Emilie de Ravin is good at finding strength in troubled young women. Brick gives her little time, but enough to make us care; larger roles have not always made her more distinctive.
Fi1m perspective
In Brick (2006), Emilie de Ravin gives Emily Kostich a vulnerability that never quite obscures her strength. There is little screen time to work with, but enough to suggest a troubled young woman worth caring about. We were moved by Emily because de Ravin makes her distress feel personal, even within the film's elaborate high-school noir. Rian Johnson asks for concentration, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes the difficult talk convincing. De Ravin helps give us a reason to care about the people speaking it, though some of the other supporting characters remain remote.
Television has given her more sustained work in science fiction and fantasy. Her early recurring role as Tess Harding in Roswell (2000–2002) came before the breakthrough of Claire Littleton in Lost (2004–2010). Later came Belle in Once Upon a Time (2011–2018), another regular part in a series built around extraordinary circumstances. Alongside the television work, Brenda Carter in the horror remake The Hills Have Eyes (2006) offered another version of the vulnerable young woman who has some resistance in her.
Santa's Slay (2005), in which she plays Mary 'Mac' Mackenzie, is a useful reminder that her genre work need not be solemn. David Steiman's Christmas horror comedy earns its recommendation through festive bad taste, Bill Goldberg's Santa and a bright storybook look. The central joke is thin, but we still find the film good company. It is worth seeing for those pleasures, though Mac is not the part on which we would base an appreciation of de Ravin.
The romantic lead in Remember Me (2010) is less distinctive, and we would not claim that she makes every part equally persuasive. Her value is clearest when a film needs us to care about someone quickly, as Brick does. That makes the supporting film work worth seeking out alongside the longer television commitments. Start with Johnson's film, provided its deliberately elaborate dialogue sounds like a pleasure rather than homework.
Biography
Emilie de Ravin is an Australian actress. Born on 27 December 1981 in Mount Eliza, Victoria, she trained at the Australian Ballet School from the age of fifteen before studying acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Australia and the Prime Time Actors Studio in Los Angeles.
She first gained recognition for playing Tess Harding in the series Roswell (1999–2002). She is also known for portraying Claire Littleton in Lost (2004–2010) and Belle in Once Upon a Time (2011–2018). Her film roles include Emily Kostich in Brick (2005), Brenda in The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Ally Craig in Remember Me (2010).
