Kick-Ass is one of 2010's most anticipated – and controversial – films, and much of that has to do with Chloë Grace Moretz as Hit Girl. In the course of the film, she ruthlessly slaughters bad guys while cursing like a sailor; Hit Girl has become a lightning rod for controversy even as film fans call Moretz a major talent to watch.
In the first part of this interview, Chloë talked about preparing for the role with her brother/acting coach, Trevor Duke-Moretz. In this installment, she discusses working on the film, her co-stars and her thoughts on the Kick-Ass controversy.
S101: You just turned 13, right?
CGM: "Yeah, on February 10th."
S101: This is a make-it-or-break-it time, where young actors try to go for more adult roles, and they're a lot harder to find. How has it been for you?
CGM: "I've been very privileged to have a career like this. It won't last forever but I'm working hard, and I have a couple of projects coming up. Let Me In (a remake of Let the Right One In) is coming out October 1st, as well as The Fields, directed by Michael Mann's daughter Amy. I shoot that right after I leave here.
"After that, I start work on a Martin Scorcese film called The Invention of Hugo Cabret with Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and Asa Butterfield."
S101: Whose career do you want to emulate?
CGM: "Natalie Portman and Meryl Streep, because they choose very unique and diverse roles. They never stick to one type of movie. I have a fantasy film, then I have a street kid role, then I'm playing a vampire and then an action hero; I try to make my roles very diverse. I like balancing out my career in different ways."
S101: How important have your brothers been to your career?
CGM: "My brother Trevor's been a key figure in my life because, without him, how would I be here! (Trevor rolls his eyes; everybody laughs). Without my mom letting him go to New York to be in a professional performing arts high school, we wouldn't be doing this."
S101: Why don't you talk a little about your co-stars in Kick-Ass?
CGM: "Aaron Johnson is an absolutely amazing actor: watching the movie you would never know that he has an insanely strong Camden English accent. His work in Nowhere Boy was breathtaking.
"Mark Strong brought so much to his character: most people would just play him evil, but he brought a sadness that was really wrong but worked so right. Nicolas Cage brought something to the role of Big Daddy that no one else could. He really made it his own, and I really praise him for that!"
S101: Mark Strong in particular has an evil side, a sad side and also a funny side; and that's true of all the characters. We're not used to seeing that amount of dimension in movie characters, and that's what hooked us into this film –
CGM: "Thank you."
S101: Was that a result of collaboration with director Matthew Vaughn, or with each other?
CGM: "It was a group effort. We thank Matthew for getting such an amazing cast. There are so many elements to Kick-Ass that makes it more than just an action film. It really made it amazing. With a good cast, actors work off of actors and feed off each other's emotions. When you receive something good, you get something good."
S101: Did you read the original comic book?
CGM: "By the time we'd started filming, we'd already finished the plotline and only Issue #2 had come out yet. Mark Millar told us what he was thinking, though."
S101: Was he on the set often?
CGM: "He was on the set a bunch."
S101: Are there any plans for a sequel?
CGM: "I don't know but, if there is a sequel, you'll see me on the purple Ducati (everybody laughs)."
S101: What did you learn on Kick-Ass that you want to carry forward?
CGM: "There's so much on any movie. Matthew's directing style: you can take it with you. Maybe when I'm older and I get to direct, I can take it from him to let my actors do what they want. I hate it when directors put you in a box; that makes for a very bad movie, and a very bad vibe on set."
S101: How strictly did you hold to the script? Did you improvise a lot?
CGM: "We stayed pretty good with the script because it was such amazing writing that you didn't need to improvise. We improvised here and there, but it didn't need it."
S101: You're really pushing the boundaries of what people your age have done onscreen in terms of violence and language. Have you faced any stigma as a result of this role?
CGM: "Everything I did in the movie was in the script, so I knew this character was different from most kid roles (laughs), that's why I wanted to do it. We talked about every word in it – my parents had to explain to me what some of them were! (everybody laughs)
"I can honestly say that I've never, ever uttered a curse word, even behind closed doors with my friends, because I've been raised to know that cussing makes you look unintelligent."
S101: If the people who were talking about how horrible this film is – for having a little girl cursing and killing people – were in front of you, how would you defend this film? What would you say?
CGM: "It's a movie! It's something that you have to pay a ticket to get into. You're not forced to go watch it, no one says you have to. And honestly, I don't care about your opinion unless you see the movie."
Kick-Ass opens April 16th.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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