Sarah Polley's parents didn't want their daughter to have to deal with the stress of an acting career. After all, she was only three years old. But Sarah Polley has never let her age get in the way.

Before meeting Sarah, I had heard mention on several occasions of how grown up she was for her 15 years. So when we initially spoke on the phone, I was a little concerned and surprised when she suggested that we meet at the Granite Brewery for our interview. My fears of seeing Sara of Avonlea chugging back a few brews were quickly put to rest when I walked into what turned out to be a family restaurant and spotted this grunge-inspired teenager smiling at me.
Sarah Polley is a typical teenager, albeit a precocious one. She's just discovering the wonders and heartache of the opposite sex, some of her friends smoke pot and she worries about the environment. She has also been a professional actor since the age of four, and was recently named the most popular Canadian teenager on television, according to a poll conducted by TV Guide. Even though she's been working alongside actors three times her age for most of her life, Sarah has managed to remain so, well, normal. Normal except for a noticeably developed vocabulary and a sophisticated way of articulating her numerous opinions.
Acting came naturally to Sarah. Born to parents who were both respected thespians, one could say performing was in her blood. She made her film debut at age four playing a waif in One Magic Christmas. By the time she was ten years old, she had won critical acclaim for her starring roles in the TV series, 'Romana,' and the feature film, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. For the past five years, Sarah has brought the character of Sara Stanley to life in the hugely successful television series, 'Road to Avonlea.' She's a veteran at 15 years old.
On the surface, Sarah's life seems to be right out of a fairy tale, although she's had her fair share of tough times. After her first season on 'Avonlea,' her mom was diagnosed with cancer. Sarah was ten years old when she lost her mom to the disease. But Sarah proved herself to be a true professional, and after a short break, threw herself back into work, even though it took all she had. It helped her deal with the loss. Considering the way she handled this difficult time in her life, her concentration and discipline must be remarkable.
It seems to me that Sarah has come to terms with being one of Canada's most famous young actresses. Instead of the glamours lifestyle of a movie star, her daily routine is far more down to earth. She takes the art of acting very seriously, enjoying the process of researching her characters as much as performing them. She majors in drama and music at her high school, loves writing poetry, is counting the days until she can attend university and would ultimately like to start her own political party so she could make the world a better place. After spending an evening chatting with this idealist, I'd vote for her any day.

Imagine for a minute that you're Sarah Polley's agent and you're trying to get her the lead in a new dramatic series about teenagers. How would you describe Sarah the person?

Very focused. Not necessarily always focused on the same thing, but when she sets her mind to something, it's always in a very determined manner. Honest--sometimes to the point of being offensive, but always straight, or at least trying to be. Quirky, definitely quirky. I think I don't get into a lot of society's games--I don't play games with people. I'm always very focused and straight-ahead and very honest, nothing that can be interpreted any other way than it is. I'm not a die-hard feminist, but I do believe when you're a woman, to be honest is much more shocking than when a man is.

How would your agent describe Sarah Polley the actress?

Subtle, low-key. Sometimes I think it can border on boring. I work so hard to be natural, because I see so much animated, over-the-top stuff--especially American sitcoms--that it forces me to the other extreme. What I don't always remember is that television and stage aren't your life, they're the illusion of life, and so sometimes it has to be pushed beyond the absolutely natural.

You grew up the youngest, by eight years, of five kids. Were there advantages to being the youngest?

Definitely. My brothers and sisters were going through high school when I was going through Grade 3 and 4, so they were always sort of teaching me and always wanting to spill all the knowledge and all the learning that they had onto somebody. Since I was younger and could be taught, I was the obvious choice. I definitely had an advantage from that standpoint and also, they'd always take me places. I was the little sister, especially with my brother, Mark, who thought it was really cool to have a little sister. We were always doing stuff together.

Do you still have the same relationship with your siblings, in that they continue to teach you?

Yes, most definitely. They've all gone through different things, but now they've all ended up back at university, except for one who's a counseling doctor. And they're all always teaching me what they learn and calling me on the phone discussing things. Because I can argue and debate more maturely, it's even better for them. Sometimes I skip off class to go their lectures.

You go to the university lectures?

Sometimes, yeah. I skip school to go to the university--that's so stupid, but I do.

What kind of lectures do you attend?

I've been to one on modern English and one on Aristotle. It's really cool, because I really like reading, so it motivates me and gets me interested in new things. It spurs all kinds of new ideas in me.

