ChloeMoretz.com Interview
Check out my interview with Chloe today about her new film Kick-Ass, her thoughts on the vampire phenomenon in today’s culture, projects and roles she’s interested in pursuing, her plans for her upcoming birthday, and Crochet for Haiti.
What drew you to the role of Hit-Girl?
I wanted to do an action film so badly. That is odd because they never write great action for kids. When the script came in I was so excited because Hit-Girl is a great character. She is crazy athletic and totally an amazing martial artist and marksman. One thing that made me like the character even more is that she is written with such heart. I got to do both action and drama in the same character and that is an actor’s dream.
Kick-Ass has a lot more action than your previous films. What was your favorite aspect of filming an action movie?
It is really tough to choose what was my favorite. I loved learning the martial arts moves. The weapons training that I did at a training center named 8711 was truly amazing! I did gymnastics and poise training also. I spent about a month with a couple of people at the Toronto Circus school and that was fun and challenging. Learning to actually flip a butterfly knife was fun and challenging too. I actually learned to flip two ballisongs at the same time, one in each hand.
What was your reaction to seeing and wearing Hit-Girl’s costume for the first time?
When I went to London and did the very first fitting for the Hit-Girl costume it was just fantastic. The suit changed several times before the wardrobe designer and Matthew finalized it. I also got to try several different hairstyles and wigs until Matthew decided to go with the purple wig for Hit-Girl and the bunches and fringe for Mindy. I had never heard ponytails called “bunches” or bangs called “fringe”. Now that is what I call that hairstyle!
What type of training did you do to prepare for the role?
Martial arts, gymnastics, gun training, knife handling, combat moves. I trained with some of the top stunt men in the world. Brad Allen was the stunt coordinator and he pulled together a great team to train me.
How much stunt work were you able to do, and what was that like to film?
I did a lot of my stunts. My double is an amazing gymnast who is nationally ranked in England. He did most of the crazy flips. We also had the top stunt performer in China who did some of the really difficult flips too. They were all so talented. His flips are scary and phenomenal. During reshoots I had another stunt double who is a woman and she was awesome as well. I trained to hard to be Hit-Girl and they let me do so many of my stunts because they had done such a great job training me.
Early reviews of the film have called Hit-Girl an “iconic” character. How does the excitement and hype surrounding your character make you feel?
It is exciting to have the positive response that I am beginning to get from this character. The role was very challenging and it is always nice when people begin to recognize how hard an actor works to create a character. It is definitely gratifying to get good feedback. I try not to listen too much to what people say, either positive or negative, though because at the end of the day, if I am happy with my performance and have done my personal best then that is all that I can do.
You are currently in New Mexico filming Let Me In, where you play a vampire. What do you think about the vampire phenomenon in pop culture right now?
Vampires are definitely popular at the moment. Twilight, True Blood, Vampire Diaries… they have made vampires the new hot thing. My character of Abby is a vampire in Let Me In but she is very different from any of the vampires that are currently being portrayed in film and TV. My character is 250 years old but she is in a 12-year-old body. The pain of her existence is something that has been challenging to create. I love the character because it is so layered and I am able to do an array of emotions when I perform it.
Tell us about your other upcoming project, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I am doing a cameo role in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was a blast to film. Thor Freundenthal directed it and he is just such a great director. I play the alternative girl who just pretty much marches to the beat of her own drum. The wardrobe was fun and I had some crazy hairstyles in it. I think kids will love it.
How do you balance work with school?
I attend Laurel Springs School and do the distance learning program. My mom is my teacher and when I am onset I have a studio teacher who schools me. She travels from set to set with me. She is also the overseeing teacher for my mom at Laurel Springs so I have great continuity. When I film I have to do at least 3 hours of school each day and I can work 6 hours per day. They are long days but they are no longer than my day was when I attended public school and did extracurricular activities. Some of my friends who do sports and drama club activities every day have longer days than I do! It is tough on some shoot days though because I have to bring all kinds of emotions to my characters and when they call “cut” I have to go back and do Math or Science or history or language arts!
How did you get involved in acting?
I fell into it with my brother Trevor who attended the Professional Performing Arts High School in New York City. I would practice his lines with him when he was studying them and I just got the acting bug.
How has your approach to acting evolved since you began your career?
I pretty much approach it now as I always have done. I learn the lines and think about how the character would feel. I always try to find something in my own life that connects me to the character. The more I live the more I find things that I can use in my acting. After I find the character my brother Trevor and I work together and create a character with nuances. I have learned never to judge any of the characters that I portray. Sometimes that is difficult to do because as a human being we tend to make judgements when we find out information about people and situations. In order to bring a character to life, though, I find that I cannot judge her or I won’t be true to her. It is a fun and challenging process. The cool thing is that it is never dull and always challenging.
