You probably remember her as the pregnant girl on a mysterious island or the bookish princess in a cursed town. But before she was Claire Littleton or Belle, she was just a teenager from Mount Eliza, Victoria, trying to figure out how to stop being a ballerina. Honestly, the shift from point shoes to alien hybrids is a weird one. If you look at Emilie de Ravin young and just starting out, you see a career that didn't just happen by accident. It was a chaotic, fast-tracked jump from Australian suburbs to the middle of the "teen-sensation" explosion of the early 2000s.
The Ballet School Dropout
Most people don't realize how serious she was about dance. We’re talking elite level. At nine, she was already grinding away at the Christa Cameron School of Ballet. She was homeschooled by her mother, basically so she could spend more time at the barre.
By fifteen, she made it into the Australian Ballet School. That's the top of the food chain in that world. She performed with the Australian Ballet company. She was on track to be a pro. And then? She quit. Just like that. After only a year, she decided acting was the real move and enrolled in the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
It’s a gutsy call. Most people who make it into a national ballet school don't just walk away to try and find work in TV. But within a year, she was playing a "forest demon" named Curupira on the show BeastMaster.
The Roswell Gamble
If you want to talk about Emilie de Ravin young, you have to talk about Roswell. This was 2000. She was eighteen. She moved to Los Angeles without even having a place to stay. Talk about a "yolo" moment before that was a thing. Within a month, she landed the role of Tess Harding.
Tess was... controversial. To put it lightly.
Fans of the show—the "Dreamers" who shipped Max and Liz—absolutely loathed her. She was the "third wheel" alien who showed up to ruin the main romance. But looking back, her performance was actually pretty nuanced for a teen drama. She had to play someone who was brainwashed, desperate, and ultimately a bit of a villain.
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- She was only supposed to be a guest.
- The producers liked her so much they made her a series regular for Season 2.
- She actually had to sacrifice herself in Season 3 to save her son, Zan.
Basically, she was the character everyone loved to hate, which is usually a sign that the actor is doing something right.
Why the Early Roles Stuck
There’s a specific vibe to her early work. She had this "ethereal but slightly dangerous" quality. In the 2002 TV movie version of Carrie, she played the mean girl Chris Hargensen. It was a total 180 from the "sweet" roles she'd eventually be known for.
Then came 2004. Lost.
When she auditioned for Lost, she didn't even read for Claire. She read for Shannon. She used an American accent. The producers took one look at her and said, "No, we need an Australian for this other part." She took the job without even reading the script. She thought it was just going to be a recurring gig. Little did she know she’d be stuck on that beach (or in a freighter, or a temple) for years.
The Indie Pivot
While the world was obsessed with the mysteries of the Island, young Emilie was quietly building a resume of weird, dark indie films. If you haven't seen Brick (2005), go watch it. It’s a neo-noir set in a high school, directed by Rian Johnson.
She plays Emily, the catalyst for the whole plot. It’s a short role but heavy. She worked with Joseph Gordon-Levitt back when they were both just "the TV kids" trying to prove they had range. She followed that up with The Hills Have Eyes remake. It was gritty. It was gross. It was exactly the kind of thing you do when you want to make sure people don't just see you as "the girl with the baby" from Lost.
Lessons from a 2000s Starlet
Looking at her trajectory, it’s clear she navigated the "Young Hollywood" era differently than most. She didn't end up in the tabloids. She didn't burn out.
Instead of chasing the biggest blockbuster, she seemed to pick projects that felt off. A Finnish romantic comedy (Love and Other Troubles)? Sure. A bank teller in a Michael Mann movie (Public Enemies)? Why not.
If you're looking to break into the industry or just trying to pivot your own career, there's a lot to learn from how she handled those early years:
- Commit to the pivot. She didn't "ease" out of ballet; she left it entirely for NIDA.
- Take the risk. Moving to LA at 18 with no housing is terrifying, but it's what got her Roswell.
- Don't fear the "villain" tag. Playing Tess Harding made her a household name in sci-fi circles because she wasn't afraid to be disliked.
Emilie de Ravin eventually found a massive second wave of fame with Once Upon a Time, but it was those early, experimental years in Australia and on the WB that set the foundation. She wasn't just a face; she was a trained athlete who transferred that discipline into a very specific, lasting screen presence.
Next time you see her on screen, remember she's likely the only person in the room who can pull off a perfect pirouette and a convincing "I'm carrying an alien's baby" look in the same breath.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Check out her early performance in Brick to see her best indie work.
- Revisit Season 1 of BeastMaster—it's campy, but it shows her literal first steps on camera.
- Look up her 2022 return to Australian TV in True Colours to see how her style has evolved since the LA days.