Emile de Ravin is finishing the final season on the hit television drama Lost and starring with Twilight’s Robert Pattinson is a new dramatic film, Remember Me.

Despite a steep rise to fame, the self-confident 28-year-old actress with sparking blue eyes and golden hair is keeping her soaring career in proper perspective.

Remember Me is a love story set against the backdrop of New York City in the summer before September 11, 2001. De Ravin and Pattinson play disillusioned young lovers at a time before the world itself became a bit more wary.

Pattinson's character, Tyler, is a wealthy and rebellious student at New York University who is wrestling with his beliefs about life and love. He also has a contentious relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan). Then along comes Ally (de Ravin), a blue- collar girl with an equally turbulent inner life.

The two find unexpected love and comfort, and together learn about love and loss, meaning in tragedy, and why life unfolds the way it does. The story that emerges is funny, touching, gripping and poignant.

The film’s creators auditioned nearly 200 young women before choosing de Ravin for the female lead. “"We really saw something like a 180 young women," says author/director Allen Coulter. "It was a very tricky thing. We wanted to find someone who could be a good match for Rob as far as the romantic entanglement, but we also needed somebody who could be tough and stand up to him.”

Their on-screen courtship was also tricky: there were often throngs of screaming fans and tons of photographers around every corner on location in New York City. While it was the opportunity any young actress would be grateful for, de Ravin is no stranger to performing. A native of Mount Eliza, Victoria, Australia, she has studied ballet since age nine and performed in productions of the Australian Ballet Company as well as Danceworld 301. While in her teens, she turned her attention to acting.

De Ravin was recently seen in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, and did a voice for the animated Warner Bros. Feature, Guardians of Ga’Hoole. She recently completed filming the movie Chameleon with Ellen Barkin and Famke Janssen.

In 2005, her independent film, Brick, played at the Sundance Film Festival was picked up by Focus Features and released in 2009. Her other film credits include The Perfect Game, alongside Clifton Collins, Jr., as well as the 2008 movie Ball Don’t Lie, opposite rapper Ludacris.

On television, de Ravin recurred on the CBS show, The Handler opposite Joe Pantoliano. She first garnered the attention of international audiences with her performances on the popular television series, Beastmaster: The Legend Continues, for Alliance Atlantis and Tribune Entertainment.

Within one month of moving to Los Angeles from her home in South Melbourne, Australia, Emilie landed the series regular role of ‘Tess Harding’ on The WB’s, Roswell. Soon after, came her role in the MGM/NBC remake of Stephen King’s classic horror film, “Carrie.”

During a recent telephone chat on a frigid winter day she was animated, serious and thoughtful. She spoke about her family in Melbourne, Australia, her hectic schedule that often keeps her far from home, her good fortune, her beginnings as a dancer, Lost, movies, life lessons and more.

DCM: What was it like working with Robert Pattinson? Was the chemistry there?

Emilie de Ravin: It was great. We got along really well. We were both so equally passionate about this story and these characters. We really took the time to talk a lot about it. Not necessarily studying, but just talking and really getting to know these characters as well as getting to know each other, it helped with the comfort level. Which in turn helps with the characters. I had never felt like this degree of working with somebody where you don’t just feel like you are actually reading lines with somebody, you are reacting to somebody and it just really flows really naturally. And it doesn’t feel forced.

DCM: Women around the world must be so jealous, especially because of his Twilight fame. So how did it feel working with the most popular young actor around today?

Emilie de Ravin: I am so passionate about this movie that whatever comes with it is good. So it’s just wonderful to promote something that I really believe in and love.

DCM: If you would, please talk about the love scenes.

Emilie de Ravin: Everything with us in every way; was just very natural and very calm, which made for a great level of comfort.

DCM: How difficult was it to deal with the paparazzi and fans and baggage that follow Robert because of his Twilight fame?

Emilie de Ravin: It was challenging at times, just being watched so much by so many people when you are trying to figure out the scene. I suppose we just ended up looking at it as a challenge [laughed] as opposed to being annoyed by it.

DCM: So what did you do while you were filming in New York?

Emilie de Ravin: Just sort of wandering around. And also observing people. It was cool to see what's around the streets, or around the corner – maybe places we'd go eat. But to shoot in New York was just amazing. I love New York as a city. But also, this movie wouldn't be the movie it is, if we hadn't shot in New York. The city is basically a character in the movie. And it just made everything so much more real and organic. You know, you're there, so you're reacting to everything that would be there.

