Rewrite
From Heretic to No Good Deed, actor Chloe East is marching to the beat of her own drum when it comes to her idiosyncratic character choices. Featuring in Wonderland’s Winter 24 issue, she talks Mormonism, making her own movies and the magic of Amy Adams.
Playing a Mormon missionary would be a daunting task for many actors, but for Chloe East, the role of Sister Paxton in A24 thriller Heretic seemed more like an act of fate. “I have a lot of Mormon friends and friends that went on missions; in fact, I had friends that were on missions while I was shooting the movie,” explains the doe-eyed 23-year-old California native, all glossy-brown hair and delicate charm. “I don’t think there are a lot of sister missionaries depicted in films. You see a lot of elders and guys, but you don’t see a lot of girl missionaries, who are 19, fresh out of high school and dedicating a year and a half of service to preach the gospel.”
Chloe portrays one of two such young women in Heretic; the other, Sister Barnes, is played by Sophie Thatcher. Together they are lured into the home of sinister theologist Mr Reed (Hugh Grant), under the illusion that he’s interested in converting. He tells them his wife is in the kitchen baking a blueberry pie, when in fact he is burning a pie-scented candle with no wife to be seen—and no positive interest in the church. “I like the idea that the film wasn’t about Mormonism, but it was about having a true depiction of Sister missionaries and using it as a plot device for the movie,” says Chloe. “It’s used respectfully and I felt like I knew this character more than anyone. Maybe there’s someone who’s a better actor than me, but they don’t know Mormons.”
Mormonism is having an interesting moment in pop culture, thanks in part to #MomTok, the group of social media stars featured in reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The women––including influencer Taylor Frankie Paul—found themselves at the centre of a swinging scandal in 2022, which continues to be fuel for the series today. “Great show, just for the record,” Chloe laughs. “I think everyone has their own experience with the Mormon church and I think it’s also different being raised in California or Utah, or anywhere. I can only speak on my personal experience. I’m aware of other upbringings and trauma that some people have with it, but I also know the complete opposite side of it, of friends who are still very active now and have amazing lives.”
The three lead actors––Chloe, Sophie and Hugh—appear in almost every scene together. In watching and working with Hugh, she made some astute observations about her scene partner. “He has that X-factor where he’s so good and you don’t know why he’s so good, and I still haven’t figured it out,” she muses. “I think what I’ve learned from Hugh is that he’s also figuring it out, even though you would never know; he puts so much thought into even his little choices that you might think are improvised. I really respect him, and the work that he put into being Mr Reed, and I’m so glad that he’s getting the recognition he deserves.”
Chloe has found herself working with many screen legends over the past few years, after transitioning from dancing to acting as a kid and earning early roles in series’ like Disney’s Liv and Maddie, and later the Lena Dunham-produced Generation. Steven Spielberg directed her in his 2022 Oscar-nominated coming-of-age story, The Fabelmans, where she played Monica Sherwood, the high school girlfriend of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) who is based on Spielberg himself. Earlier this year, she filmed her supporting role in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, a romantic fantasy from South-Korean director Kogonada starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. “It was one of the best jobs I’ve ever done,” she says. “Kogonada is so special and one of the most genuine guys in Hollywood. He’s so down to earth and the whole thing felt like this dream sequence; it was similar to how I worked on The Fabelmans. I worked mostly with Colin, although I did work with Margot a little bit, but everyone matched the same energy. Everyone was in a good mood.”
To real the full interview, pre-order the issue now.
Photography by Jon Stars
Styling by Sakinah Bashir
Words by Jennifer Lynn
Hair by Kiley Fitzgerald at A-Frame Agency
Make-up by Kendal Fedail at Forward ArtistsS
Digital Tech Ryin Rosenberg
Photography Assistant Shahin Ansari
Fashion Assistant Taylor Bell
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From Heretic to No Good Deed, actor Chloe East is marching to the beat of her own drum when it comes to her idiosyncratic character choices. Featuring in Wonderland’s Winter 24 issue, she talks Mormonism, making her own movies and the magic of Amy Adams.
Playing a Mormon missionary would be a daunting task for many actors, but for Chloe East, the role of Sister Paxton in A24 thriller Heretic seemed more like an act of fate. “I have a lot of Mormon friends and friends that went on missions; in fact, I had friends that were on missions while I was shooting the movie,” explains the doe-eyed 23-year-old California native, all glossy-brown hair and delicate charm. “I don’t think there are a lot of sister missionaries depicted in films. You see a lot of elders and guys, but you don’t see a lot of girl missionaries, who are 19, fresh out of high school and dedicating a year and a half of service to preach the gospel.”
Chloe portrays one of two such young women in Heretic; the other, Sister Barnes, is played by Sophie Thatcher. Together they are lured into the home of sinister theologist Mr Reed (Hugh Grant), under the illusion that he’s interested in converting. He tells them his wife is in the kitchen baking a blueberry pie, when in fact he is burning a pie-scented candle with no wife to be seen—and no positive interest in the church. “I like the idea that the film wasn’t about Mormonism, but it was about having a true depiction of Sister missionaries and using it as a plot device for the movie,” says Chloe. “It’s used respectfully and I felt like I knew this character more than anyone. Maybe there’s someone who’s a better actor than me, but they don’t know Mormons.”
Mormonism is having an interesting moment in pop culture, thanks in part to #MomTok, the group of social media stars featured in reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The women––including influencer Taylor Frankie Paul—found themselves at the centre of a swinging scandal in 2022, which continues to be fuel for the series today. “Great show, just for the record,” Chloe laughs. “I think everyone has their own experience with the Mormon church and I think it’s also different being raised in California or Utah, or anywhere. I can only speak on my personal experience. I’m aware of other upbringings and trauma that some people have with it, but I also know the complete opposite side of it, of friends who are still very active now and have amazing lives.”
The three lead actors––Chloe, Sophie and Hugh—appear in almost every scene together. In watching and working with Hugh, she made some astute observations about her scene partner. “He has that X-factor where he’s so good and you don’t know why he’s so good, and I still haven’t figured it out,” she muses. “I think what I’ve learned from Hugh is that he’s also figuring it out, even though you would never know; he puts so much thought into even his little choices that you might think are improvised. I really respect him, and the work that he put into being Mr Reed, and I’m so glad that he’s getting the recognition he deserves.”
Chloe has found herself working with many screen legends over the past few years, after transitioning from dancing to acting as a kid and earning early roles in series’ like Disney’s Liv and Maddie, and later the Lena Dunham-produced Generation. Steven Spielberg directed her in his 2022 Oscar-nominated coming-of-age story, The Fabelmans, where she played Monica Sherwood, the high school girlfriend of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) who is based on Spielberg himself. Earlier this year, she filmed her supporting role in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, a romantic fantasy from South-Korean director Kogonada starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. “It was one of the best jobs I’ve ever done,” she says. “Kogonada is so special and one of the most genuine guys in Hollywood. He’s so down to earth and the whole thing felt like this dream sequence; it was similar to how I worked on The Fabelmans. I worked mostly with Colin, although I did work with Margot a little bit, but everyone matched the same energy. Everyone was in a good mood.”
To real the full interview, pre-order the issue now.
Photography by Jon Stars
Styling by Sakinah Bashir
Words by Jennifer Lynn
Hair by Kiley Fitzgerald at A-Frame Agency
Make-up by Kendal Fedail at Forward ArtistsS
Digital Tech Ryin Rosenberg
Photography Assistant Shahin Ansari
Fashion Assistant Taylor Bell
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