Chloë Grace Moretz Always Looking for Something New
She may only be 16 but Chloe Grace Moretz is already well established in Hollywood. Moretz had many strong roles as a child actor but it was in her starring role in the hit comic book movie “Kick Ass” that she really made her mark. She’s also had great roles in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”, Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” and the indie “500 Days of Summer.” She recently stopped by the SiriusXM studios to talk with Ron Bennington about her new movie– the remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie.” Excerpts from the interview appear below, and you can hear the interview in its entirety exclusively on SiriusXM satellite radio.
* * *
Chloë Grace Moretz Talks About The Challenge Of Doing A “Carrie” Remake
Ron Bennington: How does this feel, knowing that you’re jumping into an iconic film like this?
Chloë Grace Moretz: It’s interesting. It’s exciting, definitely. I think at the same time, what was most nerve-racking for me was taking on a Stephen King novel. That’s what I thought was going to be the biggest challenge, was really doing justice and paying enough homage to who his “Carrie” was.
Ron Bennington: Now when you go up for a film like this and it’s a horror film, do you ever think to yourself – do I really want to put myself through those feelings?
Chloë Grace Moretz: I mean I didn’t think of it that way. But for me, the most exciting and the most interesting thing for me, is doing roles like that. What’s boring for me, is playing roles that are like myself – which is normal and happy and like silly and whatever else. What’s exciting is doing these type roles.
Ron Bennington: So, you know when you’re going to get into this though, you’re going to have to deal with some emotions that all them, sometimes take a little while to shake.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Yeah, sometimes. Yeah, definitely, but I think because I have been doing this for so long – I, luckily from a young age, learned how to get out of these emotions. And how to lose my character at the end of the day and be able to live my life. Otherwise, I would be living as “Carrie”.
Ron Bennington: Yeah, some people don’t like to do that. They like to keep the accent, carry it around for a couple of months. That’s too big of a price for you though?
Chloë Grace Moretz: I mean for me, I think that it’s more of a hindrance if anything, because I feel that I like to be in character on set, in the moment. But if I take her around with me at all times, I’m going to be experiencing things that she would never experience.
Ron Bennington: Well, that’s great.
Chloë Grace Moretz: So for me, I find it more of a hindrance.
Ron Bennington: So, you love an extreme character.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Yeah.
* * *
Chloë Grace Moretz Talks About Being More Choosey With Her Roles
Chloë Grace Moretz: I definitely like characters that are interesting and again, different from who I am. Which I think, I’ve been very very very lucky in my career to have characters who are very different from who I am.
Ron Bennington: So, is that what you look for though every time? Are you looking at scripts or are you still at the point where – hey, I can get a gig. I can get a job and I’ll see what I can do with it.
Chloë Grace Moretz: For me, I’ve become a lot more picky now. Just because honestly, because I have done, emotionally, so many different things that I’ve been through. So many emotions, so far in my life – now I’m trying to find something that’s still exciting. Something new to me, that I haven’t tried before. So that’s why I’ve become more picky. It’s just honestly trying to find that stuff that I haven’t done before, which is becoming harder and harder.
* * *
Chloë Grace Moretz Talks About Directors
Ron Bennington: Do you have a preference of what type of movie you like to do or do you like to do them all?
Chloë Grace Moretz: I mean for me, as long as it’s exciting. As long as I’m interested in what’s going and with my character and I’m not bored – I’ll do it.
Ron Bennington: But there’s a chance that you get into one of these films and you go – oh, now I’m going to do this for the next 4 or 5 months?
Chloë Grace Moretz: Totally. That’s why you have to be careful. And also, you have to really make sure that you and your director are on the same page. Because there’s nothing worse than being artistically out of tune. It’s terrifying because if we’re not agreeing on things, it’s such…because when you’re acting, you’re so vulnerable. You’re putting yourself out there for everyone to judge you, so I think that when you’re not completely symbiotic with the person, it’s very scary.
Ron Bennington: Well, I watched the…they did a couple of Hitchcock things last year. And apparently, he went out of his way to torture his actors to get something out of them. But I think we’re past that, don’t you think, now? I mean it’s more a partnership with you and the director.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Well, I think nowadays, it’s a bit different for the fact of it’s not that time period. That time period was very set in its ways. Women were very conformed. Everyone was so very living a boxed in lifestyle. Whereas nowadays, there are now boundaries. There are no factions anymore. It’s completely symbiotic. And I think the relationship between a director and an actor is much more played on nowadays. Because it’s more collaborative. Back in the day, it used to be that you were owned. I mean you don’t even have your own name. They make you. Whereas now it’s – you fight really really hard to get your job and therefore you have as much say in your character as you should. Because you worked hard for it.
Ron Bennington: Yeah. There has to be some trust, that you’ve brought this person in for a reason.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Well, exactly. And I feel if it’s not there, you’re not doing the right thing.