Are you excited about going to university?

Very. Very. It's my dream--getting into Oxford. So all my focus right now is on getting to university.

Your dad is Michael Polley, an actor. And your mom, Diane, acted, and was a casting director. And your brother, Mark, was a child actor. In view of your family background, do you think that making your acting debut in One Magic Christmas at four years old was perfectly normal?

Because of my family, you mean? No, because I had to fight for it. I was only four, but my parents are both actors and my mom was in the business in other ways as well--my brother being a kid in acting--they knew it was hard. It's not that easy at all. It's really not an easy thing to go through, and they didn't want to subject me to it at all. They wanted me to lead a normal life and grow up normally, but I think I was pretty strong-willed.

How is a four-year-old strong willed? How do you articulate to your parents what you want to do?

I think I just did. They had always taught us to be independent, to fight for what we wanted, and that's what I did. In this case it was against them, but they realized since I was about two that I just wanted to, wanted to, wanted to. Finally they realized that if I was going to make mature decisions, they had to let me make them.

At four years old.

Exactly.

How does a four-year-old audition? What do they look for?

I was actually reading for the lead role, which I didn't get because I didn't have any experience. At least, that's one of the reasons. I love actors who say, 'I didn't get it because of this and this and I had a cold too, so I didn't get the part.'

If you had a four-year-old daughter who showed signs of being an actor, how seriously would you take her?

I don't know. I have a lot of philosophies about how to raise children. I probably believe in the way my parents brought me up. Although I don't think I could take her as seriously as my parents took me. I really respect my parents for that. It's a hard thing to do. I'm against age discrimination, but when it comes to a four-year-old, I don't think I could have had the trust they had in me. It's really amazing.

Explain 'I don't believe in age discrimination.'

Ahhh. A lot of things--it involves voting. I feel a lot of people under the age of 18 know more about the political parties that are running than people over 30. Everything from driving, from graduated licensing. I feel like people in my age group are really discriminated against. Fifteen-year-olds. Yes. And below that. I felt all my life I was really being oppressed. There were a lot of opportunities that I would have liked to have that were denied.

Can I play devil's advocate for a second and put forth the idea that perhaps you are far more sophisticated and mature than the average person your age?

Okay. This is the thing. I think that because I had educated parents and really educated brothers and sisters, I can express myself verbally quit well, comparatively. But I also feel that doesn't make me more sophisticated than my peers, because people, according to their upbringing, express themselves in different ways. In some ways, I'm a lot more immature than other people my age. All my friends have the same level of sophistication, it's just that I happen to have a way of expressing it that fits into society's way of judging, who's smart and who's not.

You're very articulate. You also have some great ideas.

Do you know what, though? I think that anybody in Grade 10 at my school has ideas this big. But because I've been given the opportunity to work with adults all my life, people generally listen to what I have to say. A lot of people my age aren't given that respect, and I don't think they see the point in expressing themselves to older people because they don't think they're going to be listened to--and they probably won't be. It's all part of the discrimination. Adults don't listen to kids, then kids in turn won't express their ideas to adults--it's like a cycle.

You started at the School for the Arts at eight years old. What kind of subjects did or do you study?

At Claude Watson, the school that goes from Grade 4 to 8, we took dance three times a week, national dance, creative modern jazz, music three times a week, instrumental and vocal, drama twice a week and art twice a week.
So those were the subjects we studied at the same time as academics. The day was divided in half. Now I'm a drama major with an elective in music and also the academics.

What is it about acting that you love?

It's... it's... uh...

Interesting that this is a hard one for you to answer.

I know. It's because it's so hard to articulate. It's a way of understanding other people, I think, of putting yourself into positions, being different people, experiencing different emotions that you might not experience as yourself. I think it depends on the method you use, but mine is that I try and make myself that person in every way. Not to the point where it carries on into my daily life. It gives me a much better understanding of other people--where they're coming from. When I see someone acting like a complete jerk, I find that I have a tendency to be able to relate what I felt to what they're feeling. I feel it gives me an understanding of other people that I wouldn't otherwise have.

How does finding out about the drugs Lewis Carroll took help you to play the role of Alice?

I think, understanding what it was he actually saw. You research a drug like mushrooms or acid, and you feel through the books what that does to you and what effect it has on you, and how it makes you feel and what kinds of things come to you--and I think you get a clearer understanding of what he was seeing and what emotions he was experiencing when he thought of Alice.

Can you explain the process of what a day's shooting on 'Avonlea' involves?

You get to work. Usually, before we go through hair and makeup and wardrobe, we have a blocking. They light. We get into hair and makeup and wardrobe. You rehearse once or twice. And then we do it. You rehearse only once or twice? Yes--it's very--a lot of it is almost winged. It's so short, the rehearsal process. It's really interesting, because I don't know if that's done a lot on other series, but I guess it sort of is, because...

Television is fast.

Yes. And there are, obviously, negative effects, but I like the idea that when you're watching a television show, a lot of it happens at the moment. That adds a real aspect to it.

What about things like learning your lines? When they give you your script, how long do you have to learn your lines?

Well, we get a call sheet, which tells us the scenes we're doing the day after. So I usually look over it that night or in the morning when I get there, during the blocking. What I usually do is, when I get the script, I go through it a couple of times and make notes, and I get a real feel for how I'm going to play it. The lines are just, like secondary, you know. I don't have that much trouble learning lines. Occasionally I do, but lines are pretty easy.

What happens when you have trouble learning lines? How do you deal with it?

I actually almost had a breakdown. Second season of 'Avonlea.' This is so weird. I'm sure there was a lot of other stuff behind this, but there were a couple of scenes where I had speeches--big, whopping speeches--and I looked at them the night before as usual, and I was, 'OH MY GOD,' so I just--there were a couple of scenes where it would take four or five takes before I'd get it right, and I just freaked out because it had never happened to me before. It got to the point where, that whole year, before I'd do any scene, I'd feel nauseous. I was so nervous. I was a nervous wreck for a year. It was so odd.

You were 11 years old when this was happening?

Occasionally it happens again. I get a little glimpse of it and then I push it back down. It was a very weird feeling. I guess it has a lot to do with the age, too. I mean, until I was about ten, I didn't care what people though. I was just having fun, doing what I wanted to do. Then all of a sudden, I started caring about what people were thinking.

Perhaps you were losing your innocence a little.

Yeah--maybe that's because I wasn't at a school that I could worry about, or if I was going out with somebody or if my hair and makeup was right. It came out in my career. All of a sudden I was worried about what people thought of my acting. I sort of realized I was on TV and that there was a crew there that would notice if I lost my lines.

What happens when you disagree with the director's vision? I would guess, sitting here talking to you after about six minutes, that you have a specific vision of who your character is. And the director has one. What happens when the two of you come to heads?

The thing is, we have a different director every episode. The actors basically have a pretty good idea of our characters after all this time. So they usually leave us alone. I think they respect that. Occasionally someone will give input, and that's totally cool and he does a good job. Sometimes people give input that I don't agree with. I'm not quiet for very long.

What I'm imagining is this sort of cute little girl dressed up in her frilly costume, pointing her finger at this director and going, 'Listen buddy, don't tell me what to do. I've been doing this for 11 years.' That's never happened?

No. Because I try to avoid power struggles and stuff like that.

Well you'd win. You're the star.

Well... I don't know about that either, but--I'm not really too keen on that kind of thing. If there's something that I really, really don't agree with and the directory's not willing to budge on it, I take the direction and I try and find a way that it makes sense to me.

What's the best piece of advice you'd give to a director working with young talent?

This is assuming that all kids are like I am--to make the direction interesting, so that you will capture their attention. There have been times, when I was younger, that directors would repeat things and repeat things and repeat things--and I'd hear it, but I wouldn't be listening, so I wouldn't get it. Some directors say the same thing over and over and over again. They think because you're a kid, you'll forget. You have to make it interesting so you'll capture their attention.

What would your advice be to a young performer who has to work with a director?

To try and focus on what they're saying, and to really listen. And if you disagree, definitely do voice your opinion. But do listen. Because it affects the whole product.

What would you say makes a good actor?

Someone who never stops questioning. Themselves, the director, the show. Not to the point where you're completely self-conscious, but to the point where you don't have a set idea of anything and you're willing to smash down all your ideas about a character. That's what makes a good persona, not just an actor, but a person.

In other words, someone who's always evolving.

Yes, definitely. Always willing to change, always willing to grow.

What is the glamours side to your job?

Hmm. I guess being able to work with the people I work with. Being able to meet the people who I've met, and talk with them and learn from them. That's the most glamours thing. I don't know what glamor means--if it's like having things done for you. I can't stand that. The one thing I really can't stand is when people open doors for you and help you down from places and go and get you things. It makes me crazy. I like to do stuff for myself and it feels like people are robbing me of my independence when that happens.

