Call Caroline Dhavernas the thinking filmgoer’s actress. Her appearances, in everything from the cult TV hit Wonderfalls (which was axed by Fox after a mere four episodes – and we think, wrongly so) to the indie Canadian feature These Girls, are marked by one consistent quality: a strong sense of intelligence behind each performance.

Maybe that’s because Dhavernas spends a lot of time carefully considering every role she takes on. She was taken aback when Fox nixed Wonderfalls , a show she says was “really very well written.” But this past year has meant a string of feature projects, including Hollywoodland , the story of George Reeves, the actor who played Superman in the ’50s TV show, in which Dhavernas starred alongside Adrien Brody and Ben Affleck. “Adrien is a marvellous actor,” she says, though “he did sneak an unrehearsed kiss in on the set. He really likes the ladies.” She’s also starring opposite Ryan Phillippe in Breach , based on the true story of FBI double agent Robert Hanssen. Like iconic Quebecoise actress Pascale Bussières, Dhavernas has no problem switching between French and English; she also stars in La Belle bête , the film based on the Marie-Claire Blais novel of the same name, appearing with Carole Laure and Quebec It boy Marc-André Grondin, the star of C.R.A.Z.Y.

Given that schedule, it’s not surprising to hear that Dhavernas is already turning projects down. “I have rules when I read a script: I never say yes to something I’ve already done – I really don’t want to repeat myself. It has to be unusual to keep me interested.” Breakthrough role Jaye Tyler on Wonderfalls Coming soon Breach