As cliche as it may sound, Chloe Grace Moretz lights up a room.  What two minutes before was a morbid space filled with conversations about serial killers and mutilated female bodies becomes a light and airy suite the moment the fourteen year old enters the room.  Literally, the sun peeks through the clouds to say hello to the young actress as she takes a seat at the round press table.  It is immediately obvious to all present how such a petite girl was capable of carrying the grim and at times disturbing film, "Texas Killing Fields."

The movie, set for limited release this Friday, follows two Texas City officers as they get entangled in gruesome murders that occur around the “killing fields” – an unincorporated abandoned oil field wasteland that sprawls for miles between ordinary suburban neighborhoods along I-45.  The movie is inspired by the real-life murders of over sixty females whose bodies were found dumped in these fields.  The two officers are portrayed by Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Both actors deliver very believable performance of bad cop, good cop on the hunt for a sadistic killer. But it is Moretz’s performance as Little Anne Sliger, however, that really connects the audience to the story on the silver screen. 

In the movie, Moretz "[has to] portray that outer wall but also [to be]able to show in your eyes that your're not as strong as you are."  The most poignant scenes in the movie involve Moritz's and Sam Worthington's character, Brian, who share "a special relationship because it is very unspoken...she is a girl who needs to be loved and he's a guy who needs someone to love." 

Moretz’s plays a troubled young girl with a prostitute, meth junkie for a mother who kicks her out whenever she needs to earn her fix. The rebellious young girl with an affinity for walking alone in the dark night soon falls prey to kidnapping and must be found before she ends up another body in the fields. (Full review of the movie can be found here) 

This is not Moretz’s first time playing a distressed character battling both internal and external forces.  Her breakout came portraying a young girl disturbed by ghosts and evil spirits in "Amityville Horror" followed by "Wicked Little Things," a horror movie about child zombies.  Most recently she portrayed the child vampire, Libby, in Matt Reeves’ "Let Me In." 

"I chose roles that are different than me as Chloe and its fun for me to play someone who is not myself because I play myself all the time, with an amazing mother and an amazing family and everything is normal and it would be boring because that's how my life is...if I play a girl that is Chloe 2.0, that's not fun."

To prepare for "Texas Killing Fields," Moretz visited a meth safe way house and interviewed the former users to understand that subculture.  She recalls them telling stories of being rewarded by meth and pills when they were children.  Moretz was twelve at the time of shooting.  

She says that studying for this film "was tough," but it also made her say "wow, I am really blessed." 

Despite the emotional toll that a dark role like this has on a young girl, Chloe says "(she) wants to play a character who is crazy and messed up and you're able to pull these emotions out of you that you did not even know you had and push your emotional limits, and break down every role.  And being able to pull out of that is a lot of fun for me...I like acting." 

When she’s not too busy playing a hit-kid  ("Kick Ass"), informant ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid"), supportive younger sister ("500 Days of Summer") or mystical creature, Moretz enjoys being a typical teenager.  She credits her transitional age for the range of emotions she can deliver on screen, from angst to outrage to gushing tears she has it ready to deliver on cue.

"I'm going through a time when it's like you have so many emotions that are everywhere and its easy for me to just break down and cry."  She is starting high school this year and will be taking the fall off from acting to focus on her studies as well as promoting her upcoming films. 

Continuing in her dark-side tradition, she will be seen next May in Tim Burton’s film "Dark Shadows," alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Eva Green. Burton is Chloe's favorite director with who it "has always been a dream to work with."  She is also one of the lead characters in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film "Hugo."  Johnny Depp has production credits on the 3D flick, which stars Ben Kingsley, Jude Law and Sacha Baron Cohen.  

On working with Scorcese, Moritz gushes, "it was amazing...he is the epitome of directing. [To go] onto a movie at 13 years old and work with his was definitely very special... I've been very blessed to work with directors who don't pigeon hole me and don't treat me like I'm five years old and treat me just like another actor which is a lot ot ask for from a lot of people. It's special."  

And she is special. For being so young, Moretz seems a lot more grounded than many adult actors.  She seems genuinely happy with her craft and all of the opportunities that have come her way thus far. Moretz admits she is "really critical of herself...if I do a very good job in a scene I think of it in a third person -oh, I like her! I have to think of myself as the character and not Chloe. Not, oh I was amazing there." 

When asked which role was really a knock out for her, Moretz smiles a wide grin, places her hand on her hip, tosses her hair and cheerfully says, “All of them!“ This proclamation is followed by a playful laugh and an adoring glance from her mother and the reporters in the room.  In all seriousness, Moretz admits that while she has learned something from each movie, it has been "Hick" that she feels really drew the most out of her.

"I thought that I went to places in that movie that were really dark for a young girl and I was pushed to my emotion limits in that movie which I loved." Switching over to the third person, Chloe continues "She was really good in that movie, she was amazing...I love her!"  

And we love her too.

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