Chloe East has a distinctive coping mechanism for dealing with the pressures of her growing fame: she convinces herself that every project can fail. Her first major role was in the 2021 HBO teen drama Generationand when network executives billed the series as “the next Euphoria”, his first thought was: “But is it true? Next, she had a role in the Steven Spielberg biopic The Fabelmansplaying Monica, who loves Jesus, a mix of the director’s various childhood love interests. She went to the premiere at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and got excited that she would be completely cut out of the film. Now, just weeks away from its first starring vehicle – A24’s latest thriller Hereticalongside Hugh Grant and Yellow vests“Sophie Thatcher — she entertains the idea that no one will see it.

Of course, she was wrong every time. Generationdespite being a one-season wonder, is responsible for launching the careers of young talents like Chase Sui Wonders, Justice Smith and Lukita Maxwell. And his turn The Fabelmans it was downright scene stealing. “They included me in a lot of the movie and people laughed at my role,” East recalls of that premiere. “I was like, ‘What? And then I saw that people were leaving reviews on Letterboxd – an app I respect with all my heart – and saying my name. It was a big shock.

Since then, East has been booking constantly. Her upcoming year is an embarrassment to IMDb’s riches: She’ll star alongside Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano in the upcoming Liz Feldman Show, No good deed; she has a role in the highly anticipated Kogonada film A great and beautiful journey; she will play Amy Adams’ daughter in At the sea.

The 23-year-old grew up in San Clemente, California, but says her tastes were honed by her childhood visits to Los Angeles’ independent movie theaters. “I was a movie snob at 13. I remember one day my father took me to the cinema. sacred mountainwhich is an X-rated film,” she said. “We got to the Aero Theater and they said, ‘We absolutely can’t let your daughter in.’ “She has an almost insatiable appetite for work, but what is perhaps more important to developing her career is her ability to identify when a role is – and is not – good: “If finding a character for an audition seems like very hard work, there is probably someone better suited for this position.

When she read the script for Hereticshe knew she was right. The film, directed by the co-writers of A quiet placefollows two Mormon missionaries (East and Thatcher) who go door to door for a potential recruit. They are lured by the apparent charm of Hugh Grant (and his assurances that his wife is at home), only to find themselves trapped in a deadly cat-and-mouse game of religious fanaticism. East is not Mormon herself, but she grew up religious and has many childhood friends who practice — some were even on missions while she was filming.

“It sounds arrogant, but I felt like no one knew the character more than me,” she says. “I felt protective of this role and desperately wanted it so I could give a respectful portrayal of a Mormon missionary. I just felt it in my bones.

The film is both an examination of religiosity and an entertaining, bloody thriller, and while East isn’t a horror head herself, that element appealed to her movie-loving side. “I was really getting lost in the sauce while filming,” she says. “We were doing these 15-minute long takes, and you sit in that fear for so long that you start to believe it.”

The Vancouver-set production was also her first experience as a lead, and while the work was similar to her previous jobs, she was struck by the star treatment A24 offered: a personal refrigerator constantly stocked with Yerba Mates, a ride to and from the set each day (her first time without driving herself) and even a Taco Bell truck (she had let it slip that she was a fan). “As there’s more pressure on you (as a leader), stuff like that can make things a little easier and more enjoyable, but I hope I never really want the princess treatment,” she says .

Try as she might to resist – or at least resist believing it – her life is changing. East is conducting this interview via Zoom while she’s in production on her next job, a project too secret for her to say anything. (“I’ve only told my family and my dog,” she admits.) It’s a heavy mental load for someone so young, but she’s learning to take advantage of veterans in the field. industry with which it shares a cover sheet. She has remained close with Adams since they wrapped production. At the sea. “I’ve worked with a lot of incredible people who I can’t relate to at all. For example, Hugh Grant and I don’t exist on the same planet. But with Amy, she started on a Spielberg film, she grew up religiously, she had a quick rise. It’s as if we speak the same language. East shows his iPhone and pulls up a list of “Amy Questions” in his Notes app.

“What’s most important to me is making sure that I’m still in the position where, if everything went away, I would be OK,” she says. “I think that’s why I try to convince myself that every job will be a failure – I test that feeling. “If I can’t play anymore, that would be a shame, but I can always go surfing, see my friends and bake a chocolate cake.” »

This story appeared in the October 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.