At the age of fourteen, she already appeared in front of the camera as one of her classmates in the film Červnové dny / June Days (1961), and she appeared in other roles as a student in the movies Vánice / Blizzard (1962) and Na laně / On the Rope (1963). She got the title role of a hotel school graduate experiencing the first disappointment of her life in the short story Gabriela in the film Strakatí andělé / Spotty Angels (1964), and as one of the girls boarding school inmates, she also appeared in the musical Kdyby tisíc klarinetů / If a Thousand Clarinets (1964). Although she had no background in acting, during the 1960s, she became one of the most sought-after stars of the young generation, her domain being the roles of no-fair-weather girls, and she acted in several movies a year.

In addition to her extensive involvement in movie industry, she also worked in the theatre. After she graduated from high school, she played at the Rokoko Theater, the E. F. Burian Theater, and the Za Branou Theater. Later she was a stage hostess at the Laterna Magica, and she also took part in foreign touring performances with the Black Theater. She made history in Czechoslovak cinematography with the role of Zdenička Svatá, whose bottom is stamped by the train dispatcher Hubička (Josef Somr) in Menzel's Oscar-winning film Ostře sledované vlaky / Closely Watched Trains (1967). With Jiří Menzel, she went on to star in Zločin v šantánu / Crime in a Music Hall (1968) and Skřivánci na niti / Larks on a String (1969). In the meantime, she made television appearances and made films in Slovakia.