Hailee Steinfeld burst onto the scene in a big way back in 2010 in the Coen Brothers'
celebrated update of True Grit.
In the years since, she's made her mark in cozy indies and in big budget ensembles alike,
while maintaining a successful music career on the side.
Steinfeld has made a serious, indelible mark on the entertainment world at a very young
age.
This is how.
Breakout role
A true California girl, Steinfeld was born and raised in Los Angeles to an interior designer
mother and personal trainer father.
The Los Angeles Daily News reports that Steinfeld was first bitten by the acting bug around
the age of eight, when a cousin was starting her career and a friend was performing in
plays.
Her parents made Steinfeld study acting for an entire year before they'd agree to let
her switch to homeschooling and pursue acting full-time.
Few first-time actors get the opportunity to show off what they can do alongside the
likes of big stars like Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges, but in 2010 that's exactly what Steinfeld
did, as she made her big-screen debut in True Grit.
Chosen from an open audition of 150,000 young girls in her native California, which Steinfeld
attended with practically nothing on her resume, the role was star-making for the then 13-year-old.
Steinfeld was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, putting her on a list of youngest-ever
nominees like Jodie Foster.
Not bad company for a 13-year-old kid with practically zero acting experience.
"If I had to make that movie now, I'd be incredibly intimidated.
But when I was 13, I was like, 'You should be intimidated of me!'"
Miu Miu muse
Following True Grit, Steinfeld took a year off to, as she told The Guardian, tackle schoolwork,
decompress, and, naturally, attend a whole slew of glamorous awards ceremonies in support
of the film.
It was during this time Steinfeld was tapped by fashion house Prada to be the face of their
younger line, Miu Miu.
The Daily Beast reported on the partnership in 2011, describing Steinfeld as a "veritable
style star" following her many stylish public appearances, predominantly in support of True
Grit.
Steinfeld's stylist Karla Welch described the partnership as a "perfect fit" for the
14-year-old star.
Joining Swift's squad
Taylor Swift's 2015 "Bad Blood" music video was an absolute phenomenon.
From the alleged references to her beef with Katy Perry to the stylishly over-the-top action
scenes, it unleashed a flood of coverage, launching Swift and the accompanying record,
1989, into the stratosphere.
Steinfeld was a part of it all, playing mysterious triplets known as The Trinity.
She told The Guardian she was "honored" to be a part of "Bad Blood," describing filming
the video as just, quote, "a day with friends."
Stealing the show
Scrappy teen movie Pitch Perfect came out of nowhere back in 2012 and quickly gained
a legion of diehard fans — and also, somehow, made acapella cool.
Pitch Perfect 2 wasn't quite as well-received as its predecessor, though it blew up the
box office, grossing more than double the original film.
Steinfeld's starring role as wannabe Emily Junk was a high point.
As Variety pointed out, aside from Emily being gifted "the most sympathetic arc," she was
also clearly being groomed to take over from Anna Kendrick's Beca as the leader of the
group.
The flick also showcased Steinfeld's impressive pipes, particularly in her cover of Jessie
J's "Flashlight."
Speaking of impressive pipes ...
Saucy single
Steinfeld's debut single "Love Myself" was a total earworm and a respectable first outing,
peaking at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.
But fans and media outlets alike were eager to point out its rather mature content.
Noisey christened the song a, ahem, "mastur-banger" and asked Steinfeld directly whether she meant
it to be taken that way.
She explained the lyrics are open to interpretation but that the song ...
"... just has a really strong self-empowerment message, and whether you take that as something
physical or not, it basically means the same thing."
Graduating in style
After five years of watching Hailee Steinfeld living her glamorous, whirlwind life, fans
were reminded that she was still just a teenager when her brother threw her a surprise party
to celebrate her homeschool high school graduation in 2015.
Steinfeld's family and friends took the opportunity to celebrate the milestone in style, and the
new grad took to Instagram to share details of the star-studded soiree, which was covered
by E! News.
Steinfeld thanked her nearest and dearest for what she called "the best night of my
life," which was spent, according to the star, dancing, singing karaoke, and laughing until
she cried.
In a "Haiz"
An already busy and exciting 2015 for then-18-year-old Steinfeld was made even crazier with the release
of Haiz, her hotly-anticipated debut EP.
Named after the nickname fans had gifted her on social media, it was a mature, catchy introduction
to Steinfeld the pop star.
The album art also showcased a more grown-up Hailee, to coincide with what she described
as her "edgy pop" sound.
The song "Most Girls," a highlight of the release, is a defiant, girl power anthem that
takes a stand against women-hating-women, and for body confidence.
Critical darling
In 2016, Steinfeld had her biggest and most attention-grabbing role since True Grit in
the instant-classic teen movie The Edge Of Seventeen.
Once again holding her own opposite Hollywood heavyweights, Steinfeld showcased a huge amount
of depth and emotional range as unhappy high-schooler Nadine.
The flick was universally well-received, with much of the praise heaped on Steinfeld's skilled
central performance.
The role even netted Steinfeld a Golden Globe nod.
A look ahead
Just two years after she stole the show in Pitch Perfect 2, Steinfeld's Emily Junk took
over the Bellas in Pitch Perfect 3, which hit theaters in December 2017.
"There's something, again, so relatable and so universal about this movie.
And they're fun, they're fun to watch."
It was met with mixed reviews, but was a box office success.
Next up for Steinfeld?
She's set to star in the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, which is due out in December 2018.
And in March 2018, she confirmed via Twitter that's she working on a new album, so this
megastar in the making is not slowing down anytime soon.
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