Renowned singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld has been one of the most influential youngsters in Hollywood. Rising to fame as a young teen, Steinfeld even won an Oscar nomination for her breakout role, at the age of 13. But the fun fact is, that the actress had to compete against 15,000 other stars to get her role.
Well, Hollywood competition is real, even for Hailee Steinfeld. Apparently, the actress had to overthrow several other young actresses for her role in True Grit. Playing the role of Mattie Ross, who went on to avenge her father’s murder, Steinfeld certainly faced an intimidating audition at an early age.
Behind Hailee Steinfeld’s Casting In True Grit
The 2010 new version of True Grit from Joel and Ethan Coen has been one of the most renowned projects for young actress Hailee Steinfeld. Appearing alongside two Oscar winners, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, has been one of the greatest opportunities for the actress. However, there’s an intimidating story behind how Steinfeld landed her role.
Appearing as Mattie Ross, a young woman who has been looking to avenge her father’s murder, Hailee Steinfeld turned heads with her performance. The role eventually led her to the Oscars and landed her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. But certainly, the journey didn’t come without struggle. According to the filmmakers, Steinfeld evidently competed against 15,000 other actresses.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmakers mentioned how they auditioned myriads of young actresses to play the “sassy, fearless and sure of herself” role of Mattie Ross. But unfortunately, “ninety percent of the kids just get eliminated for one very obvious reason: They’re not actors in any sort of natural way,”. However, Hailee Steinfeld was the only one who stood out among all the other actresses.
Hailee Steinfeld’s Casting Journey For True Grit
According to Hailee Steinfeld, during the interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress recalled how the whole process was super intimidating for her. And certainly so, as a 13-year-old, it’s a lot of pressure to compete against 15,000 other young actresses. But no matter how hard it was, Steinfeld landed the Oscar-nominated role.
“Just the thought of it was kind of intimidating. But the minute I met [Bridges], I realized that he was just there to do a job — and I’m there for the same reason, and I kind of clicked with him and the Coen brothers.”
Later on, during her appearance on The Early Show, Hailee Steinfeld revealed how her authentic performance during the audition came from sheer love for the character. Recalling how she fell in love with the role, the actress claimed, “I loved the material, the role itself, and the film overall, the story”.
“It was the first time going in reading for this that I could say to myself, I was 110 percent prepared and ready to go and show that.”
Despite having limited acting experience, Hailee Steinfeld found herself thoroughly prepared for the role. “I haven’t had too much experience and haven’t done a lot of onscreen stuff,” the actress recalled. However, eventually, she mentioned, “but I’ve been studying for six years, studying acting and taking classes and everything. Honestly, I think that all those years of hard work kind of paid off with this.”
Certainly, her hard work and dedication led her to unique opportunities to work alongside renowned Hollywood A-listers and even won her an Oscar nomination.
Watch True Grit on Apple TV.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, The Early Show
