CULTURE

Chloë Grace Moretz Says She Was Body-Shamed by Male Costar

When she was just 15.


Chloe Grace Moretz
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At just 20-years-old, Chloë Grace Moretz has appeared in dozens of movies, television shows, music videos, and theater productions, and, unfortunately, she’s also had to bear more than her fair share of what many consider to be Hollywood’s rampant sexism. In her cover interview for this week’s “Power of Young Hollywood” issue of Variety, the actress opened up about some of the most harrowing instances of misogyny she’s faced on set.

“This guy that was my love interest was like, ‘I’d never date you in a real life,’ and I was like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re too big for me’—as in my size,” Moretz recalled. “It was one of the only actors that ever made me cry on set. I went bawling to my brother, and he was like, ‘What happened?’ And I was like, ‘He told me I was too big.’ And my brother was like, ‘What just happened?’ My brother was so angry.”

Moretz said the body-shaming incident occurred when she was 15 and her unnamed male costar was “23, 24, or 25.” She added, “I had to pick it up and go back on set and pretend he was a love interest, and it was really hard… It just makes you realize that there are some really bad people out there, and for some reason, he felt the need to say that to me. You have to kind of forgive and not forget, really, but it was just like, wow. It was jarring. I look back on it and I was 15, which is really, really dark.”

Chloë Grace Moretz Has Grown Up On the Red Carpet

Chloe Grace Moretz at the premiere of The Amityville Horror in Los Angeles, California, April 2005.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the premiere of Charlotte’s Web in Los Angeles, California, December 2006.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the premiere of Big Momma’s House 2 in Hollywood, California, January 2006.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the premiere of 500 Days of Summer in Hollywood, California, June 2009.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in London, England, November 2010.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the Veuve Clicquot polo match in Midhurst, England, July 2011.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards in New York, New York, November 2011.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Saint Laurent at the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Manon in New York, New York, March 2012.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in McQ Alexander McQueen at the premiere of Dark Shadows in London, England, May 2012.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Viktor & Rolf at a photocall for Kick Ass 2 in London, England, August 2013.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Valentino at the premiere of Carrie in Los Angeles, California, October 2013.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Christian Dior at the premiere of The Equalizer at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, September 2014.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Chanel at the photocall for The Clouds of Sils Maria in Cannes, France, May 2014.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Chanel at the premiere of The Clouds of Sils Maria in Cannes, France, May 2014.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Miu Miu at the 87th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 2015.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Alexander McQueen at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, February 2015.

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Chloë Grace Moretz at the Coach Spring 2016 show in New York, New York, September 2015.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Coach for the Prom 2016 party during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, March 2016.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Coach at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala for ‘Manus x Machina’ in New York, New York, May 2016.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Coach at the Coach summer party in New York, New York, June 2016.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Proenza Schouler at the Trailblazer Honors in New York, New York, June 2016.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Alexander McQueen at the Deauville American Film Festival in Deauville, France, September 2016.

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Chloë Grace Moretz in Coach at Coach 1941 Spring 2017 in New York, New York, September 2016.

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Moretz matched her eyeliner to the floral print of her dress at the Cartier Fifth Avenue Mansion Reopening Party at Cartier Mansion on September 7, 2016.

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At the TrevorLIVE Los Angeles 2016 fundraiser at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 4, 2016, Moretz opted for a rocker vibe in a floral suit with shaggy bangs.

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Moretz attended the ‘Brain On Fire’ Premiere during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival wearing a sunny Miu Miu dress.

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Chloe Grace Moretz attended the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards Cocktail Hour at Hammerstein Ballroom on June 5, 2017 wearing Coach.

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The following day, the actress attended the Coach and Friends of the High Line Summer Party at High Line on June 6, 2017 in New York City.

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Moretz also talked about another male costar who attempted to sabotage her by spreading false rumors about her around a film set. “I’ve had a younger male lead ostracize me and bring up fake issues just to try and put me in my place, and make things up to the director: things that are crazy, things that I would never do, unprofessional things that would make no sense,” she said. “I’ve had an actor do that to me. It’s crazy. They have this inferiority issue, and I’m like, ‘You are completely equal to me, you are no different than me. I just happen to be the lead in this movie, and I don’t know why, just because you are kind of the smaller character, that you’re pushing me into a corner to try and put me down.'”

The Suspiria star said these are just a few examples of the sexism she deals with “every day.” “You’ve got to stick to your guns. I always say, get me in the room and make me audition and I’ll try and win it, and at least I’ll know then that I did my best and I gave my all. But if you just look at me and you say no, then I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. “But, you know, when one door closes, another one opens and that’s the way it is so don’t fight it. I never try and push myself on someone who doesn’t want me for the role.” That said, Moretz noted that women have made significant progress in recent years in landing positions both in front of and behind the camera. “I’ve seen a massive shift just in terms of how many female filmmakers have been working recently,” she said. “We’re making big steps, but it’s a long way. We’re nowhere near the top. We’re just catching up. We have a long way to go.”

Moretz has previously spoken out against what she views as the industry’s inherent sexism. Most recently, when promotional materials at the Cannes Film Festival for her upcoming film Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs were accused of fat-shaming, Moretz tweeted that she was “appalled and angry” about the posters, which portrayed two different-sized Snow Whites and called the thinner one more beautiful. “This wasn’t approved by me or my team,” Moretz continued. “Pls know I have let the producers of the film know. I lent my voice to a beautiful script that I hope you will all see in its entirety. The actual story is powerful for young women and resonated with me. I am sorry for the offense that was beyond my creative control.”

The Red Carpet Evolution of Chloë Grace Moretz’s All-American Beauty

Chloë Grace Moretz is all smiles at the Charlotte’s Web Los Angeles premiere, wearing her golden blonde curls with a chic beret.

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Attending the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival, Moretz arrives fresh faced with perfectly blown out locks.

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At the Los Angeles premiere of (500) Days Of Summer, Moretz pairs her tousled curls with a glossy, natural lip.

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Debuting a chin-grazing bob with a hint of blush on the cheekbones, Moretz arrives at the British Academy Children’s Awards in 2010.

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Wearing her hair in a tousled up do with loose curls framing her face, Moretz arrives at the Hugo film premiere in 2011.

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Moretz arrives as a dark brunette wearing her newly dyed locks in a toulsed up do at the Fox Teen Choice Awards in 2013.

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Opting for a messy top knot and dark smokey eye, Moretz attends the Laggies premiere afterparty in 2014.

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At the 2014 Costume Institute Gala, Moretz wears a sleek half up do with tousled curls and a charcoal grey smokey eye.

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Shoulder length tousled waves with a dark smokey cat eye was the look at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in 2015.

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Moretz keeps her look clean and simple at the 2015 Costume Institute Gala with a middle parted low pony.

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Moretz radiates with luminous skin and a polished copper smokey eye at the 87th Annual Academy Awards.

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Channeling rocker chic hair with a matte mauve lip, Moretz attends the TrevorLIVE Los Angeles 2016 fundraiser.

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Wearing regal curls with a frosted smokey eye, Moretz arrives at the 2016 Costume Institute Gala.

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Arriving at The 5th Wave photocall, Moretz wears her hair in a simple up with a bold, fuchsia lip.

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Wearing her wet waves in a sleek and twisted up do with frosted blue eyeliner, Moretz attends the Coach 1941 Women’s Spring 2017 show.

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Related: Chloë Grace Moretz Kicks Ass as Carrie