Chloë Grace Moretz Opens Up About The Internet Joke That Slashed Her Confidence

Chloë Grace Moretz was just a teenager when she landed her first role in Hollywood; as a result, growing up in the spotlight was not always easy for her. She starred in several TV shows and movies shortly after stepping onto the scene, including "Big Momma's House 2" and "Dirty Sexy Money," per IMDb. However, Moretz recalls that things didn't take a dark turn until after she starred in the popular film "Kick-A**" which was released back in 2010.

In an interview with Hunger, Moretz explained, "After 'Kick-Ass,' the first time I experienced paparazzi, it was 10 to 15 adult guys surrounding a 12-year-old girl." She remembers the situation being very chaotic and her mother being pushed into traffic; luckily, she was not injured. "I got into the car afterwards and I just burst into tears. I think that's my marker of before and after," she added.

As time went on, however, the actor adjusted to life in the public eye. In a 2018 interview with Porter she said, "It's a double-edged sword. If they're not taking your photo, they're not watching your movies, and they're not writing posts about you. I'd rather you want it, and I'll just have to reconfigure my life a little bit." And although she grew to accept the flashing lights and headlines over time, her journey to that point was still troubling. In fact, one internet meme completely derailed her confidence when it went viral years ago.

A photo of Chloë Grace Moretz holding a pizza box began circulating on the internet several years ago, but it wasn't as innocent as it may sound. The meme, poking fun at Moretz's long legs, was so popular at the time that it eventually inspired a character to be created on the popular animated series "Family Guy." While social media users and "Family Guy" viewers were having fun with the meme, Moretz was not in on the joke. Although she never spoke about how the meme truly made her feel at the time, she finally opened up about it in a recent interview with Hunger and told the outlet that it "really affected" her.

"I just remember sitting there and thinking, my body is being used as a joke and it's something that I can't change about who I am, and it is being posted all over Instagram," Moretz revealed. "And to this day, when I see that meme, it's something very hard for me to overcome." This particular experience made her even more self-conscious and anxious about doing red carpet appearances and being photographed by paparazzi.

Luckily, the actor seems to be in a better place now as the COVID-19 pandemic gave her the opportunity to take a break from life in the public eye. Now, Moretz is focused on acting again, which she considers a form of therapy. Her new Amazon Prime Video series, "The Peripheral," is set to premiere this October, per IMDb.