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David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

Posted Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 - 20 Comments »

True Grit, actor Hailee Steinfeld

20 Comments »

20 Responses to “True Grit, actor Hailee Steinfeld”

  1. Robert Hamer says:
    December 28, 2010 at 9:05 am

    “You’re in virtually every scene, every frame…”

    Since you point out that obvious fact, I do wonder how she feels about being campaigned for Best Supporting Actress even though she plays – unquestionably – a lead role in True Grit. I’m sure that as a young newcomer, she doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds her (in this case, the studio campaigning her) and jeopardize her chances at major publicity.

    Nevertheless, does Steinfeld feel like she’s “cheating” her way to an Oscar, or does she think it’s perfectly fair of her to compete with actresses who had to develop their characters and make an impression with just a few scenes?

  2. JPK says:
    December 28, 2010 at 10:28 am

    Well, she’s just adorable. I know that sounds ageist and sexist but I don’t care.

  3. David Poland says:
    December 28, 2010 at 10:39 am

    Robert… if I thought for a second that she was conscious of such distinctions, I would have asked her about it.

    I left the opening sequence in, in part because it was the explanation of the first question of the formal part of the interview, but more so because it shows that this is, really, a 14-year-old girl, poised and precocious, but still silly and maturing and putting on a little bit of a show about her comfort with all this attention.

    At one point, off camera, a reference was made to an unpleasant piece of gossip history with another young actor… and she had no idea what we were referring to… and smartly (and kindly), her publicist felt no need to stick something ugly in her brain.

    She texts a lot and I am sure she will end up reading blogs and such that make an issue of her category. And I don’t disagree that it’s an issue. But for this young lady to be in serious contention for any acting award in any acting category for a role that was almost as verbally complex as Jesse Eisenberg’s in The Social Network (almost) is a real achievement and I can live with the categorization.

  4. Rob says:
    December 28, 2010 at 11:44 am

    Guys, I don’t get True Grit. It’s fine but so minor. Is there subtext I’m missing?

  5. christian says:
    December 28, 2010 at 2:09 pm

    The Coens are the subtext.

  6. Rob says:
    December 28, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    As in, “If you don’t get the subtext, this movie could’ve been directed by Ron Howard?”

  7. Scott Mendelson says:
    December 28, 2010 at 5:07 pm

    You mean The Missing? It was a good/not great film back in 2003, but I imagine it would feel like a breath of fresh air by today’s standards. Ironically, and this isn’t a slam on True Grit (also good/not great), but the Coens made a somewhat more kid-friendly, almost innocent (up to a point of course) coming of age western, compared to Ron Howard, who’s own western was dark and brutal and quite cynical. Right or wrong, if you did a blind taste test-type thing, I imagine quite a few would tell you that the Coens directed The Missing and Ron Howard directed True Grit. Random thought for the moment…

  8. LexG says:
    December 28, 2010 at 5:53 pm

    She’s cute!

  9. hcat says:
    December 28, 2010 at 6:00 pm

    I would disagree with you on that Scott, Howard’s earnestness is evident in every scene of the Missing. Mattie is earnest but the movie is not. I agree Grit is innocent, and almost kid-friendly (I was watching it thinking I can’t wait to watch this with my daughter, then came the knife to the chest, and I revised the watch date back a few years), and while humorous it is not the usual Coen humor, but there is nothing in The Missing that would make someone expect the Coens. The Missing screamed IMPORTANT EPIC MOVIE in every frame, which is Far and Away a dead Howard giveaway.

  10. Tim says:
    December 29, 2010 at 8:57 am

    While watching the movie, at first, I thought, “She’s like a really good high school musical actor.” But as the movie went along, she grew more and more credible and endearing. Loved the movie and loved this interview with her.

  11. LexG says:
    December 30, 2010 at 11:57 am

    Hailee is the niece of ’80s fitness icon JAKE STEINFELD.

    Talk about burying the lead. That’s like finding out Chloe Moretz is related to Jacko the Energizer Guy or something.

  12. LexG says:
    January 2, 2011 at 2:57 am

    Hey asshole, why didn’t you ask the most obvious of questions and find out if she actually watched the original TRUE GRIT?

  13. LexG says:
    January 2, 2011 at 3:01 am

    hey THE REAL LEXG here who Poland knows and loves:

    I didn’t post the above comment.

    One of the flaws of Poland’s new software is you can log in as anybody.

    I didn’t post that and I wouldn’t call Poland an “asshole.” The IP or email log in will bear that out.

  14. Johnny Luckett says:
    January 10, 2011 at 11:25 am

    “…Yes, I think that Hailee Steinfeld is just wonderful!­!! Her on-screen work will just blow you away. I think she is the Best Actress of the year.’True Grit’ is a great film and a must see. Also, I must note that Jeff Bridges & Matt Damon keep on showing us what great acting is all about.” – Johnny Luckett http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/3/name/nm3974084/

  15. oil says:
    January 11, 2011 at 1:03 am

    Good, she’s just beautyful. I know ageist.

  16. bluraymovies says:
    January 11, 2011 at 1:09 am

    The Coens are the subtext.

  17. Sole F80 2011 says:
    January 11, 2011 at 1:38 am

    I fall in love with her. So pretty

  18. Bird says:
    January 11, 2011 at 4:42 am

    She is so pretty, nice smile. I become to be her fan club for now.

  19. psp says:
    January 11, 2011 at 6:15 am

    Princess ^^

  20. Jerry Cook. says:
    March 23, 2011 at 9:05 pm

    Well, I am her fan as well. I really like her.. actually, I just watched her shows more than 2 times.

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