Hailee Steinfeld wears Sweater and Pants Fendi.
Hailee Steinfeld, who landed an Oscar nod at 14 for her role in True Grit, is so established that it takes a major moment to shift the conversation around her. Until now, she’s been best known for big-tent IP like Hawkeye and crowd-pleasers like the Pitch Perfect movies. Then came Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s vampire movie for the ages that features Steinfeld as a biracial woman caught between her southern roots and the film’s blood-soaked underworld. It’s her most mature role yet—haunting and deeply personal, shaped in part by her own lineage. Issa Rae, her costar in the animated Spider-Man movies, caught up with her in the afterglow.
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MONDAY 11 AM JULY 14, 2025 L.A.
HAILEE STEINFELD: Hello!
ISSA RAE: Hey! What’s up?
STEINFELD: How are you?
RAE: Great. Are you coming from the gym or this is athleisure?
STEINFELD: It’s athleisure, but I’m on my way somewhere so I pulled over.
RAE: I love it. I’ve been so excited to talk to you. Congratulations on being part of a cultural classic, on getting married, on being a boss bitch. I’ve been thrilled to watch your moves, and seeing you in that movie, I felt like a groupie. I was watching it with my friend and when you came on, I was like, “I know her!”
STEINFELD: Aww.
RAE: I’m curious how you feel about it all?
STEINFELD: Where to begin? I’m so honored to be a part of something that felt as special as it did when we were doing it. You never know what the heck’s going to happen when these things come out. You can only hope that it has an impact on someone, let alone the world. I was in Paris recently for 48 hours, and every person that came up to me was talking about Sinners. I’m not somebody who leaves my house often, so when I’m in an airport in another country and somebody’s talking about something that means so much to me, it’s the most humbling, rewarding thing in the world. I could go on about how the experience was in a league of its own.
RAE: Please do.
STEINFELD: The way it all came together was wild. We were in New Orleans during hurricane season, and the weather was insane and rocked our shooting schedule multiple times, and it brought us so close. We’d all go to set on days that we weren’t being called in just to witness Ryan Coogler be Ryan Coogler.
Dress (worn as top), Pants, Bag, and Shoes Fendi.
RAE: It’s clearly so personal to Ryan. I just shot something in London and I remember reading the script from the writer-director, and I was like, “This is clearly his vision. It will either be amazing or terrible.” And then doing it, I still had the same feeling, but obviously had so much confidence in him. Did you always feel confident in the movie or did you have to go through it?
STEINFELD: Have you ever felt fully confident in any movie the whole way through? [Laughs] No, right?
RAE: [Laughs] That’s fair.
STEINFELD: But if you’re questioning it, that’s a good thing. Because you’re pushing so many limits and testing so many things that may or may not work. But for who, right? If it makes sense to you and the people that you’re collaborating with, then it’s got to work. There were definitely moments where all of us would look at each other, be it covered in blood or in bug repellent, and be like, “What the heck are we doing?” But never in any way did that lead to a lack of belief. Because with Ryan at the helm, you knew that it was going to be great.
RAE: Right.
STEINFELD: One thing I admire about him is his ability to remain calm. There were so many moving parts, so many people. We were in nights for what felt like the entirety of the shoot, and he just seemed to be so at peace through it all. If the person that you’re showing up for every day is a wreck, you’re just like, we’re doomed. But he was so quietly confident. Maybe he had moments where he didn’t feel that way, but you never would have known.
RAE: It’s the confidence to know you gave your all, had the best experience, engaged fully, and that’s all you can do.
STEINFELD: Mm-hmm.
RAE: It’s a scary thing to put something so personal in the world and not know how it’s going to be received. Was the premiere the first time that you saw it with people, or did you see it before with cast and crew?
STEINFELD: It was the first time. I had seen a version of it alone, which is a very terrifying, weird experience, but what ended up coming out felt like an entirely different movie.
RAE: Oh really? And what did it feel like watching other people watch it?
Coat, Belt, and Tan Leather Spy Bag Fendi.
STEINFELD: It’s always terrifying. I had family there too, so it’s not like I’m in a room of strangers. These are people that I love, and I value their thoughts. I’ve been talking about this experience for so long that I was like, “Please god, let them feel like they’re on this ride that I’ve been on this whole time.”
RAE: Wow.
STEINFELD: I turned to my parents, I turned to my husband, and in the time it took for everyone to clear the theater, we were in this state of stillness, and then it hit us. It was so wonderful to see it with my parents because a lot of my preparation for this role was talking to them, my mom specifically, about my lineage and her family history. To see her watch this whole thing and have a deeper understanding of my sudden desire to want to know more was amazing. While I wish I took it upon myself sooner to know as much as I know now, I thought maybe I knew what I needed to. What’s been so beautiful is to see how this movie has served as a conversation starter for people and their families, as it did for me.
RAE: Yeah, I love that it allows you to explore your family lineage, and sometimes that’s the excuse you need. You take your family history for granted, and maybe not until your parents get older do you decide, like, “Oh my god, if I don’t ask all the questions then I might not know what I’m passing on in the future.” And respectfully, your dad’s fine as hell. I was always the girl who liked people’s daddies. Did you have friends that were like, “Hey, what’s up with your daddy?”
