Juliana Evans’ formative years have been filled with fun in the outdoors. She has her family to thank for it.

GROWING up with two older brothers can have a marked affect on your personality especially when you are the only girl of the house.

"People are a bit surprised to see a little girl using a big vehicle" - JULIANA EVANS

As Juliana Evans puts it, she is easily one of the boys where the outdoors and sports are the usual things.

In fact, extreme sports such as rock climbing, skateboarding and even paintball are familiar pursuits for this 19-year-old up-and-coming actress on the local entertainment scene.

But Juliana counts a little water scooter mishap just off Batu Ferringi in Penang some two years ago as an unforgettable event.

While enjoying a little break from TV3’sJom Heboh carnival which is currently touring Penang, Juliana decided to hire a water scooter and indulge in some sea and sun.

“I enjoyed riding the water scooter and in the excitement, I did not realise it was getting dark,” she toldStarMotoring in an interview.

“So I continued to power up the craft and slicing through the waves until I caught a glimpse of another water scooter coming in my direction ridden by an Arab man.

“I tried to steer away but the water scooter continued on a collision course. The last thing I saw before I braced for impact was the shocked face of the Arab just before he jumped into the water,” she says as she recalled the misadventure.

Juliana said the crash was loud enough for her other TV3 colleagues who were at the beach to hear it.

“I got some bruises on my leg and we had to pay for the damage to the jetskis. Thankfully, the Arab man was not injured,” she says.

That incident does seem to indicate a degree of spunk in Juliana.

Born in Petaling Jaya, Juliana is pursuing a degree in communications at Sunway University College.

She works only if it does not clash with her classes.

Dad is an English language and drama teacher from Cromer, England. He has been living in Malaysia for more than 28 years. Mum, on the other hand, is a housewife from Bagan Dato, Perak.

With her Pan-Asian genes, fresh face and doe eyes, she certainly has the looks and has even appeared in commercials when she was a baby.

Among her appearances were for Canon when she was eight, Nokia, Johnson & Johnson, Dutch Lady, Clean & Clear, Fair and Lovely and Tracia Eternal.

She started TV hosting at the age of 12 for E Zone on Astro Ria.

When she was 15, she hosted Astro’s TV IQ’s Majalah Moral and TVIQ.

Her other TV hosting assignments also included Remaja on TV3 (2005-2008) and Aksi Gerek a reality programme jointly produced by RTM and Singapore’s Media Corp.

Juliana’s TV acting efforts were roles in Kami the Series and Ghostseason 2 on (8TV) and Kasut Tumit Tinggi on Astro.

On the silver screen, Juliana appeared in last year’s Kami The Movieand will be seen in Hooperz slotted for screening later this year.

Juliana earned her driving licence when she was 17 and currently drives a Toyota Nadia sports utility vehicle, a hand-me-down from her mum, who bought a Toyota Camry recently.

“While the Nadia is spacious inside, it’s also very big on the outside, making manoeuvring on narrow roads and tight car parks a bit difficult. But I have gotten used to this,” she says.

Being an automatic car does help out make driving easier.

The Nadia’s large bulk also tends to scare away prospective road bullies, a point that Juliana welcomes.

“The Nadia has semi-tinted windows that make it difficult to see who is driving it. People are a bit surprised to see a little girl using a big vehicle when the windows roll down, “ she laughs.

The Nadia is serving her well although she would prefer a smaller vehicle.

“I have always liked small and cute-looking cars such as the MINI Cooper or the Mercedes-Benz A-Class but these cars are just too expensive. I’d prefer to save the money for my education. Actually, I don’t even mind driving a Perodua Myvi,” she says.

While mum pays for the servicing of the Nadia, Juliana says she has to fork out for the petrol, which can at times be quite expensive.

While the entertainment world is glamourous, Juliana feels artistes should have their own private time.

“I am lucky that the university I am attending has many foreign students who do not follow the local entertainment scene.

“As such, I am just a fellow coursemate. I can keep a low profile and concentrate on my studies.”