Chloe Grace Moretz faces off against the original Neighbors cast in this weekend’s comedy sequel
Two years ago, Universal Pictures released director Nicholas Stoller’s R-rated comedy Neighbors to critical acclaim and to a worldwide box office of more than $270 million. Now, Stoller and his original Neighbors cast are back with this weekend’s Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. This time, Chloe Grace Moretz is the new kid on the block, leading a sorority that is literally fighting for its right to party. Now, expecting their second child, Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) have a new challenge on their hands if they’re going to sell their property and move to their dream house.
ComingSoon.net had the chance to chat with Moretz about joining the comedy sequel, the evolution of her career so far and why the message behind Neighbors 2 deserves to be heard. Check it out below and catch the film in theaters now!
RELATED: Rose Byrne on Returning for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
CS: When do you first become involved with “Neighbors 2”?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Basically, I found out that Seth Rogen and the boys were interested in working with me. I went to Point Grey and they pitched me the idea for “Sorority Rising.” I was interested and they started to write the script. I gave them a bunch of input. It kind of just went from there.
CS: What kind of familiarity did you have with Seth Rogen and his sort of comedy crew beforehand?
Chloe Grace Moretz: I think he’s one of the true comedy geniuses of our generation. I kind of grew up watching a lot of his movies. It felt like it was good idea if, as I started to go into comedy, it was through him.
CS: Do you find that being a fan of certain things guides the type of projects you choose?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Sometimes. I mean, you always want to stay open and be inspired by a lot of different things. It just depends on the project.
CS: Does that usually come down to the script?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Yeah, I think that just about all the time it comes from the script. I can often rely on other actors or the director but, if the script isn’t there, there’s really nothing else to base it off of.
CS: There’s a very interesting feminist angle to the film beginning with the real world notion that sororities aren’t supposed to throw parties. Was having that kind of a message important to you?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Yeah, that was a really big, important issue for me. The idea of making a sorority movie without some sort of modern environment aspect to it. It really felt like something that should be made. We’re the same age, so it was very pertinent.
CS: What was the first conversation with Nicholas Stoller like where you started to figure out who Shelby is?
Chloe Grace Moretz: We kind of went through a whole process, figuring out what I wanted to portray. I wanted to be the kind of young woman that we haven’t seen in cinema before. To be that raunchy and that wild. It kind of came into form with her solidarity with the other girls. Individually, it was about Shelby figuring herself out and figuring the world out. Finding her place in society. When you’re young, you have a lot of things that you’re passionate about. There’s still a lot of different ways that you can go about things. In college, you can find that right form of expression if you put your mind to it.
CS: Shelby’s father in the film is played by Kelsey Grammar. Can you tell me a little about what it was like building that father / daughter dynamic with him?
Chloe Grace Moretz: He just came in for a day. He was a really nice guy and game to just have fun. It was awesome.
CS: I imagine that, all around, there’s a lot of improv happening on set.
Chloe Grace Moretz: Oh yeah. Most of the scenes that we started with were just outlines of the story. We would jump in from there and see what we could make up. Then it was all about, “How can we make this funnier?” Most of what you see in the movie is improv.
CS: Do you know in the moment when a joke really lands?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Not really. Sometimes things can be really, really, really funny on set, but you never really know what’s going to be funny until it exists within the context of the movie.
CS: Does that make seeing the final cut a bit of surprise?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Oh yeah. It’s crazy how you watch the final cut and realize all the stuff you filmed that didn’t make it in. In comedies you’ve pretty much shot seven different movies depending on how they wind up cutting it. It takes awhile to see where it falls.
CS: Is that similar in other genres or is that something that’s particularly true of comedies?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Yeah, it’s mainly true of comedies. Totally.
CS: Is there any sort of warm up that you do before a scene to sort of flex your improv skill?
Chloe Grace Moretz: No, not really. It’s just always there and I like to jump right into it.
CS: You have, even from a very young age, acted in R-rated movies. Is that something that you actively gravitate towards?
Chloe Grace Moretz: I wouldn’t say that I gravitate towards it, but I do like to go for more naturalistic movies. I like roles that push boundaries and, a lot of the time, that’s something that has a lot of crossover with R-rated movies.
CS: Do you find that characters that you’ve played in the past come back to you and help fuel performances later in life?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Yeah, I think that every character I make is part of another character and every character I make also comes back into my real life. It’s all kind of half and half in a way.
CS: As you’ve become more and more of a name, do you find that the kind of projects that excite you are easier to come by?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think that a lot doors open and projects become more plausible and realistic in your life.
CS: Do you have a dream role or kind of role that you haven’t had the chance to play yet?
Chloe Grace Moretz: Not quite. There’s little things here and there. It really is just based on what comes at me and what inspires me.
Catch Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising in theaters this Friday, May 20.