For Maggie Grace, playing Liam Neeson's kidnapped daughter in the blockbuster action hit "Taken" was a nightmare she could at least leave behind at the end of shooting every day. But that's not to say the actress wasn't haunted by shocking tragedies countless real people face on a daily basis.

"It was a tough role to do while thinking about the problem of sex trafficking," Grace said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "I knew it was a horrible problem, internationally, but only during filming did I find out that thousands of cases happen in the U.S. every year. The movie is a cautionary tale against traveling internationally, but I really didn't know the magnitude of the problem worldwide."

New on DVD and Blu-ray (Fox Home Entertainment) Tuesday, "Taken" stars Grace as Kim Mills, a naïve 17-year-old who, with the blessing of her mother, Lenore (Famke Janssen) -- and over the objections of her estranged father, Bryan (Neeson) -- embarks on a trip to France with her best friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy).

As an ex-government operative, Bryan is aware of the potential dangers that await the girls, so he puts in a number of safeguards in place, including an international cell line -- and a desperate phone call ends up being Bryan's only hope of finding Kim and Amanda after they are kidnapped by powerful sex traffickers.

The notable thing about Grace's performance in "Taken" is that it's frighteningly real. She easily captures the vulnerability of a fearless teenager, despite having lived the opposite sort of life in her own teen years.

"When I was 16, I was working in television and was quite motivated by the idea of paying rent, so I wasn't exactly the same kind of sheltered person that Kim is in the movie," Grace said. "She was young, innocent and as ill-prepared for her situation as possible."

Thankfully, Grace, 25, did have a couple major reference points to help her realize the naïveté of the character: Her fearless 16-year-old sister ("It's tough when you're that age and feel so invincible") and an alert mother while she was growing up in suburban Ohio.

"I think my mom might have aired a little on the side of paranoia by making me watch too many 'Oprah' specials on kidnapping," Grace said with a nervous laugh. "Even as I'm on my own now, I'm still terrified to the point of not talking to strangers. I learned a little too well. I can't imagine being a parent, and someday trying to instill some healthy decision-making skills without scaring the crap out of them."

While Grace's performance is pivotal in the movie, the actress humbly credits director Pierre Morel and Neeson for the impact the film had on moviegoers.

"Pierre edited the film in a tight and unrelenting matter and it's well-paced, and Liam's performance is very thoughtful and more grounded than we typically see in the action genre," Grace said. "You can tell things really do have consequences for him. Plus, Liam's somewhat of a pacifist in real life, so there's a depth there that he brings. Taking a life isn't something to be taken lightly."

"Taken" isn't the only project that Grace has been involved in with an ominous one-word title. She was "Lost," too, as an original cast member of the show, which one a Best Television Drama Emmy in its first year. Given the blockbuster success of the show, Grace, who starred as Shannon -- the complicated step-sister of Boone (Ian Somerhalder and eventual girlfriend of Sayid (Naveen Andrews) -- still counts "Lost" as a defining moment in her career.

"Up until then, I had only done guest-starring roles and TV movies, so "Lost" is what I would consider my first big break," Grace said, humbly. "It was pretty amazing to find an audience of that magnitude that quickly -- and to do it in a cozy, supportive atmosphere of an ensemble cast that made it feel safe. It really protected me from culture shock. It was so ideal to come of age as a performer and experience the limelight a little bit within that protective little group."