Chloë Grace Moretz Talks About Representing Female Gamers In Her Series The Peripheral - Exclusive
Gaming is an activity that's still very much associated with men, and in the near future of Prime Video's "The Peripheral" — based on the novel of the same name by William Gibson — it's still assumed that men are gamers and women are ... not. As a result, Chloë Grace Moretz's Flynne Fisher often signs on as her brother to play virtual reality games in 2032. Yet Flynne is skilled in gaming in ways her brother Burton (Jack Reynor) could only dream of.
On the outside, Flynne is an unassuming clerk at a 3D printing shop in rural America who spends most of her time taking care of her ailing mother (Melinda Page Hamilton), but in the world of VR gaming, she's practically unstoppable. Early in the pilot, it becomes clear that part of the reason Flynne is such a talented gamer is because she thinks a little differently. It's a trait that enables her to pick up on things that others miss, and it ensures she can defeat in-game challenges that others find insurmountable.
During a conversation with Looper about "The Peripheral," Moretz opened up about what she wanted to convey about female gamers through the show and explained how Flynne's abilities in the world of gaming also give her valuable skills in the real world.
'A lot of women do game'
Chloë Grace Moretz noted that she herself is a gamer, and therefore, she appreciated the ability to represent female gamers in "The Peripheral." "I think that's why female gamers are so good. Our brains work a little differently, and there's facets that we can use that might not be able to be seen so quickly [by male gamers]," Moretz reflected. "That was definitely something that I wanted to show and talk about, the fact that a lot of women do game."
In fact, Moretz revealed that gaming had played a big role in her personal life. "I grew up with four older brothers," Moretz shared. "They were bigger than me in size. And physically, they could probably overpower me with everything, but the one thing that I knew I could always best them at was gaming. It was a way that I could even the playing field."
Moretz explained that just like gaming gave her an advantage in her personal life, it gives Flynne an advantage in "The Peripheral." "[Gaming]'s something that gives Flynne the edge," Moretz observed. "She's learned to keep her cool in real life and to rely on her mind and be able to navigate difficult situations. It was something that I wanted to convey."
New episodes of "The Peripheral" arrive every Friday on Prime Video through December 9.