If you don’t know the name Ellen Page yet, you will soon.

The Canadian actress had a supporting role in the blockbuster “X-Men: The Last Stand,” but made a bigger impression on a smaller audience as the pedophile punisher in David Slade’s 2006 indie thriller “Hard Candy.” Rising young filmmaker Jason Reitman (“Thank You For Smoking”) sure noticed Page’s potential, and quickly cast her as the leading lady of his latest comedy, “Juno,” which has emerged as one of the year’s most buzzed-about movies.

Consider it a safe bet that Page will soon be best known as the quick-witted Juno MacGuff, a teenager who gets accidentally knocked up by her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) during their awkward first sexual encounter. Her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) convinces Juno to look for adoptive parents in the local Penny Saver, which leads to a pair of glossy suburbanites (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) looking for a child of their own.

Already a prime contender for a best actress Oscar nomination—thanks partly to a glowing review from Roger Ebert at the Toronto film festival—Page seems poised for a long and memorable career.

During a recent interview she opened up about her thoughts on the film, teen sexuality and meeting one of her musical idols.

How did you become involved with ‘Juno’?
I actually read the script a couple of years ago and it’s been a bit of a process. A lot of films that dare to be unique can kind of have trouble being made. [This project] kind of disappeared and then it came back again and I ended up auditioning, but it was with a different director. It came back again with Jason Reitman and he and I met, we got along, I went and did a screen test, and that was that.

What attracted you to the character?
She’s just completely sincere in every aspect of herself. She’s very young and very naïve in certain elements, but at the same time she’s extremely genuine. I think she is extremely brave and even in her select moments of vulnerability, she’s still very independent. I just have a lot of respect with how she approached [her pregnancy]. I’d never really had a script in my hands where there was a character like Juno.  

What were your thoughts on the film’s handling of teenage sexuality?
I think young sex or teenage sex is often demonized. If kids aren’t being properly educated, then of course it can be a [bad] situation. But instead of hiding it under the carpet, it is much more important to vocalize and educate. I like that [the movie is] easy with [sexuality] and doesn’t make it this over-dramatic situation.

Some critics have complained that the movie’s teen dialogue is too forced and unrealistic. How do you respond to that?
It’s funny because some people have said, ‘oh, teenagers don’t talk like that.’ Someone I think used the word ‘contrived,’ but I firmly disagree. When I was 15 I didn’t use the same words, but we definitely had our own unique way of speech. Playing Juno was just about embracing the dialogue and making it flow as smoothly as possible and making it not contrived, just making it the way that this group of friends communicates.

Did you talk to any kids to help get the dialogue right?
No, I think [the screenwriter] Diablo [Cody] herself is very quick-witted and she just was really great about writing extremely unique dialogue. It was all pretty much there. It was just about establishing the energy of Juno, so to speak.

Do you have anything in common with Juno that helped you relate to her?
I feel like whenever I find a character that is honest and well written, I am going to relate to them in multiple ways. So it’s the same with Juno. I like to think of myself as being relatively honest and what have you. If a character is well written, it doesn’t matter if it is a young republican or a hippie doing psychedelics in the ‘60s, you’re going to find those emotions.

The director, Jason Reitman, is clearly on the rise with his work on ‘Thank You for Smoking’ and now this. How did you find working with him for the first time?
I absolutely adore Jason Reitman. He focuses on establishing a good tone. If you didn’t have balance in this film it would be easy to teeter totter off into a pseudo-indie-American-contrived piece of…something. He established a sense of fluidity and nothing was being forced. And he’s just a sweetie.

There’s a lot of great music in the movie. Did you have anything to do with using the band the Moldy Peaches?
I have always loved the Moldy Peaches, and I think the second time Jason and I met, he was like, ‘what do you think Juno would listen to?’ I was like, ‘the Moldy Peaches,’ and I played them for him. The next thing I knew, he was in contact with Kimya Dawson (half of the Moldy Peaches duo) and added their song at the end of the film. Playing that song with Kimya on set was one of the coolest moments of my life. I love her solo stuff…she has such a beautiful heart.

Do you pay attention to criticism and reaction to your work? Do you read what people write about you?
I don’t blindly read things, but sometimes people are sweet and will set something aside and give it to me, and sure I’ll read it. [Acting] is what I love to do and I work hard and it’s nice when people have nice things to say. I just take it in stride. All it really represents to me is maybe I get to keep doing what I love and maybe have some more control. But I try my best not to take it too seriously.