Children Of The Corn's Kate Moyer On Her Dark Role And Her Hopes For The Future - Exclusive Interview

Kate Moyer has grown up fast. The young actress is only 14 and yet she's poised and well-spoken when asked about "Children of the Corn," a movie she was cast in when she was 11. Moyer clearly has fond feelings for the production, regardless of all the blood and gore. That enthusiasm and sense of excitement has served her well as she's forged a career in Hollywood — and comes in especially handy on productions like this one.

That's because her character in "Children of the Corn," Eden Edwards, is not easy to love. Eden is a sweet-faced young kid who, after the adults in town decide to burn the corn they've grown, takes over the town one night, killing and maiming the adults and anyone else who gets in her way. Opposing her is Boleyn Williams (Elena Kampouris), who at 17 is practically an adult. Boleyn doesn't agree with the adults either, but she doesn't want them to die for their sins. Unfortunately for Boleyn, Eden has someone especially deadly on her side: the corn monster who rules the fields and fields of corn.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, Moyer spoke about being the ringleader of a group of child murderers in "Children of the Corn," how she felt about becoming a part of the franchise's legacy, and the kind of movie she'd love to be a part of but hasn't had the opportunity to ... yet.

How did you feel about joining the cast of "Children of the Corn"?

Before I got the role, I read the script, and it was interesting to me, even though I was 11 at the time. I knew it would be a challenging role for me to try because it was outside of my comfort zone. But I still wanted to be a part of it because my character is so strong and she just wants to be in control of her life because she's had so many bad things happen to her. I wanted to be able to challenge myself and portray this character. It wasn't too scary, but it was fun.

What were your thoughts about being essentially the ringleader of a group of child murderers?

I was a little nervous because I've never been in charge of other people before, because that's more of an adult role. I feel like Eden brought [out] this confidence in me [because] she would say something and then other people would follow her, whereas if it was me, it wouldn't necessarily happen. It was a little intimidating at first because there were so many kids, and they all played an important part, but overall, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.

In the film, you have a very sophisticated and stylized way of speaking, especially for a child. Was that difficult to master?

With COVID, there were a lot of changes to the script every day because we had to fit the guidelines and the restrictions. Usually, there was some sort of line change or scene change every day, and you learn to adapt to that. But Eden — I understood her way of thinking. She is an adult, basically, in a child's body. I feel like her way of speaking represents that, so I didn't find it actually too difficult. I did have to ask my mom for some help on some words, but overall, I think it was okay.

What was it like building a relationship with Elena Kampouris?

When everyone was leaving because we were about to start filming, it was March 2020. The day I left, COVID had just hit, so it was a little bit tricky because we couldn't be face-to-face with each other, but everyone was so great. [Director] Kurt [Wimmer] was so great. Zoom was our best friend. We were able to role-play and ad-lib as our characters with scenes that may not necessarily be in the movie, but it was good to be able to get a feel for how our characters would be around each other. It helped to build this relationship that seems like it's been going on forever. That made the film and their relationship definitely more believable.

How did you build the relationship with the monster?

From reading the script, I had an idea, but also, there's scenes where Eden describes her relationship with him like, "He took care of me. He did what no other adult did for me." I feel like that's an adult, parental thing going on, or a best friend thing, so I tried to think about that when I was talking about him. It's this person who I love so much, and Eden has [a] bad history with adults, so this corn monster would be the parental replacement for her since she is an orphan. That helped to convey the relationship.

Was that hard to build the relationship because we only see glimpses of him, or was the monster all in your mind?

Not sure. It wasn't too difficult because we did have places to look, and the tension in the scene felt real enough [because] it would make sense that he is there, and it would make sense why his presence would be so important and how it would affect everybody. There's a lot of layers to the story, and I feel like [it's] up to the audience's imagination or their theories of what the corn monster is, or who he is, or if this whole story is a dream.

"Children of the Corn" has a long history. Did you appreciate becoming part of that legacy, or were you even aware of it?

I wasn't aware of it. I don't like horror movies, which is pretty funny. I probably had heard of it at the time; I just didn't understand what it was, or I didn't look into it. I remember when I first found out what it was, I was like, "What's this?" and my parents helped me understand the story and the whole lore behind it. I do definitely, definitely, definitely appreciate being part of it, because I know it's such a big franchise and it's this Stephen King story, and I feel like that's really important. But no, I didn't [know about it]. I'm not very [into] horror pop culture.

You were actually pretty young when you did this movie. Were you even allowed to see it?

Well, here's the thing. Horror movies are a little different. When you're on set as the actor, it's definitely not as scary because you don't have music and special effects and all this stuff. Kurt allowed me to develop the character for myself, so I was allowed to see what I was doing and try and figure out a way to do it [that] felt natural. With horror movies, definitely, it's not the same when you're on set compared to you watching in the audience. It's a different feeling.

So if you're not into horror movies when you shoot them, is it not as bad? Is it just another day at work?

Pretty much. Sometimes the role requires you to be in this emotional space where it's heavier material, but when the camera shows that there's a big empty room and it's just you and this monster, it [actually] has 40 crew members in it, [so] it's not as scary because you're with these people that you've spent so much time with. It's definitely not as intimidating as people may think it is.

If your favorite type of movie is not a horror movie, what is your favorite type of movie?

I like a lot of movies. Currently, I don't even have a favorite genre; I just like movies that have really good storylines, like the new "Avatar" movie — good stuff, good stuff. I really like that. I [like] drama movies or possibly comedy movies because I do like funny movies.

You've been in a lot of different things, and it's amazing how much work you've done at your age. What kind of movie would you love to be a part of that you haven't been yet?

I really like superhero movies. There — that's the answer to that question. I really like superhero movies, so I think an action superhero movie would be pretty cool, where you get to do stunts or fly around [on] a wire. That sounds pretty fun to me.

Have you had any chance to do action like that, with the wires?

I don't know if I count this as action, but the scene in the movie where Eden's right by the construction equipment and she's having this big speech, [with] the adults in the pit — I was strapped on, but it's not because it was a stunt. It was because they didn't want me falling. So I'm going to count that as a stunt.

What one actor or director would you love to work with the most?

I've never thought about that. I'm not even sure. Actors — maybe Florence Pugh, because I think she's amazing. I love her so much. Directors — I'm not 100% sure, but I will definitely look into that now.

You've been in the series "Holly Hobbie" for a long time. What is it about that role versus this role that you love because it's so different?

Eden and Heather — they're definitely different in the sense that one murders [and] the other one doesn't. But both of them are so dear to me because I was able to bring myself into them more. I feel like I'm more connected or they're more similar in that sense, where there's some sort of sarcasm or some sort of ... I don't even know how to explain it, but there's some part of me in it where I feel like that makes them more connected.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

"Children of the Corn" debuts in theaters today and will be available On Demand and Digital on March 21.