She was the adorable child actor with an infectious smile who starred alongside Eminem in 8 Mile.
But more than two decades on from Chloé Greenfield’s big break, her life hasn’t all been glitz, glam and “good fortune”.
And just like Eminem’s character B-Rabbit, she’s suffered her own afflictions, including a life of “struggle, big problems, pain and weirdness” – in her own words.
Rewind to 2002 and Metro, Detroit-born Chloé was just seven when she played Jimmy ‘B-Rabbit’ Smith’s super cute little sister Lily in the Oscar-winning flick.
Curtis Hanson’s gritty drama, which threads in elements from Eminem’s real life, follows the aspiring rapper as he fights tooth and nail to launch his Hip-Hop career.
After 8 Mile critical and box office success, Chloé went on to star in minor roles in 2006’s Project 13, while she starred as John Stamos’ adopted daughter in medical drama, ER, for three seasons.
But all of a sudden, her career flatlined and she was never seen on screen again.
“The best and worst times of my life have come and gone despite the opportunities of acting,” she told her Instagram followers.
“For me, good fortune and unique experiences have coexisted alongside struggle, big problems, pain and the weirdness that comes along with living a ‘normal’ life with abnormal societal expectations.”
Chloé came from a poor background, with her mum Kim struggling to make ends meet.
Nobody was there to give her a boost and she had zero ties to the entertainment industry, as her mum risked losing the house.
The family had learned of the open casting call while listening to 97.9 WJLB, Detroit’s Hip-Hop and R&B station, and despite all the odds being stacked against her, Chloé went for an audition.
The naïve aspiring actress is said to have walked into the audition just for fun, and upon exit, the pair didn’t hold much hope to hear the phone ring.
Two days later, her mother’s Nokia Flip Phone began to vibrate and when she picked it up, it was the producers. She’d got the job as Lily Smith.
“My sceptical and protective mom made Universal Pictures wait 2 days for her to think it over, but once we accepted, our lives changed in an instant,” Chloé said.
Whether it was for the better or the worse, the film “undoubtedly changed the course” of their lives.
Chloé’s acting career was over after a string of failed auditions, from 2003’s Cheaper by the Dozen to Charlotte’s Web.
She went on to graduate high school in Michigan before moving to Los Angeles to carry on her studies.
Kim became a substitute teacher, and her students would inundate her with questions about Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, due to her role.
The former child star, now 28, pins herself on social media as an “Actor. Writer. Herbalist. Activist”.
So who knows, we may see Chloé grace the silver screen once more in years to come.
