Did Chloe Grace Moretz Really Play The Cello In If I Stay?

Although Moretz made an attempt at trying out the cello for "If I Stay," she ultimately needed a little help from some movie magic to make her performance believable. In an interview with Collider, the "Kick-Ass" actress explains that despite her training, she and the crew knew it was not going to be enough. "I trained with it every day for two hours a day as much as I could," Moretz says. "Honestly, I'd be silly to say that in seven months I could learn such an intricate instrument. So really it was learning the emotionality of it and how you have to surrender your soul to the instrument. You have to surrender your entire soul to the instrument as you play it." She goes on to explain how the film used a "Frankenstein" approach, where her head was cut out digitally and placed on a more experienced cello performer whose body was shown playing the instrument. Watching some of these sequences is utterly unbelievable. For a film from 2014, the effect remains practically seamless, thanks to some clever angles and editing. 

Regardless of how Mia was brought to life, Moretz was more than happy to get to be a part of the journey doing so. In an interview with Alexandria McLean, Moretz comments that, "Mia was worth it. You know what I mean? She was worth going into that emotion for and not many characters are worth that."