Ellen Page is best known for her award winning roles in the critically acclaimed Juno and Inception.  Born in Canada in 1987 (God that has aged me), Page has eased my fears that good acting would be taken over by the “bankable movie star”.  She is not only talented but shows us that not all actors will choose the romcom route to easy fame, some really want to work on actual films – with plots!

Page’s career began at the meager age of 10, when she starred in the TV movie Pit Pony.  This spun off into a TV series and Ellen caught the eye of TV execs, getting roles in numerous TV shows, including Trailer Park Boys.  2005 was the year that she hit the big time with a wonderful performance as Hayley in Hard Candy.  The following year she stepped up to play Shadowcat in X-Men: The Last Stand (you remember her, the girl who could run through walls).

However, when you say the name Ellen Page one thing springs to mind right away – Juno.  Page received nominations from both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for Best Actress for the role. Unfortunately for Ellen she didn’t receive either gong, she did however win over a dozen awards including the Independent Spirit Award and several critics awards.

Ellen followed Juno with impressive performances in films like Smart People and Whip It however it was Inception that made the critics sit up again.  Her performance as Ariadne (the architecture) showed her maturity as she acted as the link between the audience as the film.  Her character didn’t really know what was going on either!  Acting along side the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio must be intimidating but if it was, she certainly didn’t show it.

Currently Page is working on Freeheld, a dramatisation of a documentary of the same name.  Ellen will play Stacie, the same sex life partner of  New Jersey police officer Lt. Laurel Hester who, upon her deathbed,  appealed for the extension of pension benefits to domestic partners.  I don’t know about you but I will be buying shares in Kleenex before I go to see that one!

As my colleague CanuckJacq wrote recently, Ellen has been outed and this she has neither denied nor confirmed.  If she is gay/bi it’s a shame she has been outed in this fashion, as far as I am concerned it is her business.  However, I do hope that if she is queer, she will stand up and be counted, now her hand has been forced (so to speak).  The more out LBGTs the better all around.

So what do you think of this talented young woman?  Alainn or Appalling?