You're famous for bringing a famous Canadian literary character to life. How important is the 'Canadian' to you?

Not as important as the human being. I'm not a very nationalist person at all. I'm infinitely proud of what a peaceful nation this is, and the writers and the musicians and the actors and the dancers who have come out of this country, but I can't say I'm proud to be a Canadian, because I don't think that means anything. I'm more happy to be a citizen of the world. In TV Guide there was a poll. You were voted the most popular Canadian teenager on television. Do you think they're picking you--or the character you play? I think the character. I don't think that someone can really know me--there are aspects of me that are similar but--I think it has to be the character.

What is it about the character that you think they're drawn to?

I think because she's very sort of creative, and very dreamy and romantic, but at the same time very down-to-earth. She keeps her feet on the ground. And she has a huge conscience, for everybody. I think that appeals to people--someone with a good set of morals. It's something that people are hungry for in everyday life, so to see it on television is even better than sex and the violence that usually get on there.

How different are you from your character?

I'm more extreme than her in a lot of ways. I take things too seriously sometimes, I guess. Once I get my mind set on something, I'm so extreme. Things like--well, about three months ago, I stopped wearing makeup and I became stupid about it. It was my decision. But I started imposing it on my friends, and I started saying stupid things like I wouldn't have as much respect for them if they continued to wear makeup. Once I get my mind set on something, it's very hard to pull me off. I've become obsessive about stuff like that.

Tell me why you chose not to wear it any more.

I guess there are a lot of reasons. But the main one is I found I was becoming a high- maintenance person. I used to put on a bit of mascara to go to school and then I started putting on a bit of foundation, lipstick, and it got to the point where I was putting on a lot of stuff and when I'd leave one of these things off, I'd feel gross. I'd feel ugly. I didn't feel like I was a good person. I realized it was so much nicer to get to the point--get out of bed, whip on whatever was in the closet and go to school and concentrate on what I was doing, rather than how I was appearing.

I'm surprised that you even wore makeup. Firstly, because you're absolutely beautiful. And second of all, it's part of your job to wear makeup on set, so one would think that you would relish the hours where you're makeup-free.

I know. I can totally see that being true, but a lot of it is being 15. I don't know whose approval we're looking for, but we're looking for someone's approval. It seems like my whole life, all my friends, anyone around me my age, we're all struggling for somebody's approval. Some macho idiot in the hall whistling or anything. It seems like there's a lack of encouragement or enthusiasm about us... All my friends are stressed out about school, about how they look, about everything imaginable and about making their family happy--I don't know if my sisters and brothers ever were--it feels like it's gone from an extreme to an extreme. Like, in the '60s and '70s and even the '80s, it seemed like everyone was very rebellious and everyone was sort of trying not to please everyone. Now it seems that everyone in my grade is trying to please everyone and it's gotten to the point where it's stupid.

Do you have people recognizing you wherever you go?

I used to--a lot. But I cut my hair in the summer. Since then, I've had about two people come up to me. It's the best thing I've ever done. Now nobody recognizes me, hardly at all, except actually these posters that just went up on the subway for 'Avonlea.' I take the subway to and from school, and I always seem to end up underneath one of them. I notice people are looking at me and I'm just, like, oh God--and I look up and there's my face, on the subway--it's so embarrassing. It looks like I've planted myself right under my pictures. It's bad.

Why do you think there is such a fascination with famous people?

That's a very hefty question. I definitely can't answer that 100 per cent. I can say, though, that it probably has something to do with the fact that you have the power to enter anyone's home by them just pushing a button. You can enter their lives, you can grab their attention for an hour, you can get into their houses and take up their time.

How would you make sure that you're unaffected by your fame?

Above all else, that you always have a strong love for yourself. If you truly love yourself, what other people think, whether it be good or bad, won't matter that much to you.

When did you figure this out?

You know what? This is a culmination of a lot of things. I've been thinking. This is the first time I've articulated it.
This always happens, though, when people ask me questions. Thoughts occur to me, but they're never really put into ideas until someone asks me about it. Things have been happening my whole life to help me form that opinion. Now that I have the chance to articulate it, it just comes together naturally.

Your agent was quoted as saying, 'I negotiate her fees, but I also negotiate her lifestyle.' What does that mean?

