All eyes will be set on London this week for the premiere of Gary Shore’s DRACULA UNTOLD and with lots of attention being focused on Dracula’s Luke Evans, we decided to learn a bit more about the vampire’s leading lady, Mirena, played by Sarah Gadon.
Born: 4 April 1987, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Big break: Sarah stepped away from critically acclaimed art-house and indie films and her big break came starring in back-to-back David Cronenberg movies  – A DANGEROUS METHOD in 2011, COSMOPOLIS in 2012 and MAP TO THE STARS in 2014.  In between her hectic filming schedule, Sarah also filmed ANTIVIRAL in 2012, directed by David’s son Brandon Cronenberg. Â
Upcoming film: This Wednesday, the beautiful actress, who takes the female lead in DRACULA UNTOLD will get all glammed-up for the premiere in London’s Leicester Square.  She plays Mirena, wife of Vlad the Impaler, who fell in love with him before he became Dracula.
What’s next?:  She plays Princess Elizabeth in GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT, based on events of VE Day 1945, which is currently in post-production and the Canadian is currently filming THE GIRL KING and THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX.
The 27-year-old first began acting since the age of 10 and since then, she has starred in many TV movies and series including THE OTHER ME, where she was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a TV movie. Â
Her success continued after earning a recurring role in many television series: Zoe Kessler in THE BORDER (2008-2009), Katie Atkins in BEING ERICA (2009), Georgia Bravin in HAPPY TOWN (2010) and Ruby Odgen in MURDOCH MYSTERIES (2009-2011). She is also behind the voice of the title character in the animated series RUBY GLOOM (2006-2007), Beth in TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND (2007) and Portia in FRIENDS AND HEROES (2007-2009).
Such appearances garnered a lot of attention and an impending glittering Hollywood career was beckoning. Â We take a look at some of the films which brought the starlet onto the big screen:
THE MOTH DIARIES:
The film is a 2011 Irish-Canadian horror film directed by Mary Harron and based on a 2002 novel of the same name by Rachel Klein.  Sarah played alongside Lily Cole which is set in a boarding school for girls and took on the role of Lucy, who helps her friend  Rebecca (Sarah Bolger), a sixteen-year-old teenage girl whose father, a gloomy poet, committed suicide by slitting his wrists. Her mother transferred Rebecca to the school, hoping to help her daughter escape the dark memories of her father’s death. With the help of her best friend and roommate, Lucy and many other girls, Rebecca soon recovered.
A mysterious, dark-haired girl named Ernessa Bloch (Lily Cole), enrolls into the school. Lucy quickly becomes best friends with Ernessa and becomes distant from Rebecca, who is suspicious of Ernessa and suspects she possesses some dark secrets.
 A DANGEROUS METHOD:
Sarah Gadon co-starred alongside a stellar cast including Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortenson in David Cronenberg’s film where she plays Emma Jung, Carl Jung’s wife. The film looks at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gave birth to psychoanalysis.
ANTIVIRAL:
Antiviral is a 2012 Canadian horror film directed by Brandon Cronenberg – his first feature film. After becoming infected with the virus that killed superstar Hannah Geist (played by Sarah Gadon), Syd March must unravel the mystery surrounding her death to save his own life.  This film explores the idea of celebrity culture and how people can become completely bodily obsessed.
COSMOPOLIS:
Gaining lots of recognition for her work, in 2012, Sarah was reunited once more with David Cronenberg in a film alongside Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche.  She played the part of Elise Shifrin and had poise and presence as Eric Packer, the twenty something multibillionaire’s young wife of 22 days, whose family wealth may or may not save him from gambles he has made on the money market.
ENEMY:Â
Sarah Gadon featured in Denis Villeneuve‘s ENEMY in 2013 in a film based on the José Saramago book, The Double (2002). Jake Gyllenhaal plays the double role of an indecisive, sexually so-so history teacher who discovers he bears an uncanny resemblance – down to a scar on his chest – to a daring would-be actor. It horrifies both of them and launches them into a deadly game. One day, on a chance recommendation, he rents a romantic comedy and notices an actor in a bit part who looks very much like him. Bemused, Adam takes down his name from the credits and, after a little detective work, finds his phone number. Helen (Gadon), the woman who answers the phone, recognises his voice and believes it’s her husband, Anthony St. Claire.
BELLE:
Amma Asante’s powerful, moving and gently subversive romantic melodrama is a finely wrought tale of a woman out of time, a film that plays eloquently upon the heartstrings as it interweaves familiar personal intrigue with stirring social history. Intelligently combining the enticing pleasures of a ripe costume drama with the still shameful legacy and lessons of the slave trade. Sarah stood out in her role as Elizabeth Murray.
MAP TO THE STARS:
Appearing in her third David Cronenberg movie, Sarah was cast in the role of Clarice Taggart alongside another wonderful assemble in the form of Mia Wasikowska, Julianne Moore, John Cusack and with Robert Pattinson once more, which is a dark, comic look at Hollywood excess and those desperate to assert their existence. Â
DRACULA UNTOLD:
This is a film of firsts for the director and cast members, as this is Gary Shore‘s first feature film directing role and is the first leading role for Dracula himself, Luke Evans. Sarah filmed her role of Mirena in Belfast where she plays the wife of man-come-vampire Vlad Tepes.  The film looks back at the origins of Dracula and how he was transformed from man to beast.  The film is out on October 3rd in UK cinemas and on October 10th in the US.
A busy time is still ahead for Dracula’s wife as Sarah Gadon has other feature films to shoot and 2015 looks set to be a very busy year for the rising star:
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT:
On V.E. Day in 1945, Princess Margaret her sister Elizabeth, played by Sarah, who is allowed out from Buckingham Palace for the night, where they encounter romance and danger. The film is currently in post-production and is expected to be released in 2015.
THE GIRL KING:
Sarah is currently shooting the film and plays the part of Ebba Spare. The movie paints a portrait of the brilliant, extravagant Kristina of Sweden, queen from age six, who fights the conservative forces that are against her ideas to modernize Sweden and who have no tolerance for her awakening sexuality. The film is due for release in 2015.
THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX:
Sarah is cast alongside Jamie Dornan AKA Mr Christian Grey (nope, we are not jealous in the slightest – honest!) and BREAKING BAD’s Aaron Paul.  The film is based on a psychologist who begins working with a young boy who has suffered a near-fatal fall finds himself drawn into a mystery that tests the boundaries of fantasy and reality. This film is also out in 2015 – we have a feeling it is going to be quite a busy year for the star next year.
Roll out the red carpet..!
Dracula Untold will be in UK cinemas on October 3rd and hits US cinemas on October 10th.
