Take this waltz through 25 years of rare Sarah Polley interviews

Despite playing characters in front of a camera since she was four years old, Sarah Polley seems to be very particular about when she chooses to be in front of one as herself. Which is part of the reason why we're so thrilled to have her do just that this Saturday night, first in an interview on CBC Arts new film talk show The Filmmakers, and then again when Stories We Tell — her remarkable 2012 documentary about her own family — airs afterwards.

To get you prepped, we decided to scour the internet for the other rare occasions Polley has appeared as Polley on screen. From a 1993 publicity reel for CBC's fall TV lineup to a conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting the very film you'll see Saturday night, here are seven highlights...

On CBC's Fall TV Preview, 1993

The earliest clip of Polley we could find takes us on a road to '93, when the then 14-year-old actress helped the CBC promote Road To Avonlea as part of its fall TV preview. As poised, thoughtful and unabashedly Canadian then as she is now, Polley describes Avonlea as a "really nice breathe of fresh air" because it shows Canadians their own history

On CBC Newsworld, 1995

We actually found two clips from Polley's sweet 16, one of which she describes the pressure of growing up (CBC Arts published it earlier this year, and you can watch it here). The other, however, gives us another side of Sarah: the political activist. In the below clip from CBC Newsworld, Polley can be seen speaking at a rally against then-Ontario premier Mike Harris before she opens up for an incredibly wise interview about everything from said activism to questioning her talents as an actress.

On The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn, 2004

Cut to nine years later (see what we mean about her being particular?) and you can the first ever appearence of Polley on an American talk show as she promotes Dawn of the Dead on The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn. Now in her mid-20s, Polley gets a warm welcome — one man screams, "We're not worthy!" — before quickly getting into great Canadian pastimes like hockey, nicky nicky nine doors and openly describing ourselves as "boring" (even if that's far from the truth).

On The Hour with George Stroumoboulopoulos, 2008

Promoting Away From Her — her first feature film as a director — Polley sat down with George Stroumboulopoulos on what was then known as The Hour. "I've been involved in Canadian film for my whole life," she says in the interview. "So you accept that the natural trajectory of a Canadian film is that you are for one week, in one theatre, in Toronto." As we now know, for the Oscar-nominated Away From Her, that ended up being far from the case.

​Getting her star on Canada's Walk of Fame, 2010

Even if "fame" is something Polley has actively fought against for most of her career, it still seems like her star on Canada's Walk of Fame should have been there since it was established in 1998. But alas, it would take until 2010 for Polley to get her star, and she took the opportunity to once again be the country's biggest advocate for staying in Canada: "I feel really grateful to live in a city and a country that I love so much, and I'd like to express how lucky I am to have the opportunity to make a career in film and stay home," she says. "I realize how rare that is."

At a press conference for Take This Waltz, 2011

Sarah Polley second feature film Take This Waltz once again brought her to the Toronto International Film Festival, where she was joined on stage with actors Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman and Luke Kirby (Michelle Williams sadly couldn't be there) for nearly 40 minutes. Rogen and Silverman expectedly offer up some hilarious moments, but Polley gets in on the fun too. Cut to the 10:30 mark or so to see what happens when a journalist asks her and her cast to share both the funniest and challenging moments of making the film.

In conversation with TIFF, 2013

One year after Stories We Tell was released, Polley discussed the experiences making the film as a keynote speaker at the Toronto International Film Festival's Doc Conference. It's an inspiring and extraordinary hour of Polley-isms that does give away quite a lot with respect to the film — so perhaps tune in when we air it on Saturday night and then come back here to finish off your Polley parade right.

Watch Sarah Polley on The Filmmakers this Saturday night at 8:30pm (9pm NT) on CBC Television with Stories We Tell following at 9pm (9:30 NT). Stream both online at cbc.ca/watch shortly thereafter.