain."

The truly interesting thing is that Isabella was really taking a train trip 'in her own brain' which kept pushing her childhood dreams with all her developing and collective talents around the circular track until it all came full stop right in front of her.

In an interview with LAist, Isabella recalls, "When I was 14 or 15 and I was dreaming about what I would do as a grownup, I always thought I would do films about animals. But I never did, I ended up being a model and I ended up acting and that went very well. You imagine things as a child and then as you grow up you dismiss it saying 'Well, life went in this direction instead of that direction.'

Now that I'm older and I'm not modeling as much anymore, and I act, of course, but not as much work as I used to do. But then when Robert Redford offered me to do short films on the subject of the environment and I did "Green Porno"

and as I was doing them, I said 'Oh look, this is what I was thinking of doing when I was a little girl.' And here I have come, all the way around."

Isabella doesn't consider herself an activist. Even though throughout the years she has been involved in training guide dogs or the blind. Rossellini is a board member of the Wildlife Conservation Network. She is also the director and president of the Howard Gilman Foundation, which focuses on the preservation of wildlife, arts, photography and dance. Not to mention that she holds a title of National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

It is all just practical, but thought-provoking good sense to her when it comes to her activities as a conservationist. Isabella has now found her own creative voice through environmentalism and film to tell the stories that are important not only to her, but vital to everyone. The dreams of the little girl have gone completely "Green" and have caused conversations to be born.

Rossellini's film shorts series, "Green Porno" about the reproductive habits of marine animals are scientifically factual and entertaining. The segments entitled "Seduce Me" are an unusually funny and educational look at the animal mating process.

Isabella's documentary project for Planet Green network called "Animals Distract Me" is an important work exploring everything from the direct impact of our food choices, our animal friends living amongst us as pets, food and whatever else to and how this all relates to our experience and existence on this planet. Rossellini questions and asks us to question the sustainability of it all.

Both creativity and compassion flow like hot lava through the veins of Isabella Rossellini. Isabella's driving passions appear cool and intellectually sophisticated to all in observance as she is taking that trip "in her brain."

"If I were..."