Hailee Steinfeld Bio: In Her Own Words – Video Exclusive, News, Photos

Hailee Steinfeld Biography

Hailee Steinfeld was born December 11, 1996 to Peter Steinfeld, a fitness trainer, and Cheri (née Domasin), an interior decorator. She is the younger sister of NASCAR driver Griffin Steinfeld.

Steinfeld became interested in drama at a young age; it seems to run in the family—her grandfather was child actor Larry Domasin. “At a time when I wasn’t doing anything, I was starting to find all these different inspirations that were pulling me into this theatrical world,” she told uInterview exclusively. “My cousin was doing commercials and I saw a family friend in a school play. It really seemed like fun to me and around the time that I was 8 or 9, I sent my head shot out to different agencies and eventually signed with one.”

Hailee Steinfeld and True Grit

Steinfeld appeared in a number of small budget short films, and received positive feedback for her role in the award winning short She’s a Fox. The attention this garnered eventually led to her being cast as Mattie Ross in the 2010 remake of True Grit directed by the Coen brothers. Steinfeld starred alongside Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and Matt Damon. The film was a financial and critical success, and earned Steinfeld an Academy Award nomination, making her one of the youngest actors in history to receive the honor.

Hailee Steinfeld Later Roles

After True Grit, Steinfeld appeared in the latest rendition of Romeo & Juliet, this time directed by Carlo Carlei. She played the titular Juliet opposite of Douglas Booth’s Romeo. While the plot stayed precise to Shakespeare’s original play, much of the dialogue and setting was changed or updated, and much of the play’s original passion and sexuality had been excised for a teenage demographic. The film went on to receive poor reviews.

Steinfeld’s next performance was yet another adaptation, this time of Orson Scott Card’s landmark science fiction novel Ender’s Game. Steinfeld played Petra Arkanian opposite of Asa Butterfield’s Ender Wiggin; Harrison Ford and Sir Ben Kingsley co-star. Again, the film was a critical and financial failure.

Since then she has also appeared in 3 Days to Kill with Kevin Costner and Connie Neilsen, Loveship, Hateship with Kristen Wiig and Guy Pearce and based on Alice Munro’s short story, and The Homesman with Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, William Fichtner, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, John Lithgow and Meryl Streep.

Steinfeld reunited with Ender’s Game co-star Asa Butterfield in 2015 in Ten Thousand Saints, based on Eleanor Henderson’s novel of the same name.

Steinfeld grew even more popular in 2015 for her role in Pitch Perfect 2, where she played the timid and talented Emily. She reprised the role in 2017 in Pitch Perfect 3, and ultimately gained wider recognition amongst younger audiences for her role in the series.

Steinfeld also starred in the 2015 movie Begin Again, a musical drama directed by John Carney and stars Mark Ruffalo, Kiera Knightley and Mos Def. Steinfeld plays Ruffalo’s daughter who is interested in a career in the music industry.

In addition, Steinfeld has starred in the Spider-Man series, appearing in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023). She is set to star in the 2024 installment of the franchise, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Hailee Steinfeld Music Career

Following the showcase of her musical talents in Pitch Perfect 2, Steinfeld launched a career as a singer. She entered the scene with a bang, releasing hits “Starving” and “Love Myself” in 2015. She achieved much success as an artist, her most notable songs including “Woke Up Late,” “Most Girls” and “Let Me Go.” She has collaborated with artists such as Alesso, Florida Georgia Line and Drax Project.

Hailee Steinfeld Interview

Hailee Steinfeld spoke with uInterview about Begin Again and how much she learned from her co-stars, particularly Kiera Knightley, who Steinfeld felt nurtured and mentored her. “I had so much to learn from her and the beauty of what I get to do working with such incredibly talented people is just being in their presence, I’m able to pick up on so much,” Steinfeld told uInterview exclusively. “Sometimes at the end of the day, it’s not what they say, it’s what they do that really stands out to me. And Keira was just all around so amazing, and I’m such a fan of hers and to be able to work with her was truly special.”

Check out Hailey Steinfeld’s full uInterview here: