Chloé Hayden on the end of Heartbreak High, her Logie nomination and what's next

News.com.au

3 days ago

While her portrayal as an autistic young woman in the Netflix series Heartbreak High has earned her attention from all corners of the globe, Chloé Hayden is thrilled to get homegrown recognition after being nominated for the Silver Logie for Best Supporting Actress.
As a self-confessed 'fangirl' of the Logie Awards, the actor says just being able to once again attend the ceremony – she was also nominated for Most Popular New Talent in 2023 – is exciting enough.
'I grew up watching the awards. I was that teenager who would camp out in front of the red carpets so I could maybe make eye contact with my favourite singers and actors,' the 27-year-old tells Stellar with a laugh.
'The first event I ever went to as someone in the industry, I saw a security guard there who I had met multiple years previously, but I had been on the other side of the fence then.
'And he looked at me, now on this side of the fence, and he's like, 'How the hell did you get in here?' I was like, 'I don't know, man, I'm just as confused as you are.'
'Just being in the same room – and getting to have a fun night with all of my friends – that's amazing.'
Those friends include the rest of the cast of Heartbreak High, all of whom have formed a close bond with one another across the five years they spent filming the show, which is set to conclude with its upcoming third season
'We get told all the time by people in the industry how lucky we are and how rare it is to be able to go to work with a group of people who you genuinely love so, so much.
'These people aren't even my friends; they're my family,' Hayden says.
'Wrapping season three was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. But look, it's a small industry.
'I know we'll all be together again in one way or another. It's been incredibly bittersweet.'
Saying goodbye to her castmates has been as hard as saying farewell to her character, Quinni. Hayden, who was diagnosed with autism at 13, tells Stellar that Quinni 'has changed me and shaped me and will stay with me in every way. I grew up never having any autistic characters on screen that I could relate to'.
'The closest thing that we had to autism representation when I was little was What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and Rain Man.
'So having teenage girls be able to see themselves in a character like Quinni – who is nuanced and imperfect, who is like them, and who they can relate to – is life-changing.'
More recently, Hayden took on a different kind of role as official ambassador for Lego Australia's new 'She Built That' campaign, which encourages young girls to redefine and reclaim what it means to be a builder, and celebrates their creativity.
The campaign also champions Australian girls who are making strides in their communities, like Aurora Iler, 14, a filmmaker, writer, actor and Youth Oscar winner; Abbie Jane, 14, an LGBTQIA+ activist, author and founder of the Rainbow Shoelace Project, and Charli Hately, 15, a surfer, artist and musician.
'Growing up as someone who was always told I was too much – too loud and too weird – it's really exciting to be seeing young girls being told that their 'too much' is actually exactly what they're supposed to be,' Hayden tells Stellar.
'They're building incredible things now, and for their futures. They are enough.
This campaign is really helping showcase that in themselves, and I think in turn, being able to showcase that to other young girls around Australia who maybe haven't been taught yet that their version of different is a good thing.
'A lot of girls are taught to hide their 'muchness'. But your difference is what makes you powerful.'
For more on Lego Australia's 'She Built That' campaign click here. See the full shoot with Chloé Hayden in Stellar today, inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (SA).