It means that when you're an agent of a kid--the time that I have to work affects my whole life, because it affects whether I go to school a lot, whether I see my friends a lot, how much time I get to spend with my family. I'm working towards my priorities in life, my real, true goals, which don't actually lie in acting. It's my friends and my social life and learning how to relate to people. So by negotiating my contract, she negotiates a lot of things in my life.

Have you ever turned down a role?

Yes. Always because of school. I've had to and I still have to make a lot of decisions. I've gotten to the point in acting where I think I'm eligible for quite a bit of work. I've never seen myself as an actor when I'm older, so I have to decide whether I'm going to sacrifice my education, which might lead to that goal sooner, or let it wait a while. I have to do a lot of thinking in the next little while.

Are you ultimately in charge of your career?

Yes, 100 per cent. I don't have anyone telling me what to do. My dad is going to let me do exactly what I want. He's 100 per cent in support of every decision I make. Every decision I make now--I'm 15--is going to affect me for the rest of my life. Whether it be in acting or my education.

You have pressure.

It is a lot of pressure. It would almost be easier if I did have someone telling me what to do, but I've been given that kind of independence and freedom of choice. My agent doesn't tell me what to do. She's like my friend. If I don't want to work, she doesn't say anything about it. My dad wants me to do what I want. I have to do all this on my own. It's hard.

So what do you base your decision on?

What's what I have to figure out, too--long-term or short-term. In the past, it's been long-term, because I've always favored education over acting. But now I'm starting to think more short-term. I don't know if it's going to last--but there have been a couple of ideas flying through my head. Like opportunities to audition for certain things, to do certain things--seize the day.

So, in essence, if you were to get these roles that you would audition for, you couldn't go to school?

Right. I'd do it by a tutor. I'd still get the same quality of education, and it's great learning one-on-one, but I wouldn't have the social life. I'd really miss my friends. I have amazing friends. And it's a different experience learning in a classroom. It's being involved with other students--with your peers and with teachers. So I don't know if that's an experience I really want to miss. Also that cold really help my chance of getting to Oxford, having a degree like an arts degree from Earl Haig, which is an amazing school. Dunno. I've got to think about that. I'm being so heavy.

You are heavy. You're serious. But you've been working since you were four years old. Wouldn't that force you to be a serious person?

I don't remember being serious. I think it's just in the last year I've become a really intense person. I've just been, like, so--contemplative and heavy about everything. I don't remember--in my life--always being like this. I don't know what it is.

For me, that's a good time--to get heavy. I like that.

Okay, good. It seems like you've come to the right person.

Is there a spiritual side to your life?

No. I don't think so. No. I think there was a time, probably close to when my mom died, that I became very stringent. I read a lot about Buddhism and I became a sort of Zen. I became very involved with things like crystals--actually very involved with crystals, and supernatural powers and...

You were 11 years old when that happened?

Yeah. A lot of that for me--and I'm not saying it's true for everyone who's a Zen Buddhist or believes in crystals--but for me, it was looking for something to grasp on to, something to believe in, something to keep me going. But I realized...I think I got past it. It was a phase I went through. I'm very atheist. Which might have a lot to do with my upbringing. I can't deny that at all. Because maybe if I had someone reinforcing all the ideas of Zen Buddhism, I might still be a Buddhist. Maybe that's no the right way to deal with spirituality, but I don't have faith in anything but my fellow human beings and the world around me. I have strong faith in people, but not beyond people. The world is a beautiful place, it's a beautiful enough place for me to worship and have faith in and--it's enough for me.

So when times get tough now, in your day-to-day life, where do you get the strength to keep on going?

In the fact that I've got one life to live, even though it's just a glimmer of consciousness in, like, an ocean of consciousness, and in time that goes on forever beyond human beings. Even though I just have one life to live and it might mean nothing in the long run, all the more to enjoy it, because I have nothing to lose. I have absolutely nothing to lose. I have only experience and knowledge and fun and everything to gain. I have no one who's going to tell me I've sinned when I die, so--I'm having so much fun.

When something bad happens-say if someone bashed into your car, how would you handle it?

Well, that's life. Maybe tomorrow something wonderful is going to happen.

You lost your mom when you were 11--to cancer--so who became the female role model in your life?

