Hailee Steinfeld: A Versatile and Talented Star

The Homesman

Steinfeld returned to performing in a Western drama for The Homesman as a young hotel maid. Having had huge success in True Grit, it made sense to revisit the genre, and despite her role in this film being less prominent, she still delivered a solid performance. Steinfeld's ability to seamlessly play a period piece, while in the same year, she was also in three other films of various genres, is a testament to her ability as a performer.

tommy lee jones and hailee steinfeld in the homesman

Begin Again

Begin Again stars Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley as they happen to find each other in New York City and come together over their shared love of music. Steinfeld plays Ruffalo's daughter, Violet. Despite having a reduced role in the film, some of her scenes provide incredibly warm and emotional moments as she tries to develop her relationship with her estranged father and connects with Knightley's character about their shared passion for music. Steinfeld was still a very young actress at this point, and her ability to convey emotional and complex performances is certainly seen in this role.

Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, and Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again

The Edge of Seventeen

The Edge of Seventeen is an outstanding coming-of-age story starring Steinfeld as the lead character. She plays a young woman who lost her father and now struggles to get through her teenage years and move into adulthood. The film sees Steinfeld once again dominate in her role and deliver an incredible performance. When Nadine (Steinfeld) is faced with her best friend starting up a relationship with her brother and losing her remaining support network during a challenging time in her life, she struggles to find a way to move forward. Steinfeld is a smash hit in this unique dramedy film.

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) looking up in class in The Edge of Seventeen

When Marnie Was There

In 2014, Steinfeld made her debut voice acting in the English dub for When Marnie Was There. Studio Ghibli produced the film, and the English dub also starred Kiernan Shipka opposite Steinfeld. The movie is a heartfelt mystery film where Anna (Steinfeld) befriends a mysterious girl named Marnie (Shipka) over the summer and slowly uncovers her secret past. Steinfeld once again proved her ability to tackle different mediums and genres with a performance that required her to work in an isolated sound room and record her lines. Despite the challenge, she was able to deliver a powerful emotional performance.

Two young girls comfort each other from the film When Marnie Was There

Bumblebee

In 2018, Hailee Steinfeld landed a major leading role in the Transformers solo story, Bumblebee. Many of the Transformers movies vary in quality, but Bumblebee stands out for its powerful character story and Steinfeld is a huge part of what made this film a big success. Add this to the fact that the film relied heavily on CGI and Steinfeld's costar was a giant transforming robot alien, and it makes her performance even more praiseworthy, as much of the acting would have been done with Steinfeld needing to imagine her companion. Despite these challenges, she smashed the part.

Dylan O'Brien's Bumblebee and Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie Watson in Bumblebee

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

In one of her most recent roles, Steinfeld reprised her role as Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. At this point in her career, Steinfeld is well-acquainted with voice acting and easily imbues her character with bucketloads of personality through her voice. The film is also massively aided by the incredible animation, which has proven to be a huge hit and become the most popular branch of the Spider-Man films to come from Sony in recent years. Steinfeld will once again appear as Gwen Stacy in the third entry in the Spider-Verse franchise.

Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy in Across the Spider-Verse

Ender's Game

In 2013, Steinfeld starred alongside Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford in the sci-fi adventure film, Ender's Game. Steinfeld played Petra Arkanian, the only girl in the Salamander Army, who quickly proved her ability to dominate in the battle room. Petra is a tough character who holds her own and Steinfeld managed to stand out in a film with several talented actors delivering an outstanding performance.

Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld in spacesuits in Ender's Game

Pitch Perfect 2

Many of Steinfeld's earliest roles saw her playing a young girl in high school, or a child, but her performance in Pitch Perfect 2 was one of her first roles to feature her as slightly aged up as a college student. This role highlighted Steinfeld's ability to play in a comedy film, with a more light-hearted performance and even a stand-out scene where she sings a solo song that helped launch her career as a singer alongside her acting roles.

Emily Junk smiling in Pitch Perfect 3

True Grit

True Grit was the breakout role for Steinfeld, landing her an Oscar nomination and drawing attention to her incredible talents despite her young age. Steinfeld appeared alongside impressive seasoned actors like Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and Matt Damon, and she managed to deliver a commanding performance as a stubborn teenage girl tracking down her father's killer. Steinfeld proved her incredible talent and smashed the role. Even more impressive, she was just 13 at the time of the performance and still managed to outshine the rest of the cast stealing any scenes where she appeared.

Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) smiling in True Grit

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

However, Steinfeld's best film is easily the first Spider-Verse film, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. When Miles witnesses the death of the hero Spider-Man, he quickly needs to learn to control his new powers and become the new Spider-Man. Fortunately, he gets help from some of the best-qualified Spider-heroes from across the multiverse. Hailee Steinfeld plays the confident, cool, and always in-control Spider-Woman. Her presence is a great counterpoint to the nerves of Miles, and the relationship that blossoms between the two is equally perfect for the film.

Gwen Stacy as seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse