Evangeline Lilly shares her style secrets

Evangeline Lilly, who plays Kate in drama series Lost, has emerged as a welcome breath of fresh air from among some of today's more 'precious' starlets. We spoke to her about getting 'glammed' up, how she stays in such great shape and why men never chat her up

How do you stay looking so good after all those days in the jungle?

Evangeline Lilly: My character, Kate, wears basically the same clothes all the time and her hair is just the way it is when I get out of bed in the morning. She's covered in dirt and grunge, so it's not like she has a secret wardrobe and make-up case stashed away. I wish she did!

Is it nice to get dressed up after looking so sweaty all day on the show?

Evangeline Lilly: A lot of people always say to me: 'You must love this - all the glam and the red carpets,' but it is so far from my comfort zone. Though having said that, during the hiatus, it was nice to cut my hair and dress up after wearing dirty castaway clothes for weeks. The producers don't like to let us off the island very much so we have to wait until we get on the mainland to get nice dresses, and that can make award shows and those kind of things a little hectic.

What's your greatest wardrobe indulgence?

Evangeline Lilly: I love shoes, every colour of the rainbow. I like to wear heels when I'm dressed up and flats when I'm out around town. I love any shoe that has a very vintage look.

Did you find it hard to meet the requirements of being a 'star' in a fashion sense?

Evangeline Lilly: Not really. My mom is the classiest, most beautiful lady you'll ever meet so I've had a good teacher. She was a cosmetician who worked for Estee Lauder and I got my first makeover when I was in grade five. When I was in high school, I used to go through our Halloween dress-ups and pull out a gypsy costume and pair it with a T-shirt to wear to school.

Whose style do you admire?

Evangeline Lilly: If I had to relate my sense of style to anyone, I'd say it's quirky, like Diane Keaton.

Has being in the spotlight made you more self-conscious?

Evangeline Lilly: When I'm alone, I never think about what I look like, what I'm wearing or whether I'm too fat or thin, but the second I'm with other people, those insecurities are all driven home. It's a very scary place to be when people have seen you on TV in your bra and underwear!

Evangeline Lily

Is it true you don't like baring flesh on screen?

Evangeline Lilly: I do get sick of the gratuitous nature of it, but it could be worse. They haven't made me go skinny-dipping or have sex with six men. But every time I get a script now, I go: 'Alright, where's the Kate nudie scene?' Before I signed up, I said I would not do sex scenes.

How do you feel about your position in the 'World's Sexiest Women' polls these days?

Evangeline Lilly: I think it's ridiculous! I just keep waiting for people to wake up and realise their mistake. I have no idea how it happened.

Do you get a lot of attention from men?

Evangeline Lilly: I think men are actually a little bit more intimidated now to approach me than they would have been when I was a student. Now they are more like: 'Oh, she's a big, famous star who's out of my league.'

But are you happy with the way you look?

Evangeline Lilly: There are pressures on actresses to be thin and perfect but I have this big noggin and my ears stick out.

How do you feel when you watch yourself on screen?

Evangeline Lilly: I'm at a point now where I can't watch myself anymore. I did it for the first two years because I thought 'I am a newby, I need to learn, I need to grow to become a professional actress.' Now I can't handle it! Every time I watch myself on screen, I get paranoid and self-critical. I think I am fat and ugly and terrible and awful! So I'm not watching it anymore - I'm done with watching the show.

What do you do to keep fit?

Evangeline Lilly: I like to stay active, so I work out in every way. I run regularly, I do yoga and Pilates, dance, lift weights and hike. I just learned to scuba dive and I do a lot of surfing; I just graduated to a shorter board!

How do you relax?

Evangeline Lilly: I love to read, write and paint. I write just about anything; poetry, stories, novels, screenplays, letters; I have an unnecessary passion for writing! I'm a die-hard pen-and-ink person and I think writing letters is much more charming than email. I just love being quiet and at rest.

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