Actually, that was a weird situation. Because--I'm sure this happens in a lot of girls' lives who lose their mom--you have about ten people trying to be your mom and trying to take her place and trying to give you that. It's completely not a selfish thing in most cases. I had a lot of women who wanted to fill that role. Some of them realized, on their own, what they were doing and backed off. But the fact was, and the fact still is, that I don't have a mother. It's something I have to live with. That's what I realized, too, because I was clinging to people, even on set...and I would become really close to them. But..my mother died. I have a father. My experience was very different from most people's. Most people grow up with a mother and a father. I'm growing up with a father. It's different, but I don't think I'm missing out on having a mother, I'm gaining the experience of having a father. Obviously I'd rather my mother was alive, but it's not something that you can ever replace and it's not something that I think you should want to, because it's the course your life takes and to look for something else is destructive.
Let's say that there are a lot of women in my life now who are really important to me. A lot of them are my age, some of them are older. I've taken--I guess I've had a really cool experience because I've sort of created my own mother for myself. I've taken all the best qualities from my friends who are women and tried to emulate those.

What's the best piece of advice that's helped you through the tough times?

It's going to sound really strange. The more I hear it, the more it makes sense to me, 'Nothing really matters.' It sounds like a bad thing. But it's gotten me out of the worst depressions and the worst frames of mind ever.

But explain why nothing really matters?

Someone said this to me--it's like a baby scratching its knee. At the time, it's a huge deal to this baby--it's screaming its head off, it's never felt so angry in its life. When it's 20 or even ten years old, is it even going to remember it? No. This could be the worst thing that's ever happened to us in our life, but if what makes us happy is caring about the world and the grand scheme of things, what does this really matter in the huge picture? We're probably going to look back on it and smile and say, 'Oh well, that was sort of sad, but look where I am now because of it.' It doesn't matter all that much. It couldn't matter as much as we think it does.

So what you're learning is perspective.

Yes, to have a perspective on things.

Times will get tough and then times will get good, and ultimately, in the bigger scheme of things, don't waste your time on this little problem because there are big ones coming up.

Exactly.

I read that you've incorporated the pain of loss into your character. That's a very sophisticated acting technique. And also a very sophisticated coping technique.

You know what, though? I hate to tell you this. I don't do that any more. I've actually realized it is one of--in my opinion--the biggest mistakes anyone can make. The biggest, most destructive thing someone can do. I used to use it for all my crying scenes, my mom dying. After a while, when I would think about her and start crying, I would feel the worst guilt--I don't think I've ever told anyone this before but, well...the worst guilt that you can imagine because it was like--I use this for my acting. I use it for my job. All of a sudden, all the emotion, the real emotion that I could feel about this, seemed artificial. It seemed to contrived, because this was what I was doing to make a scene easier to play. I don't believe in that method of acting any more. I completely changed all my principles, because relating you own personal experience is destructive, not only to yourself but to the whole product. Even though that character lost her mother and I lost my mother, although those events are similar, they come from completely different backgrounds. They are two completely different people, as people always are--so for her to deal with her mother's death in the same way that I'm dealing with my mother's death isn't true to the character at all. It doesn't work for the character--it's destructive for me--it's not worth that. No job is worth that.

So now, in those scenes when you have to cry, how do you do it? Onions?

Hmmm. What do I do? I try and be in the character and be in the moment and be the character for that moment. It's a lot more fair to the audience and it's a lot more true to yourself.

If your mom knew that it was her loss that brought tears to your eyes as an actress, do you think that it would have bothered her?

Maybe. I don't know. She died when I was 11, and she was sick for two years before that, so I don't know how well I knew her. I knew her as my mom, she was a great mom, but my brothers and sisters had got to a pint where they knew her on a more personal level because they were at an age where they could really talk to each other.

It's true that, as we grow up--and it happened to me, too--you see them as mommy and daddy and then one day, you go, 'Hey, my daddy's really a good-looking man.' Or, 'My mom, she's an interesting person.'

Yeah--all of a sudden they're real people to you.

You never really got that far with your mom because you weren't old enough.

I have sort of glimpses of it--I have vague memories of it. It's hard, you know. She had five kids. And she had a job. And she really gave me a lot.

Was she a feminist? Your mom?

Hmm. I don't know. I know that she was for women's rights 100 per cent. But I don't know if I could call her a feminist.

What's your definition of feminism?

I've never actually though about it before but, strangely enough, as liberated as I think I am, I think I associate negative things with that. Isn't that weird? I find that really, really weird.

What do you associate it with?

