Bruce Mcdonald can be credited for discovering Ellen Page pre-Juno by casting her in The Tracey Fragments. So who’s the new girl he’s selected as his muse?

She’s short, Canadian, and has brown hair – are we seeing a parallel here? Will Georgina Reilly be our next Ellen Page? It’s the obvious question on everyone’s mind, but Reilly doesn’t like to think that way. “It’s flattering, [but] the movie is not really an Ellen Page movie. I love Ellen Page, and if I got to go in the direction she’s gone, it would be amazing.”

Reilly’s newest project is a psychological horror flick titled Pontypool, which is due to make its international debut at TIFF. Reilly plays Laurel Ann, a fairly nondescript small town girl working in a radio station who’s suddenly forced to deal with some insanely intense situations, more specifically a gory language virus. Huh? Like a highly sophisticated zombie board game of sorts, the virus is contaminated through the English language, certain words carry devastating outcomes and radio employees have to rid themselves of the virus by chewing each others faces off.

Although horror fans are in high anticipation for a symphony of blood and guts, Reilly describes the film as more of a dark comedy. “I think it’s pretty funny. Psychological thriller – not really horror horror.”

So what is it like working with Canada’s most eccentric director? “He’s really cool…really chill. Even when it’s down to the wire…you always feel relaxed.” Reilly also enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside Canadian actors like Stephen McHattie. “…Working with Steven – his level of commitment is rewarding to watch.”

This project seemed made for Reilly in more ways than one. “I’ve worked with Bruce before, got a call from him, auditioned and that was it.” Not only was Reilly familiar with the film’s iconic director, she was in the neighbourhood. The film was shot at a small church in The Junction, the West end hood that Reilly calls home. Living one hundred feet away from set Reilly admits “If I hadn’t landed the part, it would have been really awkward.”

The film was shot in an unbelievable three weeks. Small space, small shooting schedule, and on top of that, McDonald chose to shoot the film chronologically. What was it like working in such a unique, trail-blazing environment?

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Reilly made the best of McDonald’s non-conventional shooting style. “It was really fast. The chronological thing was awesome, never worrying about where you are with your character…it really helped increase the drama – being freaked up.”

With Reilly’s solid commitment to her craft and wealth of experience, it’s surprising to learn that she’s only 22 years old. Even more unexpected, is that Reilly grew up in England, moved to Toronto when she was 16, and attended Havergal College. Although the uptown private school never commends opting out of University, Reilly stuck to her gut and pursued her acting career with gusto.

Reilly’s favourite activities paint her as a truly down-to-earth Toronto girl, a favourite Saturday would consist of a trip to High Park, with a basket in hand brimming with French delights like baguette and brie. When she’s not catching Shakespeare in the park she’s playing Rock Band with her roommates.

As our interview comes to an end, I ask Reilly for some advice on behalf of all the struggling actors out there. So here are some words of wisdom from the young ingénue: “People get bogged down with trying to get the character right but you need to do it the way you want it – it’s an art, it’s an interpretation. The difference in the acting between TV versus really good scripts – you got to bring your own thing into it.”

While Reilly waits to see where her next acting gig will take her, she has an exciting premiere, a highly anticipated film, and all of TIFF, to keep her busy.