Alexandria Maillot had no idea how challenging it was to act the part of a person who gets murdered.

鈥淭he role was somewhat demanding,鈥� admits the 18-year-old. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have any lines to memorize, but I had to be really vulnerable. I鈥檇 never done anything like that before.鈥�

Red Riding Hood, a Hollywood thriller, is scheduled to be released March 11. Maillot fills the role of Lucie, the younger sister of the lead character who is played by Amanda Seyfried. Also in the flick are Gary Oldman, Virginia Madsen and Julie Christie.

But according to Maillot, being in the movies is 鈥渢he cherry on top鈥� to her main love and passion, writing and performing songs.

鈥淚 love acting, but am more confident as a singer/songwriter,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I know and do best.鈥�

Born in Prince George, Maillot called many communities home, including the Comox Valley where she graduated from Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School at age 16.

Along the way, she wrote her first song when she was six. Five years later, her music took her to the Golden Star International Song Contest in Romania. The following year, she participated in the Nile Song Festival in Egypt.

鈥淚 first performed on my own terms when I was about seven,鈥� Maillot says. 鈥淚 created my own shows and put them on in old folks鈥� homes. My music teacher accompanied me.鈥�

Since that time, she鈥檚 performed with Jann Arden in a televised concert, was featured on Oprah and won the top prize in Victoria Idol.

Maillot鈥檚 songs have already garnered her recognition. She鈥檚 had tunes featured on American Airlines, Virgin Radio and The Peak. And one of her songs, Revolution, helped Swiss singer Stefanie Heinzmann hit the Top 10 in Europe.

Recently, Maillot was selected as one of the Top Ten in the B.C.鈥檚 Best Teen Band contest. 鈥淚f I make the top three, I鈥檓 in the running for an incredible grand prize, which includes $3,000 cash, gear from Tom Lee music and, most importantly, a professionally recorded single. It鈥檚 all really exciting and makes me even more passionate about pursuing my goals,鈥� she says.

Winning the prize would help Maillot fill her goal of releasing an EP (extended play or short album) by the middle of this year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun process, but going the independent route is expensive,鈥� she notes. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 hoping people will want to chip in. In about a month, I鈥檒l be launching my fundraiser on kickstarter.com. It鈥檚 a really cool website where people post descriptions of their projects, hoping people will donate funds so they can happen.鈥�

In the meantime, Maillot hasn鈥檛 forgotten her Comox Valley roots. She鈥檚 performed at Zocalo Caf茅, Union Street Grill and recently, Joe鈥檚 Garage. And she鈥檚 in the midst of organizing an Island tour to promote her EP later this year.

Now living in Maple Ridge, Maillot divides her time between auditioning for more films, making music and holding down a day job.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really difficult to make a living as a singer or actress,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 read some stats that said 86 per cent of actors make $5,000 a year from acting and it鈥檚 probably not much better for singers. It鈥檚 really hard to get enough work to make singing and acting a career, but one day, I hope that鈥檚 the case for me.鈥�

Check out Maillot鈥檚 music and EP project at www.alexandriamaillot.com.