Greta is a film that flips a lot of thriller tropes on its head simply by exploring them with a cast of only women, something that star Chloë Grace Moretz found very inspiring. The young actress, who has previously take on dark and dystopian roles in movies like Kick-Ass and The 5th Wave, discussed her take on the twisted dynamic between Frances and Isabelle Huppert’s mysterious Greta as well as her own career plans.

Screen Rant: Between Frances’ relationships with Greta and Erica, and also the specter of her mother, there’s so many women at the center of this story. What was it like for you navigating those different kinds of female dynamics?

Screen Rant: Speaking of the relationships between women: you and Greta. How did you interpret that dynamic? Because there were very blurred lines: romantic, platonic, maternal…

Chloë Grace Moretz: It was really important. You know, I think being able to subvert the genre and be able to have the Anthony Hopkins character be Isabelle Huppert and the boyfriend character be Maika Monroe, my best friend. I think to be able to show the different layers of – the female intricacies of relationships and friendships between one another. Also the theme of motherhood throughout the film, and heartbreak and loss and loneliness, I think those were interesting things to be able to depict between three women as opposed to what the tropes would normally be of this genre and especially of this particular movie.

Screen Rant: On the other hand, you had already worked with Maika Monroe who plays Erica on The 5th Wave, right? So did that help create more chemistry between you and Erica?

Chloë Grace Moretz: Well, that was really something that we wanted to take advantage of. That blurred line in the movie, we didn’t really want to put a finger on where it was going or what was going to happen in their relationship. We knew we wanted it to be palpable and almost star-crossed lovers meeting for the first time, and how fast and kind of torrid that is. And then I really wanted to show the moment when she opens the cabinet and finds the bags. I wanted it to be more so heartbreak than fear even. And even when looking into the face of evil, I wanted it to come from a place of sadness and heartbreak that someone that she cared so much for has turned into this monster in front of her eyes. And I think pulling that all the way through the movie and using that as the underlying tone really helped bring the gravity to the macabre fairytale that you see depicted in the story.

Screen Rant: Finally, you seem to have a vested interest in all aspects of filmmaking. Are you looking to direct or produce in the near future?

Chloë Grace Moretz: Very much so. Maika is a close friend of mine. We’ve known each other for years now, and we were completely joined at the hip during the filming of this movie. So it was wonderful. Neil, being the wonderful director he is, he allowed us to really take the reins on our friendship in the story and dictate how we were gonna be talking to each other, you know? I think it’s important being that we are actually the ages and women compared to him being an adult male.

More: Read Screen Rant’s Greta Review

Chloë Grace Moretz: Most definitely. I’m already producing currently – I have four projects in the timeline coming up that I’m producing on and helped create. But directing I want to be doing fairly soon, I already have a short film in mind. Just trying to find time to appropriately allocate to it.

  • Greta Release Date: 2019-03-01