Chloe Guidry caught the acting bug when she was just 6 years old, and she's been pursuing her craft ever since with the dedication of a seasoned professional — all while keeping up with school, hobbies, and her regular life as a high schooler in Crowley, Louisiana.
It all started on the pageant circuit. Guidry's grandmother had multiple sclerosis, and she had the opportunity to enter a local pageant to benefit her grandma. The experience came with a unique prize — a scholarship for a five-week acting school in New Orleans.
"My very first lesson with my coach, she said to act like an evil queen," says Guidry. "In my little 6-year-old brain, it just clicked. My coach went out and said 'whose child is this?' My mom was like, oh no, my child is doing something bad."
"But they came out and were like, she's so good. And I got an agent right then and there."
Guidry, a native of Mire, Louisiana, has been working consistently ever since. Her recent projects include roles in films "The Park" and "Don’t Kill It," and a four-episode arc in the TV series "The Last Tycoon." On April 15, she walked the red carpet for the premiere of “Under the Bridge,” a Hulu true crime miniseries about the murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk, and the group of teenagers under suspicion.
Guidry plays Josephine Bell, one of the girls under suspicion for committing the murder. Riley Keough, Elvis’s granddaughter and Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter, plays the role of Rebecca Godfrey, a writer who begins to investigate the facts of the killing. Guidry has a dark turn as a troubled teenager who helps lead Keough into the world of the murdered girl.
Chloe Guidry, a native of Mire, Louisiana, has been acting since she was six years old. She has garnered acclaim for her role in "Under the Bridge," a Hulu true crime miniseries that premiered on April 15, 2024.
She has garnered critical acclaim for the role. IndieWire reports that Guidry is an "early standout in the series."
According to reviewer Erin Strecker, "she’s perfectly vulnerable in a way in which it’s very easy for viewers to feel for her and her outsized tough talk. But then you’re stricken with her casual cruelty in the way only an actual teen girl could perfect."
The creator of the series, Quinn Shephard, said watching Guidry act was a departure from her real-life persona. “Chloe is so incredibly commanding as a mean girl in the show, and is such a truly kind person in real life," says Shephard.
Guidry says the complex nature of the character drew her to the role.
"I was out in LA when I got the audition, and I had never heard of Reena Virk's story before, but I found right off the bat that Josephine had many layers to her and I love roles like that," Guidry says. "I love the psychology of why people do the things that they do, and Jo was one of those deep roles that's just more real. I love the vulnerability of it."
"On the outside she was very mean and wanted to be the top dog, but inside she just wanted that love and compassion that she never got. Trying to relay both messages is what pulled me into it."
That balance that Guidry brings to her roles may be due to the balance she's able to maintain in her personal life. "It does take me away, but you have to sacrifice to be in this business," she says. "And that's not just me, but my whole family. It was hard at the beginning, because I was so young, but it's definitely second nature now. It's a lifestyle."
As a junior at Notre Dame High School in Crowley, Guidry takes honors classes and is a cheerleader. She has only had to miss school for longer shoots like "Under the Bridge," which lasted for six months in the Vancouver area. During that time she homeschooled, and Guidry says when she gets back home she's able to be a normal teenager.
"I don't tend to bring it up," says Guidry on keeping her home and work life separate. "It's definitely something people might find out, especially with this ["Under the Bridge"] because it's broadcasted everywhere. It's definitely nerve-wracking, but everyone — all my friends and my teachers — have supported me so much."
She has also found support in Hollywood, especially among fellow actors. She says that she learned a lot working with Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone on "Under the Bridge," and her fellow teen actors on the project made her feel at home during the intensive shoots.
"This one was the longest I've been away from my family, and that was really hard," she says. "But over there I had many close relationships, and we just did kid stuff. Because it was such a deep project, you have to have those lighthearted moments. We went shopping together, we went snowboarding together. We went on hikes, because it was beautiful, and when we were filming there's just so many moments that happened with me and Riley — we just really connected, and you felt that chemistry. All of us really had good chemistry on set together."
UNDER THE BRIDGE - LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 15: Cast and EP’s attend the world premiere for Hulu’s “Under the Bridge” in Los Angeles, CA on April 15, 2024. (Disney/PictureGroup) EZRA FAROQUE KHAN, VRITIKA GUPTA, AIYANA GOODFELLOW, RILEY KEOUGH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), LILY GLADSTONE, CHLOE GUIDRY, IZZY G., JAVON “WANNA” WALTON
After graduation, Guidry plans to go to college — she's shooting for LSU or UL Lafayette — while continuing to pursue opportunities in the industry. Her life won't be slowing down anytime soon, but she credits acting with teaching a valuable lesson for any pursuit: Never give up.
"There's so many times that you audition and you're so close to making it, and then they go with someone else for any reason possible," she says. "But you just move on to the next one and put 100% effort into whatever you do. A lot of people don't see the hard work that goes into it, the sacrifices, missing out on normal teenage stuff. But I have this passion that's really important to me, and I never want to give up because I have the opportunity to do it. And I work really hard for it."