* * *
Chloë Grace Moretz Talks About “Carrie”
Ron Bennington: Carrie’s got this thing where the religion is pushed down on her so hard that it’s become abusive really, this abusive relationship.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Well, it’s manipulative, of course. But what I found interesting with our movie and religion – I think the (Brian) De Palma version was very different with religion. I think De Palma almost blames religion for the fact that Carrie is going crazy. Whereas in our film, I feel as if Carrie is a disciple. Carrie does not fear religion. She fears her mother’s manipulation and convoluted sense of God’s word and trust. And Carrie, no matter how many times she’s put down and pushed aside and beaten by a Bible literally, she’s always quoting the true word of God. And she’s always rebutting and basically telling her mother how sacrilegious she’s being by quoting wrongful scripture. And that’s what I found interesting on our take of the movie, is we don’t blame bullying and we don’t blame religion. It really is the cause and effects of isolation. It’s social isolation that kills this girl.
Ron Bennington: And of course, the fact that she’s becoming a woman, which is…it happens at such a young age.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Yeah, it’s a scary age.
Ron Bennington: It really is an age where at one point, we’re babying kids…
Chloë Grace Moretz: Your kid, yeah. And all of sudden…
Ron Bennington: Boom.
Chloë Grace Moretz: …you’re an adult. There’s just a moment when you turn 14 and you go – oh my God. That man is not looking at me like I’m a little kid anymore. He’s looking at me like an adult. And I remember the moment when it happened to me. I was 14 years old and I was like – whoa! And I just felt the entire shift in dynamics within my world of how it used to be and how it is now. It’s scary. It’s pretty creepy. You’re unsure of yourself too.
Ron Bennington: Well of course, you’re unsure of yourself. But then, the strange part of that is that’s now yours to deal with…
Chloë Grace Moretz: On your own.
Ron Bennington: On your own, but how many years before you’re really mature enough to handle?
Chloë Grace Moretz: Oh God. I don’t think you’re mature until you’re in your 30s at this point.
Ron Bennington: Yeah, they do say that.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Especially in America. I think that it definitely differs through countries. My friends, when I was 14, in England – I mean you’re legal by 16 years old in England. You’re able to do whatever you want. So, they were adults. By 14, they were going through what 19 year olds in America are going through. And by 16, they can move out of the house. They can go live their life and they’re full working adults. Whereas in America, up until you’re 30 years old, you’re pretty much living underneath your parents. And even when you’re married, I think we baby…our civilization, we baby our kids so much. Up until when you graduate college and pass that, you live within the confines of your parents’ ideas.
* * *
Chloë Grace Moretz Talks About Growing Up
Ron Bennington: When I was a kid – we wanted to be adults. We wanted to get out.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Not now. They want to stay home.
Ron Bennington: And now, people want to dress up for Halloween.
Chloë Grace Moretz: I think people are definitely, especially my generation, are savoring their childhood. That’s why by the end of 20, back in…I’d say even in the 90s, you can look back and say… at 20 years old, there were a lot more adults. Nowadays, at 27 years old, they’re acting like 16 year olds. That sense of adulthood, doesn’t happen anymore.
Ron Bennington: We kind of market childhood as if it was great. And that everything after high school was awful. But I don’t buy it.
Chloë Grace Moretz: I don’t buy it. I think honestly, it is what you make of it. I think that if you think that adulthood is amazing, love it. And I think some people romanticize about their teenage years, but honestly, they’re the most confusing years of your entire life. You don’t know who you are. You don’t know what you are. You’re practically living vicariously through other people that you know. I mean everyone is lying and making fibs up and are dealing with issues that are seemingly much smaller than you feel they are. And then when you grow up…I think for me, I’m a lot more adult than a lot of my friends. And I can definitely see a disconnect in the fact that I can deal with a lot more emotions and I can deal with a lot more situations than they can. And just for that simple fact, because I realize, like I said – I realize that my parents were not godly. And for them, they realized that at 19 years old and it ruins their life. Because they’re children still.
Ron Bennnington: And I also think that we’ve changed the way we read. The young adult thing holds kids back where it used to be – you would read books over your head. You would struggle.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Totally.
Ron Bennington: You would read about the world.
Chloë Grace Moretz: You read “The Catcher in the Rye” when you’re 11 years old. And you’re going – I don’t know what it means. I’m going to read it again in a couple more years and I’m going to get it. When I was 11, I read “Wuthering Heights” for the first time. Nowadays, we have “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight” and these book series that are completely…not even logical fiction. And it is creating this sense of…I don’t even know. It’s like kids don’t want to learn.
Ron Bennington: No, it’s more like entertainment.
Chloë Grace Moretz: It’s all entertainment. It’s all a sitcom.
* * *
Ron Bennington: Do you want to write and direct?
Chloë Grace Moretz: Yeah, one day. For sure. I think that it will need to be the right timing. For sure, before I do it.
Ron Bennington: You’re terrific. Chloë, thanks so much for coming by. I’m glad to meet you and I’m a fan. I wish you all the best with everything coming out. See you next time.
Chloë Grace Moretz: Thank you. Nice meeting you.
=========================================================
Follow Chloe Grace Moretz on Twitter @ChloeGMoretz and Get Gore Information about Carrie at Carrie-Movie.com
.
You can hear this interview in its entirety exclusively on SiriusXM satellite radio. Not yet a subscriber? Click here for a free trial subscription.
.
You can learn more about Ron Bennington’s two interview shows, Unmasked and Ron Bennington Interviews at RonBenningtonInterviews.com.
