Chloe Lea, from ‘Dune: Prophecy’ reflects: “When I was younger, I did feel pressured to be more feminine”

Chloe Lea, from ‘‘Dune: Prophecy’ talks about playing Lila, fame and inclusion in fashion after the premiere and confirmation of the second season.

Although most people will know her from the new HBO series ‘Dune: Prophecy’, Chloe Lea defines herself in a remarkably humble way: “I’m just an actor trying to do my best at my job. Personally, I’m quite a curious person, quite eager with things, and I really enjoy what I do”. 

Despite being 19, Chloe has already had the opportunity to participate in one of today’s most talked-about franchises, Dune, portraying Sister Lila. A franchise renowned for the astonishing production it entails. “It’s mind-blowing” Chloe Lea tells us. “The setting is just so huge and what surprised me the most is the amount of people it takes to set up just a ten second shot. It was just insane”. Undoubtedly, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the young actor, who never stops praising the incredible set design and level of detail in the series, which she describes as “out of this world.” 

“It could be similar to a show I was in called ‘Foundation’, which also had huge sets and landscapes, but in that case, I was outdoors. Being in a studio where everything was built from scratch was spectacular, I couldn’t believe this was my job,” she says, laughing.

Sister Lila is the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School, and from Chloe Lea’s point of view, her sense of empathy and determination are two of the aspects that define her most. Characteristics, as she tells us, with which she identifies deeply or, at least, aspires to have. Lila goes on a significant journey throughout the series to discover who she is, and that has been one of the most rewarding aspects for Chloe in playing her: “I got to go on that journey with her, which was really beautiful, especially because, at that time, I was turning 18 and was away from my family, but doing what I loved. So Lila and I shared a similar journey of self-discovery.” However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the actor, who tells us there’s a detail about her character that she didn’t know when she signed her contract, and which was difficult to portray: “I don’t want to spoil anything, but when people watch the show, they’ll understand what I mean. It was actually quite overwhelming.”

Although Sister Lila was not an easy role to take on, Chloe Lea confesses she doesn’t have many requirements when it comes to accepting roles. “There are certain things that I get more excited about. For example, I like headstrong characters and ones I can relate to. But I’m open to everything, I don’t want to restrict myself. My first impressions of something could potentially limit me in the future, so I’m willing to try anything.” When it comes to genres, the actor remains firm: “I want to try them all. If anything, I did a period drama some time ago and I’d love to do that again because I really enjoyed it.”

Starting in the film industry at such a young age had its challenges. Primarily, for her, the challenge has been learning to trust herself: “There are many actors I admire who have worked, studied, and trained a lot to get where they are. So, when I enter a room, I’m very aware of how young I am compared to the others. I’ve had to learn to trust my abilities and instincts and convince myself that I deserve to be here just as much as everyone else.” Over time and step by step, this is something the actor is improving, and she particularly highlights that discovering actors are not as self-righteous as she thought has helped her feel that she belongs here.

The actor acknowledges that she has been very lucky to have had the support of her family, agents, co-stars, and others who have supported her from the beginning, as starting in the film industry at such a young age can be dangerous for many people: “You are exposed to many people, and there’s potential for it to be a dangerous industry. I’ve been lucky to always work with film crews who were very aware of my age, which made me feel included and safe.” Social media definitely doesn’t help in this regard, and unfortunately, Chloe has been a victim of it: “I launched a series and was excited to see what people thought. I searched my name on Twitter and found a lot of racist comments. I was 16 at the time, so it really affected me. Since then, I’ve learned to gain perspective. I would never write anything negative about someone on the Internet, and I realised that those people are just hurt and want to spread hate. So now, I try not to search the internet for opinions on what I’ve done.”

In addition to ‘Dune: Prophecy’, Chloe Lea also stood out in the miniseries ‘Great Expectations’, which adapts the literary classic by Charles Dickens. However, the actor believes this series enriches the story and approaches it from a different perspective: “It’s darker and truly captures what Dickens was writing. Many adaptations have a lighter approach and they focus more on the Christmas aspect, but this one explores the dark themes that really existed at that time. That’s why I enjoyed playing Stella. She has always been portrayed as a mean person, but the reason why was never explained, and in the series, we do explain it.”

As a fashion enthusiast, Chloe Lea speaks to us about the importance of fashion in relation to her acting profession: “When I was filming Dune and I put on my uniform, it really helped me a lot to get into character and fit into the hierarchy of the sisterhood. But then, there’s also the aspect of promoting this show and wearing different outfits. It’s exciting because it allows me to express myself in ways I don’t usually, and it’s quite liberating.”

Undoubtedly, Chloe Lea’s masculine style breaks all stereotypes and grabs attention on the red carpets, but the actor confesses that she doesn’t do it with any reivindicative intention: “It’s simply the clothes I feel comfortable in. But it’s important for people to express themselves in different ways and for everyone to feel like they belong anywhere. So it’s great that it’s receiving positive attention instead of people saying, ‘Why isn’t she wearing a dress?’. When I was younger, I did feel pressured to be more feminine, and it’s nice to see that now there is a form of acceptance for people who dress in a more androgynous way.”