DCM: Do you feel that Remember Me has a particular message that you can embrace?

Emilie de Ravin: It has a lot of really interesting messages and good messages, one being just not to be fearful of living and loving and opening up to someone – and not forgetting the past. You don’t need to forget the past, but you don’t need to be living in the past or dwelling on the past. A lot of it is about moving on, and what you can do to help people get through things. It’s all about taking a bad situation and making it into a good situation through love or caring for somebody.

DCM: Do you have a philosophy of life or work?

Emilie de Ravin: Yes, I suppose that’s another message in the film – that, especially these days, you get so caught up in work and everything is so go, go, go, and it’s all so fast that it’s important to just sit back once in a while and think how lucky you are to be alive and what are the good things in life and not forget that, and appreciate each day for what it is.

DCM: When you sit back and think about your current success is it like a dream – or a dream come true? How do you deal with it?

Emilie de Ravin: I don’t know. I just feel that I love what I do and its really, really amazing that I am able to continue working with such interesting and talented people, and being inspired on a daily basis. It’s pretty great, yeah.

DCM: The movie Remember Me is about love, loss and innocence, so do you believe in the power of love?

Emilie de Ravin: Yeah I do. It’s funny -- love is so different in every situation, too. Whether it be with a romantic relationship or with parents and children, or with friends. So it’s a very interesting study of how love is affecting all of the characters in the film not just Ally and Tyler. Or not being loved, too, how that affects you.

DCM: This movie is also about family and family tragedy. Can you relate to that? Has your family back in Australia helped your through rough times?

Emilie de Ravin: Definitely – I grew up there and still have a wonderful relationship with my immediate family and we are always there for each other, I am extremely lucky in that way. It makes a big difference

DCM: Do you get home much? Do you miss Australia when you are far from home?

Emilie de Ravin: I try to get home a couple of times a year. All of my immediate family is still in Melbourne. I think I just miss home – I miss the familiar environment and things you are so used to seeing every day. I would see my family a lot and actually and hang out with them – so cutting that out completely until I go back to visit is kind of weird, and I suppose it makes me appreciate them even more.

DCM: How do you like to chill out when you are not working?

Emilie de Ravin: I’m kind of a homebody so I would say that I’m a big fan of sitting at home and just watching movies, and eating good food.

DCM: I heard that you like to garden – is that one of your hobbies?

Emilie de Ravin: I grew up with it. My mom is an avid gardener and she is amazing, so I learned a lot from her. I haven’t been doing it recently, but I have such fond memories of growing up with that. Good point, I should start doing some of that again, it’s very therapeutic, like ironing. I haven’t done that for a while either. [she laughed]

DCM: Do you live in L.A.?

Emilie de Ravin: Yes, but I’m not usually not there because everything has been shooting out of L.A. But I’ve lived there off and on for about 10 years. There are things about it I love, as any city. Need to find your people and place to go and your comfort zone.

DCM: Are you going to miss the hit TV show Lost when it ends?

Emilie de Ravin: Yes. It’s bittersweet – it’s exciting that its coming to an end, and they’ve had time to evolve it since they announced this three years ago that the would be ending it after season six. So I’m going to miss it, but I’m looking forward to moving on.

DCM: Do you know what project you will be doing next?

Emilie de Ravin: We’re still shooting Lost. We’ve got about three episodes left to shoot, so its in the home hectic stretch. I am just looking at things to go after right now. I have a project coming out at the end of the year. I have an animated film, which I was really excited to do. I’ve always wanted to do a voice. It’s called Guardians of Ga’Hoole. It looks pretty cool. I haven’t seen the entire film yet, but from what I’ve seen, it looks great.

DCM: What does your future hold?

Emilie de Ravin: I'm considering a few things. But I just want to work with people who inspire me. That’s what its all about for me. It’s a feeling you get when you read something like Remember Me and it strikes a cord.

DCM: What else are you passionate about? If you couldn’t act what would you do?

Emilie de Ravin: If I couldn’t act – I’d be performing ballet full time. Always be doing something in the performing arts. I’d be doing ballet. Because I do miss that.