Rising Star: Chloe Grace Moretz

At age 13, Chloe Grace Moretz already has quite the array of prestigious film credits to her name — “(500) Days Of Summer” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” are amongst the more popular titles — so, we’re a bit reluctant to say that she’s a new face to the Hollywood scene. Most folks will recognize her as the foul-mouthed heroine in last spring’s “Kick-Ass.” Whichever film is being discussed, Chloe steals every scene that she’s in, portraying a maturity that’s way beyond her years. With her latest film, “Let Me In,” opening this weekend with a rare 100 percent Tomato rating on RottenTomatoes.com, this young actress is breaking through to the next level, and that’s what makes her AccessHollywood.com’s latest Rising Star.

“Let Me In” is a remake of the Swedish vampire film, “Let The Right One In,” which itself was very highly acclaimed by critics. There have been some key differences in this American version though (which moves the action from Sweden to New Mexico), and some folks think this remake could even be better. Chloe recently stopped by the Access Hollywood offices and explained to our Scott “Movie” Mantz why this film “really lived up” to the original. She explained that the great script (the genesis of any great film) is what initially attracted she and her mom to the project.

“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 the boy, Owen, and Abbey…. It’s kind of like Romeo & Juliet in a way.”

So how does Chloe stay grounded growing up in the Hollywood limelight? “It’s my family that keeps me grounded,” she explains. In fact, Chloe says that it was her brother attending a performance arts school which initially got her interested in acting. She says that he remains her primary acting coach. Still, she takes fame in stride.

“Do you get recognized a lot now that you’ve been in (so many high profile films),” Scott asked Chloe.

“Since I cut my hair… (I’ve been getting recognized) a lot from ‘Kick-Ass’ … I walk down the street like a normal teenager, and then it’s 1…2… 3… and then (I hope)… it’s ‘Don’t come towards me!” she said.

Beyond the hype surrounding Chloe’s latest release, she’s just a regular teen. She likes “The Twilight Saga,” and when asked if she’s Team Edward or Team Jacob, she diplomatically responds that, “They’re both cute!” Her iPod is currently filled with songs by pop divas like Christina Aguilera & up-and-comer Diana Vickers. Her favorite TV show is (wait for it!) “The Vampire Diaries,” and in another sign of her emotional maturity, her favorite films are “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” and “Gone With The Wind.” In her free time, she likes to “just do normal girl stuff,” like hanging out with her friends and going shopping.

Chloe says her role models in the business include Meryl Streep and Aubrey Hepburn. The actresses with whom she’d most like work? – “All of them… Natalie Portman, Streep, Jodie Foster…” (the latter to whom the early comparisons are uncanny). She also says she’d love to work with directors including Steven Spielberg (“Of course!” she says), Cameron Crowe and J.J. Abrams.

Expect to see big things from Chloe in the near future. She recently got back from Europe where she has been shooting a lead female role in Martin Scorcese’s next film, “Hugo Cabret” (based on the New York Times bestselling novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”), which according to her is, “An amazing film, based in Paris in the 1930s, which is about an orphaned boy (Asa Butterfield), who meets my character, Isabella, and they go on an adventure in a Paris train station together.” The film was shot in 3-D and also stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths and Christopher Lee.

Moreover, 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.