When eleven-year-old Anna Paquin from New Zealand entered the stage of Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1994 to be honoured as Best Supporting Actress, she was so surprised and excited that she could hardly speak. Anna was the second-youngest actress ever to be honoured with this highly desired trophy, and there was no doubt about whether she deserved it: she did.

Even her disappointed competitors for the Oscar, who were most likely as surprised as Anna, had to concede that the role of Flora McGrath in Jane Campion's passionate drama The Piano was certainly one of the most demanding roles a nine-year-old has ever played. The movie set in the 19th century, Anna had to learn a Scottish accent to play Aberdeen-born Flora. Besides, she had to learn and interpret the gestures through which Flora's mute mother Ada (Holly Hunter) communicates. This meant that Anna had the biggest speech of all; an enormous responsibility for a child without any previous acting experience, except for the role of a skunk in a school play...

I remember when I first saw the audition tape. Anna came in and there was this tiny little girl, probably the smallest of all I'd seen -- and extremely shy. I almost turned it off. I thought this girl was never going to be able to cope with this huge speech. I just looked into the camera and never blinked. She told this long, extremely impassioned story of how Ada lost her voice, and you totally believed her. It's a remarkable experience to see someone so young with such an instinct for performance.

Subsequently, the Academy jury joined this opinion, awarding her the Oscar. So, The Piano meant Anna's initiation into Hollywood's first guild of actresses.

However, after Oscar night, Anna's parents wanted to keep her daughter away from the negative effects of child stardom, and a few years, it seemed as if Anna would not resume filming at all. But then, she re-appeared on the cinema screen with starring roles in Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre and in Fly Away Home.

What makes Anna special? Continue the tour...