Kick Ass actress keeps on kicking
Chloe Grace Moretz has her say on hormones, homeschooling and why she hates Hollywood parties
Chloe Grace Moretz has been an actress to watch since her breakout role in the 2005 remake of the 1979 horror classic The Amityville Horror. She was only eight years old at the time, but her raw portrayal of a ghost-seeing little girl won raves. After appearances in less notable films and television shows, she turned heads again with her portrayal of a fearless - and infamously foul-mouthed - Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass in 2010 and its sequel last year.
With close to 50 film and television credits already under her belt, the 17-year-old Moretz has the maturity and self-assurance of a woman a decade older. But at one point in our interview, when she wasn't sure whether she should answer a question about an upcoming film that she will star in, the young actress turned to her mother, Teri, who sat on the sidelines, listening to every word: "Mum, can I talk about that?" (The answer was a curt "no".)
Moretz takes the lead in If I Stay, a tear-jerker based on Gayle Forman's 2009 young adult novel of the same name. In it, she plays Mia Hall, a cello virtuoso whose life is upended one day, and who has to decide whether to live or die.
The actress displays serious dramatic acting chops, with her portrayal so nuanced and sincere that it is hard not to weep for her. "I feel close to the character," she says. "She's strong, like myself. But I'm a lot less shy than she is."
If I Stay feels intimate, with sterling performances from Moretz and Mireille Enos, who plays her free-spirited and nurturing mother. British actor Jamie Blackley plays Adam, Mia's rock guitarist boyfriend, and scenes depicting the characters in the throes of a first-love relationship resound with authenticity.
Moretz says that she felt an instant kinship with her character. "I think it was her independence: not letting the guy tell her what she had to do with her life," Moretz says. "She pursued her dream to go to Juilliard [music school]. She doesn't let people kick her around. I just wanted to show that to young girls and audiences."