What other type of roles are you interested in pursuing?
I want to do a period piece. I want to do a great historical character. My dream is to play Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. I think it would be great to do this character while I am young so as to be true to the real character. She was 14 or 15 years old but has been historically been portrayed by actresses who are much older than her real age. I want to bring Juliet to life as a true 14 to 15 year old.
What was your favorite movie of 2009, and what movie are you looking forward to most in 2010?
My favorite film of 2009 was probably Avatar. I am most looking forward to Alice in Wonderland in 2010.
Is there any particular celebrity you would like to meet or work with?
I want to meet and work with Natalie Portman. I love her style.
How are you planning to celebrate your 13th birthday?
Paramount is letting me have a screeing on their lot and I have invited all of my friends to a screening of one of my favorite films, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I cannot wait!
Tell us about Crochet for Haiti, your project with your brother Colin.
I am so overwhelmed by the crisis in Haiti. It breaks my heart. We have watched so much of the coverage about the earthquake on television. I feel so sad and terrified for the people who are there and having to live through this nightmare. I am only one little person but I wanted to do something to help out. My brother Colin and I talked about it and we love to crochet so we decided to crochet little hearts and sell them to people for a donation to be sent directly to the American Red Cross. Colin just sat down and stitched a cute little red heart and we knew immediately that it was something that we could do to help the children and adults whose lives have been changed forever.
To find out more information about Crochet for Haiti, please visit the Facebook group.
Posted by: Holli
Category: Featured, General, Press
Tags: crochet for haiti, diary of a wimpy kid, exclusive, interviews, kick-ass, let me in




Comments (1)
B. Foster
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:45 am
C.Moretz Website,
First, let wish Miss Moretz well, and I hope she had a nice birthday. I will relate that “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” is one of my favorite films. With this film in mind, I don’t know if you are aware of the odd Georgia Alabama connection with the film? The counter-intuitive Deep-South connection involves Johnny Mercer and Truman Copote. Mercer is from Savannah, and Copote was born in Louisiania, but grew up in Monroeville Alabama. Copote was childhood friends with Harper Lee of “To Kill A Mockingbird” fame, and he is reputed to be the model for her young friend in the story. However, I must comment that it is indeed ironic (in Post Modern literature, irony is the foremost aspect that is searched for) that the pentultimate film about upscale New Yorkers–Breakfast At Tiffany’s was so influenced by 2 deep-south Southerners?
I see Miss Moretz was born in Atlanta Georgia, I was born there as well, and I am still living in Atlanta. As an aside, I see Miss Moretz still employs the old Southern colloquialism of “Yall” in her postings, and I appreciate that little respectful down home touch. My family has a French connection–from the Low-Country of South Carolina, French Huguenots. I know the Moretz family also has a connection to the Royal Scottish Crown, and like most Southners, my family is filed with Scotish surnames.
However, I am writing about another item and a bit of a request? I am sure you are all aware of the supposed controversary regarding “Hit Girl’s” costume. You know that when the first photo appeared with her wearing the “Gunslinger Girl” outfit: the plaid school-girl skirt, white-sox, white-shirt, and pig-tails, there were several postings amongst the copious critical “Kick-Ass” cognoscenti in that they were attendantly and absolutely adamant that the “Kick-Ass” film had fundmentally betrayed the image of “Hit-Girl”, and they were fanatically furious in feeling betrayed and telling everyone not to see the film.
Thus, I see in this interview that Miss Moretz makes mention or reveals that several interations of the “Hit Girl” costume were denoted, devised, and duly considered? I have also possibly/potentially noted that several slight variations of the “Hit-Girl” were shown in several of the individual scenes. I will admit that nothing major was different, but I believe I modestly detected some singularly subtle changes?
What I was of course most curious to know or discover since all the considerable confusion, cursing, or curt talk abounded, was could this site post all the various wardrobe variations which were considered–wardrobe tests or otherwise?
Admittedly, I was not an authentic “Kick-Ass” aficionado prior to my observing the trailer, but I do want to understand the History of the storyline, and all this considerable controversary is curious. I have obediently or overtly observed that the “final film” costumes happen to possess rather considerable differences or be at significant odds with the costumes worn by all the characters seen in the comic book?
Actually, I think most of the alterations are an absolute improvement. If nothing else, the symbolism is far better with the changes. By the way, are “you” (plural form; also, mr./mrs./miss/webmaster/mistress–of course, I realize I am not contacting Miss Moretz–nor do I find it necessary to do so, but I still would like for her to be told that a Georgian appreciates her work and hopes she had a happy birthday!) aware of the book: “If It’s Purple, Someone’s Gonna Die: The Power Of Color In Visual Storytelling” by Patti Bellatoni?
