Carly Pope

Carly Pope`s professional acting debut consisted of blowing her brains out in a flashback scene of the feature film "Disturbing Behavior" (1998). But by the time the movie was released, she was nowhere in sight. The violent suicide scene was deemed too harsh for younger audiences and wound up on the cutting room floor.

"But it was a great experience," says Pope, 20, an attractive Canadian actress, "because I got to work with a fabulous director, David Nutter, who is involved with the `Roswell` series. He became my mentor in many ways."

Indeed, their strong personal relationship paved the way for Pope to audition for the leading part of Liz on "Roswell" a few months later, but the show`s producers decided to go with Shiri Appleby instead. Having established a rapport with casting directors at The WB network, she merely sent a video tape of her work when "Popular" (Fri., 9-10 p.m., WB) came along within weeks.

When the call came to do a screen test in Hollywood, Pope was on a plane out of her native Vancouver within a few days. She read for the role of popular Brooke McQueen first, then was deemed ideal for the unpopular Sam McPherson by the show`s all-knowing producers.

"Popular," a comedy-drama dealing with the teen-age caste system at Kennedy High School, focuses on the rivalry between the in-crowd`s snotty Brooke (Leslie Bibb) and the non-conformist Sam, seeking to overcome the social injustices on campus.

Already the recipient of numerous accolades, including the Teen Choice Award and the Genesis Award, the show also explores such issues as sexual harassment, peer pressure to have sex, child abuse, animal rights and mortality.

"I`m still fascinated with Sam as a character, a girl torn between retaining her individuality as an unpopular student and the rigid conformity that mark the popular ones," says Pope. "I see her like a little girl in an ice cream parlor with lots of flavors to choose from. She knows exactly which flavor makes her tick, but she still feels like she has to sample all of them."

The British Columbian was born to a "great lawyer" and a "brilliant homemaker" along with two brothers - fellow actor Kris, 25, and student Alex, 11 - and grew up in a warm, supportive environment.

She started out performing with modern dance, gymnastics and synchronized swimming. To the delight of her family and annoyance of strangers, Pope would choreograph her own numbers and perform them in her dance class the following day. She flirted with modeling as a teen ("but absolutely rejected it right away"), but didn`t find her niche until she found acting, sketch comedy and improvisation at Lord Byng High School.

Although she hates to admit it, Pope was very much a part of the popular crowd at her high school.

"But I really don`t know why," she muses, "because it wasn`t something that people aspired to. There is nothing that entitles you to be part of that group. My guess is that popularity in my school added up to a person who was well-rounded and took part in many aspects of the school`s activities. I don`t think it had anything to do with the social pretenses of previous years."

Acting became more than fun and games during her senior year, when she joined the school`s elite Theatre Company, mounting stage shows for students and teachers - an audition process limited to 20 promising actors on campus. Pope`s current manager spotted her in one of the productions, took a meeting and signed her up. It has been a fast rise since she graduated in June, 1998.

Her professional credits now include such TV movies as, "I`ve Been Waiting For You," "Phantom Town," "Our Guys: Outrage At Glen Ridge" and "Trapped In A Purple Haze." Her rapidly expanding motion-picture career entails two upcoming projects, "Through The Skin" and "The Glass House" to go along with such recent fare as "A Cooler Climate," "Snow Day," "Finder`s Fee" and "Aliens In The Wild, Wild West."

Something had to give, and it was the continuation of her formal education.

"I was enrolled at the University of Vancouver for one semester, but wasn`t completely motivated," Pope explains. "I didn`t really want to be there - I was doing it to appease the people around me. I wanted to do something. To act, to work. However, I`m very much into reading and educating myself."

The move from her safe, secure home in a genteel section of Vancouver to her own digs in massive Los Angeles was pretty daunting at first. But over time, her homesickness has been abated by frequent visits from her brother Kris, when he auditions for Hollywood projects - and several "temporary" stays by friends and acquaintances looking for work or seeking to chill out in Southern California during the brutal, snow-bound B.C. winters.

And she is finally enjoying her freedom in L.A. after the "devastating breakup" with her long-time boyfriend - a Canadian student and writer - last year.

"He was somebody very special in my life, but we came to a crossroads," she says cryptically. "We (had) a wonderful relationship - both a friendship and boyfriend-girlfriend thing - and he was without a doubt a big part of my life."

Off the set, Pope is constantly exploring her surroundings.

"California is a huge place with an enormous amount of things to see and do," she says. "But I truly enjoy doing things close to home. Walking is a big thing for me. There are times when you have to take time out for yourself; just being still without worrying about ties and contacts. To date yourself, so to speak."

Taking time out also entails anything from working out at the gym to talking to phoning a friend or watching a great movie, according to Pope. Or having lunch with her publicist at a West Hollywood cafe.

"One day, Paula Abdul was sitting beside us," she recalls. "I was infatuated with Paula because she was my idol growing up, along with such divas as Madonna and Tina Turner. I loved them all.

"Sitting next to (Abdul), it almost felt as though I knew her," Pope continues, laughing, "and at one point I thought that making contact would be a positive experience for both of us. Then reality set in - it would only mean so much to me. So it didn`t happen, but it was quite interesting, humiliating, fun and depressing all at the same time."

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Eirik Knutzen