Reluctant Star

Alberta native Evangeline Lilly, known to millions as a beautiful castaway on the television series Lost, was initially more interested in a university degree than the bright lights of modelling or acting.

Evangeline Lilly's Cinderella story begins with her scoffing at the glass slipper. The Alberta-born actor -- who stars as an enigmatic castaway in the runaway hit series Lost -- was living in Kelowna, B.C. three years ago when she was approached by a scout for the Ford modelling agency.

"I was walking down the street and this scout goes, 'Hey you!' " the 25-year-old says from Hawaii, where the drama -- airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and CTV -- is filmed.

It's the sort of tale that fuels dreams of fame and fortune. Thing is, the Fort Saskatchewan native -- who had aspirations of working in international relations -- wasn't interested.

"At the time I said, 'No, I don't want to.' It hadn't been the first or last modelling agency (to approach me) and I found it frustrating to be stereotyped like that -- that (modelling) was what I should be doing. Why? Because I'm outgoing and reasonably OK-looking? . . . I wanted to be involved in organizations that help people," says Lilly, who has been a volunteer for children's projects since the age of 14.

The scout left her a business card, but Lilly didn't call the number until months later when she was attending the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Some modelling gigs, she reasoned, might help pay for her education.

Furthermore, her friends were encouraging her to give it a go. One challenged her, she recalls. "He said, 'What are you hiding from? You're afraid of your own success.' "

Modelling jobs followed. So did acting work in series such as Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital.

"I always loved acting and being in front of people like that, but the industry is so corrupt and immoral. And I just didn't know where I would fit in."

In Lost, which attracted 18 million viewers with its premiere and challenges CSI: NY in the coveted 18-to-49- year-old demographic, Lilly plays Kate, one of 48 survivors stranded on a mysterious island after a plane crash. Her fellow castaways include Matthew Fox (Party of Five) and Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings).

She landed the role after sending in an audition tape during the casting process. She heard nothing back -- a sure sign of rejection -- until creator J. J. Abrams called her to say he wanted her to test for ABC executives in Los Angeles.

Such a request is, she says, "the final stage of casting. But that had never happened to me. I didn't know what that meant."

After she went down and got the part, Abrams and the network spent weeks getting Lilly a work visa from the U.S. government. "They were like, 'Why can't you find an experienced American actress instead of this inexperienced Canadian nobody?' " she says.

"And (Abrams and ABC) were like, 'No, it's got to be her.' "

Now Lilly is facing the inevitable comparisons to Abrams' other leading ladies. This is the guy, after all, who -- along with just being hired to direct Mission Impossible * -- created Alias and Felicity. "People are saying, 'So do you feel any pressure, now that you're the next Keri Russell or the next Jen Garner?' And I'm like, 'Oh my goodness. What pressure?' "

As for her reservations about the entertainment industry, she still has them -- but is content to keep them out of sight, if not out of mind, thanks to the Hawaiian location.

"I've had very, very good luck. Everyone here, they're all incredible people with beautiful lives and families. I've lucked into this group."

While it's disconcerting that random strangers now recognize her, she says having a former hobbit as one of her castmates has helped.

"Dominic can't go anywhere without being recognized. I've experienced that a bit and seen his reaction. He is very encouraged by it. He sees it as these people are his supporters and he's so glad to have that support.

"So he's very cordial and I've got to see someone be very positive about it, because not everyone is like that."

Lilly is reading film scripts, looking for a movie to shoot during her summer break next year. "My agent and I are aware of striking while it's hot and I'm very excited at the prospect of doing a film on my hiatus."

As for what her life would have been like hadn't she been discovered on the streets of Kelowna, she muses, "I probably would be in university.

"My life would be a lot simpler, but a lot less exciting."

Courtesy of The London Free Press



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