Vancouver actress Molly Parker knows what it's like to be at the centre of controversy.

Parker made her feature film debut in 1996 in Lynne Stopkewich's Kissed, playing a necrophiliac.

For every rave review, there was an equally vehement de-nouncement, mainly from spokespeople who hadn't seen the film.

Now as the star of director Wayne Wang's erotic drama The Center of the World, Parker is experiencing deja vu.

Because of its sexually explicit scenes, the film has raised the ire of some critics and moral watchdogs.

"Wayne's intention with The Center of the World was to make the film look as if it was shot on video and approximate the look of a porn film. That's probably why some people confuse it for being a porno film," explains Parker in a telephone interview from Toronto where she has just completed the Canadian comedy Men With Brooms.

Parker read a first draft of the script before she met with Wang, so she knew the nudity and simulated sex was integral to the story of a lap dancer who agrees to accompany a smitten millionaire to Las Vegas for an erotic weekend.

"I was drawn to the project because it scared me a little. I thought a little fear would be good for my performance."

By the time cameras began rolling, Parker had lost her fears.

She and her co-star Peter Sarsgaard spent days talking to Wang about the scenes, as well as about the themes of the film.

"Peter is such a good, confident actor that he put me at ease and he says I did the same for him. Because we all talked so much and because Wayne allowed Peter and I to improvise, the script changed dramatically as we filmed it."

Parker says she had so much fun making the film she was blissfully unaware of just how explicit certain scenes are.

"It was not until the film came out and I heard about the controversy that I wondered exactly what Peter and I had done.

"The film shocks and appeals to audiences for much the same reason it intrigued me. Sex and sexuality drive so much of what we all do. Sex is not something we can ignore."

Sex is something Parker wishes critics and filmgoers would put into perspective when they talk about her career.

"I've made 15 films in five years and only three have had sexual scenes in them, but that's where people focus when they think of me."

Parker and her boyfriend, Quebec filmmaker Matthew Bissonnette have finally rented a home in Los Angeles.

"I've basically been bouncing back and forth between Toronto and L.A. for four years, so the move has been a long time coming.

"I resisted moving out of Canada for the longest time, but I think it's the right thing to do. I don't want to regret not having given this Hollywood thing a decent try."


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