Let Me In and More from Chloe Moretz
The long-anticipated horror film Let Me In opened October 1st to rave reviews, and critics have spoken especially highly of its 13-year-old star Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays the child vampire Abby. But despite her riveting performance, Chloe confessed she had a "pretty crazy" time becoming Abby because she had little to draw from.
Chloe and costar Kodi Smit-McPhee at the Los Angeles premiere of Let Me In, September 2010
"Getting into the mindset of being Abby was pretty crazy, because obviously, I'm only 13, so I can't say life experiences. So basically, I had to... act! I had to make up this character that is very old. I guess that's why they call it acting. You do draw from some stuff in your life, I guess, but it's not real life. You have to fake it."
The 13-year-old also joked she would not normally be old enough to watch her new movie, but because she's in it, her parents made an exception. "I've seen the whole film. Now that I'm older, I'm able to watch my own films, R-rated or not. But otherwise, I'm not allowed to watch R-rated films. I wouldn't be allowed to watch this one, if I wasn't in it.
"It's a good way to get around the system, 'But Mom, I have to watch this film for acting reasons.' 'Chloe, unless your brother Trevor says you should watch it, you're not going to watch it.'" (It was Chloe's older brother, Trevor Duke, who first got her interested in acting; now 24, Trevor is his sister's primary acting coach and often travels with her when filming on location.)
Let Me In is a remake of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, which was also very highly acclaimed by critics. There are some key differences in this American version (which moves the action from Sweden to 1980's New Mexico), and some folks think this remake could even be better. Entertainment Weekly writes: "Sure, it's filed under horror, but the film is rooted in a tender coming-of-age story, the dark and delicate tale of a lonely 12-year-old boy [Kodi Smit-McPhee] who connects with an equally haunted young girl. Except she's not really that young. Or even human."
"It has so many dimensions to it," Chloe explained. "It has the vampire part of it, and the killing part of it, and at the same time it has the romantic relationship between Owen and Abby. It's kind of like Romeo and Juliet, in a way."
But no one can accuse Chloe of copying the performance that young Swedish actress Lina Leandersson gave in Let the Right One In. She's never seen the original film. "I was too young to see Let the Right One In. I wasn't allowed. It's R-rated."
Expect to see even bigger things from Chloe in the near future. She just got back from Europe, where she was shooting a lead female role in Martin Scorcese's next film, Hugo Cabret, which according to her is "an amazing film, based in Paris in the 1930s, which is about an orphaned boy who meets my character, Isabella, and they go on an adventure in a Paris train station together." It was announced earlier this week that for her next project, Chloe would star as the title character in yet another comic book adaptation, Emily the Strange. As for rumors that she's ready to revise her role as Hit Girl in a Kick-Ass sequel? "You’d have to ask [director] Matthew [Vaughn] that. I'd love to do it, though!" she smiled.
Beyond the hype surrounding her latest film, Chloe's a regular teen. She likes The Twilight Saga, and when asked if she's Team Edward or Team Jacob, she diplomatically responds, "They’re both cute!" Her iPod is currently filled with songs by pop divas like Christina Aguilera and Diana Vickers, and in her free time, she likes to "just do normal girl stuff," like hanging out with her friends and shopping. "Everybody says, 'You'll be more mature, working around adults all day, being in the business,' but I'm still a little girl. I'm still just Chloe."
I'm happy to see Chloe's star rising so fast, but try as I might, I can barely keep up with her these days. 2010 has been a very big year for her. From the street-smart little sister in (500) Days of Summer, to the wise-beyond-her-years tween in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, to the child assassin in Kick-Ass (her star-making role), and now the child vampire in Let Me In -- all released on each other's heels -- Chloe's been cranking out project after project, and she shows no sign of slowing down. Keep your eye on her if you can!
And for more young actresses in horror, check out Jodelle Ferland in Case 39, which opened the same day as Let Me In, and don't forget that Bailee Madison's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is due out in January 2011.