Almost Famous: A Spotlight on Canada’s Ellen Page
Michelle Da Silva
“I don’t really want to do the Hollywood thing. I think you ought to try to say something with your movies” are words you don’t often hear coming from film actresses. But, perhaps it’s because rising Canadian darling Ellen Page, 20, isn’t your typical film actress.
Page has been acting for over a decade. At age 10, she made her debut in Pit Pony, a made-for-TV film, which later became a television series. Since then, Page has had roles, many of them starring, in a string of highly-acclaimed independent and Hollywood films.
The pint-sized actress, whose slender frame barely scrapes five feet, shot to fame in the independent film scene in 2005 with the starring role in David Slade’s Hard Candy. Critics applauded Page’s maturity and ability to take on such a complicated role. The film, which also starred Patrick Wilson and Sandra Oh, took home five wins at international film festivals.
Page went from one drama to the next, shaving her head bald for Mouth to Mouth. While most actresses wouldn’t dream of taking on a role which required them to lose their locks, Page said she looks for films that challenge patriarchy and stereotypical roles for teenaged girls. Roles like Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand are the ones that Page has more trouble accepting.
She originally turned down the role in the 2006 Blockbuster, until director Brett Ratner personally contacted her to talk about it. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” said Page, “but it was great in its own way.
“Of course there’s a whole school of thought that the X-Men is basically a metaphor for homosexuality,” said Page, who identifies herself as a feminist. “Plus, Kitty Pryde! I mean, there’s a loaded name. There’s something there, right?”
This year has been a particularly busy year for Page, with four films due out before December. Page shares the screen with Catherine Keener in An American Crime, which recounts the true story of the abuse of Sylvia Likens (Page) in the 1960s. She also stars with Ellen Burnstyn in The Stone Angel, an adaptation of the Margaret Laurence novel. Page takes a stab at comedy with Arrested Development’s Michael Cera and Jason Bateman in Juno. And, finally, she stars in Bruce McDonald’s much talked-about indie drama, The Tracey Fragments.
Page’s recent resume can also be read as a list of some of the year’s most thought-provoking and talked-about films. While soft spoken most of the time, Page has a lot to say when it comes to the roles she chooses. “I don’t care if people like my character. I just want them to think about the movie’s message.” From the array of smart, boundary-pushing films she has already completed and a look at the two she has on the horizon for 2008, Page is poised to be one of Canada’s most talented film actresses |