Angry. A lot of anger. I guess that's awful, and I've never even noticed that before. But I do associate a lot of anger with feminism and with people who call themselves feminists and I know that's wrong.

But you called yourself a feminist at the beginning of this interview.

Oh--I said I'm not a diehard feminist. I believe in equal rights for men and women. I don't believe in the coming about of that equality by--I know a lot of feminists--from what I've heard in interviews and things from what I know--have said.... Yes, I agree that men and women should be equal, because right now we don't have as great a status as men. We have to push for superiority instead of equality, even though you might not get as far as fast. It becomes--it doesn't become the goal of equality any more.

So in a sense, you're a liberated woman--you're in charge of your financial side, you're in charge of your career, you're allowed to make your own decisions. Maybe you're the ultimate in what the feminist movement is striving for. You're the living embodiment of what these women have been fighting for so many years.

Well, you definitely have a point. Because obviously, if feminism hadn't been around I wouldn't have the opportunities I have now. So, yeas, I think it's very wrong of me to associate anger with feminism. But it's a lot of stereotyping media that's contributed to this, and a lot of scared men who have contributed to my viewpoint of what a feminist is. The media is run by upper-class males, so obviously, I'm going to have the image, living in the society that I do, that feminists are this group of people we should be afraid of.

One of the things I head about you before I came here was that you're very interested in politics. To the point of even considering one day, maybe, starting your own political party. A lot of young people mistrusts politicians. Why do you want to become one?

Maybe one of the reasons this generation has such a low sense of morale is that we have no trust in the people who are leading us, who are making all the decisions for us and the way our lives are run. It would be great to be a leader the people could trust. Someone who's actually honest. Because I am honest, that's one thing I can say about myself. I'm very focused on what I believe and I have strong beliefs. And I definitely question them and I do change them often, but there are things that I don't think I will ever agree with.

So you do want to get into politics. What do you think defines a good leader?

Someone who gives people confidence in themselves and in each other. Not nationalism-- not confidence that they are a great country and the greatest country and that because they're Canadians, they're superior to everyone else--but a confidence in themselves as people and as individuals. I would never ever want to intrude on anybody's rights, like they did in the Soviet Union, because that's what destroyed it. As individuals, as a culture, as a whole race of human beings. Trust. I think people need to have trust in a leader. For a change that extreme, I think people need to have a huge amount of trust in their leader.

It happened to Ronald Reagan--here is this actor from America, becoming president. You have a very down-to-earth, charming persona--who knows? In 30 years, we could have Prime Minister Polley.

Yeah, well, I hope I don't end up like Ronald Reagan.

Would you like to be prime minister?

I don't know. Until a couple of months ago, I used to say I wanted to be the prime minister--that's all I wanted. To go to Oxford and to be the prime ministers. Now I don't know. I'm watching the documentaries on Trudeau. He was very lucky because he didn't have to lie. He was in the right place at the right time. He was smart, he was honest. He is, I think, the coolest prime minister that any country could ever have. He is so cool. But he was lucky, you know. Most people have to lie their way to the top. From what I can see, it's very difficult to do it honestly. So I don't know if I can deal with that. I don't want to lie. If I can do it honestly, yes, definitely I will. If I can't, I won't. I'll be a poet. I want to be a poet anyway.

A poet or prime minister.

A poetician.

As a young actor, is there any one role you'd like to play when you get older?

Ummm. Antigone. She's a character in a Greek tragedy. She's the most strong-willed, indomitable, fiery, honest person. She's so cool. You should read that--you'd like it a lot.

Are you at all like this character?

I try to be like her in a lot of ways. She really lived, you know. So I'd like to think of myself like her. I've had it pretty easy, but I believe there are no limits anywhere. No one's ever put limitations on me, but I've seen people overcome things that they didn't think were possible. That's how I would want to influence people, letting them know there are no limits and there are no bars too strong to break.

What do you hope people learn from this interview?

I think that people have a large lack of trust in people of my generation. They feel that we don't have any goals. And we don't really feel we're going anywhere. I get that impression. I hope that I come across as someone who has a lot of goals and a lot of dreams and is focused and willing to do anything to achieve them. And I hope that gives people a bit of hope for the future. That there's someone who cares, a lot of people who care.

And you say you're willing to do anything to achieve your goals?

Everything except lie--except be dishonest. Yes.

She Should Talk
by ERICA EHM
ISBN 0-00-638055-7

**If any of the above doesn't make sense, chances are it's probably a typo so please inform me of it.