The Evolution Of Chloe Grace Moretz's Career

Most child actors seem to age quickly, still playing younger roles while they're in their twenties. They still seem like child actors, even when they're no longer children. Chloë Grace Moretz, however, is an entirely different story. I feel like the If I Stay lead has been such a ubiquitous child star for so long that she should have graduated to serious adult actor by now, but she's only 17.

Not only has she already had an impressive film career, but she seems incredibly mature in her life choices. She seems unusually wise when it comes to relationships, both for her age and for her celebrity status. Though she's currently dating Brooklyn Beckham, she has remained levelheaded, saying that her age is a tough time to fall in love. "People change so quickly. I don’t want to have to feel like I have to watch my step, 'cause I’m 17 and I shouldn’t have to." Wow. Her most recent role as Mia in If I Stay is one of her first actual young adult roles, and it explores this very idea of young romance and its boundaries.

It's amazing that at age 17, Moretz has a full career to look back on, though I'm sure it's only the beginning.

2004-2008: A Young Artist

Moretz's first acting role came at age eight when she appeared in a couple episodes of the CBS sitcom The Guardian. She took on a few minor television roles along with some more high profile film roles, starting with the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror. Her role as the haunted child Chelsea earned her a Young Artist Award nomination. Moretz (and her mother) never seemed to shy away from mature roles. She appeared on Desperate Housewives and Dirty Sexy Money, as well as playing an abused child in The Poker House.

2009-2011: Hit-Girl and Other Badass Roles

One Moretz character I sometimes forget about is her role as the awesome and sassy younger sister in (500) Days of Summer. It was, however, in 2010's Kick-Ass that she played her most iconic role to date, that of the villainous and bewigged Hit-Girl. Though the film received mixed reviews, her performance drew critical praise, and both the film and Moretz worked its way into public adoration with their profane cuteness. In a similar vein (get in?), she played a young vampire in Let Me In. She also played the daring Isabelle in the award-winning Hugo, a more kid-friendly film than most of Moretz' repertoire.

2012-2014: YA Professional

In one of my favorite Moretz roles to date, she played the recurring character of Kaylie Hooper on 30 Rock. Not many young teens would have been comfortable with, or capable of, playing Alec Baldwin's nemesis, but Moretz pulled of the scheming tween perfectly. In 2013, she returned to play Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass 2. She also played the titular role in the 2013 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie. Though neither of these films were well reviewed, Moretz's performances drew praise.

If I Stay could be considered her first role for young adults, and she's said that she has a new tween fan base because of it. Moretz has a lot more coming out soon, including the adaptation of the YA The Fifth Wave and joining Denzel Washington in the action film The Equalizer.

And I'm sure there'll be more; though all this would have been an impressive filmography for a seasoned actor, Moretz still has her whole career ahead of her.