Now, I admit the book is fundmentally, if not fatally, flawed, but I will relate that it is, indeed, still interesting in some instances. I have noted the perilously predominant purple in Miss Moretz’s munificent material making-up her costume. In many instaances, the person who perishes is the person wearing purple?
By the way, I would have some concerns that Miss Moretz protray Juliet. She is not the first 15 year old to make such a film. In 1968 Olivia Hussey had this role in Franco Zeffirelli’s well considered film. The problem is that Miss Hussey reportedly suffered so much in the making of the film that she had nervous breakdowns for years after, and it is noted that she never really recovered, nor, might I add, did she every attain the stature that most critics, who hailed the production and her performance, said she was destined to achieve with such an auspicious acting start.
Also, it is often said that Juliet was most likely around 13-14, not just 14 or 15. So, just like Hamlet and Ophelia, who were also far younger than we ever see the actors who protray them are, Juliet was very very young. However, it is understood that “Children” in previous centuries were usually very mature when compared to many adults of today.
In regards to your previous film, I see “Kick-Ass” as being something along the lines of the proverbal “Unexpected Hero” tale. You (plural, all of the site’s personnel) might want to read Tolkien’s “Tree and Leaf” for some introspective and inspirational insight into this? As Joseph Campbell notes in his works (“Hero with a thousand faces”, etc.), most most myths, legends, and folktales (~60%) present the “Hero” as being something of a Superman) as we see with Gilgamesh, Hercules, Beowulf, etc., but the second largest grouping involves tales of the “Unexpected” hero. Frequently, it involves the mild and meak “every-man”, but a surprising large number of these tales involve young boys and a great gangling number of gamine girls. Literary experts note tht in the early days of Queen Victoria (1828~1865) young girl heroes/heroines far and away outnumbered heroic boys, but after ~1870 heroic young boys clearly predominated. Now, I have a theory as to why, but who really cares?
The instances of young girl “heroes” is obvious from the Jungian prospectives, but essentially the motivation for such tales of the unexpected hero is that if the most absolutely unexpected of individuals can become a “hero”, then it inspires anyone that they can become a hero as well. Thus, this form of heroic tale is an inspiration for everyone. This bit of inspiration seems to be the kernel involved in the story of “Kick-Ass”?
I completely confess, that Carl Jung has a lot of interesting things to say on these matters, but I will not bore you any longer.
Admittedly, I do not know if this site can gain full permission to reveal or present all the costume variations which were considered for Miss Moretz or others, but I will siimply ask and let the intellectual property consideratons proceed.
One additional side note, I know you are aware of the HG (Hit Girl) insignia on her “Utility Belt”? My question of symbolism involves the matter that “HG” stands for “Mercury”, and is this another bit of symbolism? After all, “Hit Girl” is very Mercurial and like quick-silver in her personality and actions?
After all, her costume possesses both Purple–for sacrifice/death, and it is useful to recall that Christ’s symbolic sacrificial colour is Purple. Further note that “Kick-Ass” is scheduled to Premiere just before Easter in the UK, and it is to Premiere just after Easter in the U.S.
In an interview, I noted that Miss Moretz did discuss a follow-up film. Also, I am aware of the actual ending of the Comic Book series. Likewise, I noted her reluctance or retiring reticence in discussing the issue, but noted she did comment back to the interviewer that the ending of the series is…disturbing. Along those lines, I am curious about the fatally foreboding change found in Hit-Girl’s wardrobe, to that of the purple motief–we also note that there were several reputed changes included in the film vs. what was seen in the comic book. Thus, I was wondering if the “changes” which we might see in the follow-up film include a reversal of Big-Daddy’s demise, into maybe being into something involving Miss Mindy’s murder?
I also noted that “Kick-Ass” colours are Green-Yellow-colours indicative of being “Green”, immature, untested, untried. Now, “Red-Mist” sounds like “Aramis”. Thus, I was tritely but theoretically thinking that this thematical tale truly borrows some things from the “Three Musketeers” & “The Four Musketeers”?
You might recall that Aramis betrayed the Musketeers in Dumas’ follow-up tales. I might also make miserly mention that in Richard Lester’s 1973 film (Miss Moretz is a film actress, and a study of prior films is someting that might be made?), the initial film of the 2 film series was fantastically fun, funny and even inspiring. It passionately possessed all the enjoyment found in the best of the old Swashbucklers. However, this grand galant gaity, could not be carried over into the second film. This is because this second film had to include all the sad and depressing actions which Dumas had included into the tale. Thus, I feel or fundmrntallyy fear that any follow-up sort of story with “Kick-Ass” will inevitably include this sort of aspect? I am concerned that the parallels between “Kick-Ass” and d’Artagnan are indeed intriguing and interesting?
However, if the site can gain permission to include the various constume/wardrobe variations, then myself and others might find the evolutions and the symbolism intriguing and invariably interesting?
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