She’s using her platform to amplify others' voices and take a stand about what really matters.
Chloe Grace Moretz should be on the road.
She stars in two major films being released this year, so there’s a lot to promote.
Photo: Thomas Whiteside
From age 5, Chloe has spent most of her life traveling or on a set.
Since she can remember, her days have run on a rigid schedule planned to the hour.
Then, poof, her routine suddenly dismantled, and Chloe became unmoored.
Thomas Whiteside
“In the beginning it felt nice to take a break.
I thought it might last for a few weeks.
Then it became very real that we weren’t going back to work.
Thomas Whiteside
It was daunting and so scary.”
Her one mandate was to be truthful.
“I always go by honesty,” she says.
Thomas Whiteside
“As long as you speak your truth, you’re not going to steer yourself wrong.”
In her process so far, Chloe has discovered a few things.
Most notably, how important it is to her to back up her beliefs.
Thomas Whiteside
I know it can be polarizing, but I’m not afraid.
I want to be vocal about what matters to me.
She also has a new appreciation for the growth that comes with her work.
Thomas Whiteside
Chloe’s next two roles flex opposing acting muscles, which couldn’t make her happier.
Or a person, for that matter," she says.
Chloe continues to evolve and look inward, and her discoveries have led her to some pretty happy places.
Thomas Whiteside
Here, she shares the valuable lessons she has learned and what truly makes her tick.
I am the most loyal person, to a fault.
I’ve never backed down from being honest."
I forgot how itprovides mental clarity and dexterityand keeps me grounded and strong.
Now I’ve really gotten back into it full time.
Working the mind, body, and soul that’s super important.
When I started, these basic moves immediately helped different pains leave my body.
Then on the weekends, I was taking restorative yoga classes.
I was constantly with them, either in person or over FaceTime.
There’s something wonderful about that companionship.
But in quarantine, I’ve paused the trainer workouts.
Some days, all I can muster is getting up and stretching.
I’m using that designated workout time to unravel my emotions."
(BTW, Walsh also gotBrie Larson ready for her Grand Teton climb.)
My most calm and centered self is when I’m on set and busy.
I tend to feel stress in the mundane everyday moments at home.
Now that I’m home all the time, my anxiety is constantly being revved up.
I’ve managed to cope by doing a sense check.
What are two things I can smell, taste, see, and feel right now?
Then I dobox breathing, which is four counts in, four counts hold, and four counts release.
Very quickly, I come back into my reality and just ground myself.
Then I’m able to focus on today: ‘What am I going to eat for dinner?
What should I read?’
One big thing I’ve learned about is conscious eating eat how you want, but do it smartly.
I grew up and began trusting in eating for my body and eating whole good foods.
This has been really successful for me.
I also drink alcohol on weekends only.
For a solid two weeks, I ate Dave’s Hot Chicken: two fried chicken sandwiches every day.
I was like, ‘I’ve got to have it.
I don’t know what to do about this.’
I became a little demon.
Then I was like, ‘Something happened.
I’m not OK. My digestion isn’t normal.
I’m totally breaking out.’
Once I got on a food routine cycle, that really helped.
Now I’ll usually have fish, often salmon.
But on the weekends, I definitely give myself a break.
I’m like, ‘Eat what you want, and have a good time.'"
During quarantine, I stocked up on groceries with the plan to be creative with everything.
I also really got intogardening to grow foodfor myself.
I could taste the difference in home-grown herbs and thencompost whatever I didn’t use.
I threw myself into Japanese food too, because I love the simplicity of it.
I learned how to use the same ingredients 50 ways with various dashi broths.
I also learned to bake sourdough bread and keep a starter alive.
I would share my starter with my friends drop it off at their house.
Beauty Boils Down to Simplicity
“For me, skin care is first and foremost.
I rely on natural products, but very few products in general.
To wash, I usually use olive oil and honey as an antimicrobial cleanser.
I also do a lot of lymphatic drainage in my face regularly, which helps clean up the acne.
I always messed with my hair.
I’m naturally blonde, but I really enjoyed coloring my hair.
I was also constantly fightingmy natural curl.
I have very curly ringlets all over my head.
Recently, I stopped doing Brazilian straighteners.
My hair is so thankful, and I’m obsessed with taking care of it.
It hasn’t been this thick and long since I was 11 years old.”
I always ask myself: What have they gone through?
And what can I take away from this?
As a white woman in America, I admit to being incredibly insulated.
So I’m taking a damn seat and shutting up and saying, ‘All right.