Ottawa child actress Julia Scarlett Dan stars in feature film with Amy Adams

When 11- year-old Julia Scarlett Dan is not in her Grade 6 class at Ottawa's Westboro Academy, she's a busy actress in demand starring in CBC Television's This Life and also in director Denis Villeneuve's upcoming feature film​Story of Your Lifealongside Oscar nominee Amy Adams.

"I think I'm learning that you should just follow your dreams," said Scarlett Dan.

Scarlett Dan grew up in Ottawa, attending acting classes at the Shenkman Art Centre and the Ottawa Acting Company.

"When I was younger I actually made friends with my characters, which is kind of weird, but when I was younger I used to think they were actual people and they couldn't make it to the stage and I was actually filling in," Scarlett Dan recalled.

Here's Julia Scarlett Dan talking about her early love of acting.

In This Life, Scarlett Dan plays the role of Romy Lawson, a gifted, artistic 13-year-old who is dealing with the typical struggles of adolescence while her mother is coming to terms with a terminal cancer diagnosis.

"It's not really about how sad it is being diagnosed with cancer, its about all the love you receive and your family."

This Lifeis broadcast on CBC Television on Mondays at 9 p.m. (The program is exempted during election night). The film, Story of Your Life, is set to open in 2016.