'I felt like a burden until my husband told me I was a privilege' with Chloé Hayden
4/20/202654 min
Hello! Today I’m joined by Chloé Hayden. Chloé is an actor, author, and advocate, best known for her role as Quinni in the hit Netflix series Heartbreak High. In 2022, she became Australia’s first openly autistic actress in a leading TV role, helping to redefine on-screen representation of neurodivergent people. In this conversation, we dive into Chloé’s upbringing, from growing up as the eldest of five to having over 50 foster siblings, and why homeschooling ended up being one of the best decisions her parents ever made for her. We talk about her relationship with her husband Dylan, her lifelong love of the Titanic, and how she first found her way into acting. We also get into Heartbreak High, the impact of Quinni as a character, why the role means so much to so many people, and what it was like the moment they called ‘cut’ on set for the very last time. Thank you so much to Moonpig for supporting this episode of Inherited. Every Mum deserves a Moonpig card! Our Inherited listeners get 50% off all cards. Just head to moonpig.com and use code SHAMELESS50. Your host today was Ruby Hall (@rubytuesday2.0), and the guest was Chloé Hayden (@chloeshayden). If you'd like to hear more, tune into our Love Story episode with Scott & Marcus here! Inherited is produced by Monica Vantilburg and executive-produced by Lucy Hunt. If you enjoyed this episode, click ‘follow’ on your favourite podcast app! We’re also on Instagram and TikTok @inheritedthepod. We’ll be back with another episode on Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRuby Hall· Host0:00
This episode of Inherited is brought to you by Moonpig. Did you know 96% of moms keep their Mother's Day cards? So, surprise mom with a card from Moonpig, personalized with photos, voice notes, and handwritten messages. [gentle music] Chloe Hayden, welcome to Inherited.
Chloé Hayden· Guest0:21
Thanks for having me.
Ruby Hall· Host0:22
We recently met and had the honor of dancing together at Maisie Peters' concert- So silly ... about a month or so ago.
Chloé Hayden· Guest0:28
So silly. What the heck?
Ruby Hall· Host0:29
Yeah, what? That was so fun.
Chloé Hayden· Guest0:30
I got kicked out of every dance class I ever went to. I don't know what I was doing on that stage.
Ruby Hall· Host0:34
No.
Chloé Hayden· Guest0:34
I had a great time.
Ruby Hall· Host0:35
[laughs] We had so much fun. We rehearsed so much before. Annabel and Charlotte as well from the Everybody Has a Secret- Mm-hmm ... podcast were on stage, too. But that's how we met, and then I thought, I was like, "Chloe, you should come on Inherited." So thank you for joining us.
Chloé Hayden· Guest0:46
Thanks for having me.
Ruby Hall· Host0:47
You're an actress, author, a content creator, and an advocate for disability rights. And congratulations, of course, on the third season of Heartbreak High. It's streaming now on Netflix.
Chloé Hayden· Guest0:56
Thank you.
Ruby Hall· Host0:56
You also have... I didn't realize you had over, like, a million followers on TikTok alone.
Chloé Hayden· Guest1:01
Yeah.
Ruby Hall· Host1:01
So when did you first start posting on social media? It was on YouTube, correct?
Chloé Hayden· Guest1:04
Yeah, so I started this whole journey, uh, via blogging.
Ruby Hall· Host1:09
Yes.
Chloé Hayden· Guest1:10
That's how I started, and I started anonymously because I got diagnosed as autistic when I was 13, and back then, it wasn't really a conversation that was happening.
Ruby Hall· Host1:20
Mm-hmm.
Chloé Hayden· Guest1:20
It certainly wasn't a conversation that's happening in any of the online spaces that I was on. And when I got home from this appointment and I Googled it, the only things I could find were terrifying