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• The car: Toyota Prius
• Profession: Actress
• Age: 38
• Hometown: Fredericton, N.B.

• Star of TV's Lost Girl
• TV credits include Republic of Doyle, Being Erica, Billable Hours, Ghost Whisperer, 'Til Death Do Us Part and The Jane Show
• Film credits include Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Breakfast with Scot, Do Not Bend

Guest taster on season two of Top Chef Canada, which airs Monday, April 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on The Food Network. Also currently filming season three of Lost Girl, set to air this fall.

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Canadian actress Anna Silk gained fame for her role as a bitter and angry flight attendant attempting to quit smoking in a Nicoderm TV commercial. Now, she has made her mark as the lead character Bo Jones in the supernatural hit series, Lost Girl.

The small-town native of New Brunswick – married to American actor Seth Cooperman – hasn't let fame get to her head. She lives in Los Angeles and drives her first car, a 2010 Toyota Prius.

Why did you choose a hybrid?

I wanted something that was more environmentally sound.

The inside of the 2010 Prius was like driving a mini space ship. The way it's set up – there's a lot of room and cool little icons and gadgets. I liked the way it looked. I loved the fact you rarely need to put gas in it. It feels like you're driving around forever.

It's a calming car. It mellows me out – especially in L.A. because traffic can be crazy. You've got to like the car you're in because you might be in it for a while.

Are you a tech girl – do you know how the hybrid system and the regenerative braking works?

No. I'm really, really not a tech girl at all.

I like things that are calm and reliable – I guess I'm kind of boring.

I had only driven in Fredericton and then in Los Angeles. I lived in Toronto for a long time, but I never drove. I'd use the subway.

To come to Los Angeles and learn how to drive again was daunting to me. In fact, the first week I would just follow my friend. He would drive and I would follow him to practise. I would be drenched in sweat at the end of every day. I like to feel Zen in my car and the Prius definitely makes me feel Zen.

What was the hardest obstacle to driving in L.A.?

The amount of traffic and the amount of lane changing. You don't have to change lanes very often in Fredericton.

I've only driven on the freeway twice. I'll admit that. It's so fast. I like excitement in other parts of my life, but not in the car.

Now, I'm good. I can honk my horn and I can muscle my way through. But it was really daunting at first.

Isn't the horn in your Prius a little wimpy to make your point?

Oh yeah! That's one experience I've had. The first time I was like, 'Hey wait a second!' I hit the horn and it was like 'meet.' Oh. Oh. It was kind of funny. It didn't really fit with my anger level at the time.

What was it like taking your licence again in L.A.?

I had to take the full test – the written and the driven test because I'm from Canada. I passed.

It was weird. I got one wrong on the written portion, which was something to do with how far you have to be from a loading vehicle. I did the driven test in my boyfriend, now husband's, car, a BMW 328 sedan. I practised driving it around, but one thing I didn't practise was turning it on. You just press the button.

It was one of those moments with the instructor in the car – oh okay, let's go. It was easy to figure out, obviously.

I finished the driving portion and he told me I got one wrong. I said, 'What was it?' He said, 'I can't tell you.' I have no idea what I did wrong. I said, 'Okay, I'm likely to make that mistake again, just so you know.'

I can't believe I passed my driver's test in Fredericton at 16. I couldn't parallel park. At that point, my mother had a big Granada – huge. It was really old. I would turn the steering wheel and nothing would happen. I tried to parallel park, but I didn't succeed. But he still passed me.

The story of how I learned to drive a standard is fun. My mom was born in Cyprus and we had gone back to visit my grandmother. We had a little tiny standard vehicle and my feet were the only ones small enough to really drive it. The pedals were really close together. They were like, you've got to learn how to drive a standard. So in a few hours, I did and I drove it the entire month we were there. It was set up like our cars in North America but you drive on the other side of the street. It was a lot of getting used to – driving a standard on the other side of the street in a foreign country. Maybe I'm not such a wimpy driver?

If I could bring you the keys to any car what would it be?

The car I drive on the show is pretty cool. It's a newer car that they made to look a little more beat up than it is. I believe it's a Camaro. It's really cool.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

pgentile@globeandmail.com