With the Oscar nominations just announced it seems the perfect time to look at Ellen Page, the first actress in our breakthrough artist series.Despite beginning her acting career at the tender age of ten it is her recent role as accidentally pregnant teen in Juno that has captured everyone's attention.The young Canadian began her career in her native country in a series of television shows until she was cast in independent picture Mouth to Mouth.She stars as Sherry who meets a radical street collective called SPARK - Street People Armed with Radical Knowledge while she is living on the streets of Europe.They introduce her to a radical new life in this coming of age story as Sherry realises there is a cost to individuality. From Mouth to Mouth she went on to be cast in 2005 movie Hard Candy that follows a sexual predator and a fourteen year old girl he tries to ensnare and the confrontation between the two, as the girl had a hidden agenda all along.
The movie won three Sitges Film Festival awards in 2005 including Best Picture and Page received praise for 'one of the most complex, disturbing and haunting performances of the year.'
She moved onto a small role as Kitty Pryde in X-men: The Last Stand.
However it is her role as Juno that has earnt the young actress critical praise.
Juno may seem wise beyond her years, but after sleeping with classmate Bleeker (Michael Cera), the pregnant teen quickly realizes how little she really knows about life
Thankfully, Juno has been blessed with parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) who trust their daughter's judgment and give her their total support.
With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt.
Now, as adolescent Juno is faced with a series of very adult and tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.
She will draw on the support of her family and friends in order to discover who she truly is, and discover that one bad choice can have a lifetime of consequences.
The film is already being called 2008's Little Miss Sunshine and has been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and Best Director for Jason Reitman.
For Ellen she has bagged a Best Actress nomination for the role. This is just the most recent in a long line of nominations including Golden Globe, Critic's Choice Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.
Next up for the young actress is comedy Smart People with Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw