Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Tuesday made her acting debut with Hollywood star Owen Wilson in a Woody Allen film being shot in Paris.

The veteran US director greeted the former model on the set of "Midnight in Paris" before shooting, which lasted several hours, at a small grocer's shop in the central fifth arrondissement (district).

The road was cordoned off and bodyguards maintained a discreet presence as a crowd gathered to watch.

Allen began filming his latest film earlier this month in the city.

The film, a romantic comedy, in which a couple see their life disrupted by a trip to Paris, also features French actress Marion Cotillard and Americans Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.