STEINFELD: [Laughs] No, but I love that for you.
RAE: Well, your friends don’t have taste. [Laughs] Also, I know we talked about this during our Spider-Man press stuff, but you’re a Sag, and I’m a Cap. We have compatible traits, but what is the most Sag thing about you?
STEINFELD: I’ll tell you what I wish it was. I’m not as spontaneous as I’d like to be. I think the most Sag thing about me might be that when I say I’m done, I’m so done. When I walk away, I do not turn around.
RAE: That’s crazy to me. I’m always going to be like, “Maybe one more chance.” Why do you feel like you’re not spontaneous?
Dress, Black Leather, Small Spy Bag, and Shoes Fendi.
STEINFELD: I don’t know. Maybe because—am I having this realization in real time, Issa? I was about to blame it on what we do, in the sense of we never know where we’re going to be or for how long. I like to know what’s going on and where I’m going to be and not deviate from that. I’m getting better, but maybe my spontaneity is in my work, and loving the fact that I could get a call and have to uproot myself and be wherever shooting for five months. That’s my dream call to get. Maybe it’s also combined with being a homebody. I’m not just going to wake up and drive three hours to be somewhere for the weekend. I have to plan it.
RAE: Who do you think is spontaneous?
STEINFELD: My husband’s very spontaneous, which is part of what makes our relationship so fun. I like slow-paced and simple, which again is the total opposite of what we do and the majority of my life, but I love his ability to just make a plan and go for it. I’m like, “Wait a minute, I got to sit on it. I got to plan, I got to pack. I got to over-think it.”
RAE: I’m not mad at that at all. I love having a routine, but when I’m on set, then it’s like the best of both worlds. I feel like I’m being spontaneous and there’s a routine.
STEINFELD: Totally.
RAE: Being in this business a long time, do you have a core group of industry friends? Or is it more like, “These are my L.A. friends that I grew up around”? Who’s in your circle?
STEINFELD: It’s certainly evolved, but I’ve got my core handful of girls that I grew up with, and I’ve been very lucky to have created and maintained some really wonderful relationships through work, which is hard to do.
RAE: Is it like, “This is work and my life is separate”? Or do you feel like the two do coincide?
STEINFELD: It feels separate. I do love that what we do forces us to create families everywhere we go for whatever length of time, but the worst part is that sometimes when it’s over, it’s over. You cross paths in the future, and that’s awesome, but you get so close and these people are your whole world, and then you move on from that and it’s onto the next. It’s always been such a wild concept to me.
RAE: Just on that real quick, do you have group chats for different projects? Is there a Sinners group chat?
Dress Fendi.
STEINFELD: Oh yeah, there’s a few. Wunmi [Mosaku] is on an Android I believe, so that’s a whole thing.
RAE: [Laughs]
STEINFELD: There was one that Michael [B. Jordan] wasn’t in, and nobody realized it until he didn’t show up somewhere and we thought he was just being rude. [Laughs] Wunmi and Jamie [Lawson] and I, we actually just recently got together to go get dinner and to Lola Kirke’s show. I’m so grateful for everyone in Sinners, but the women made such an impact on me. But yeah, group chats are always a fun way to check in.
RAE: Where did y’all eat and are you the restaurant picker?
STEINFELD: I’m drawing a blank. What’s that famous restaurant right next to Troubadour?
RAE: I don’t know.
STEINFELD: Does anyone know?
SPEAKER 1: Dan Tana’s.
STEINFELD: Dan Tana’s, thank you.
RAE: Okay.
STEINFELD: I wish I could be the restaurant picker, but I feel too much pressure. Also when it’s an L.A. thing, everybody looks to me as if I know. And again, I don’t really leave my house. I’ve got recs in other places because when I’m somewhere new I feel the urge to go out.
RAE: Me too, I’m also obsessed with new restaurants.
STEINFELD: What’s your source?
RAE: Eater—I actually have a food Finsta.
STEINFELD: Stop it!
RAE: Yeah, nobody’s supposed to know. But it brings me comfort at night to follow restaurants that I’m interested in and eventually tell my friends that we’re going there. I’m definitely the picker. I need to know that I’m going to be in for a treat.
STEINFELD: I might need a list from you then.
Dress (worn as top), Skirt, Bag, and Shoes Fendi.
RAE: I suddenly got nervous. [Laughs]
STEINFELD: You’re like, “Actually, I don’t eat food at all.”
RAE: [Laughs] You started a newsletter before it was cool. It’s not a Substack, is it?
STEINFELD: It’s not a Substack.
RAE: But you were doing Beau Society before the newsletter craze happened. It feels like you were ahead of your time. Can you talk about that?
STEINFELD: I was in Buffalo of all places, in a new relationship. The strike hit, and I was trying to grasp the concept of not being able to work. I had just made a decision to take a break from music, which was my outlet when I wasn’t acting. So I’d go on social media and feel a connection of sorts, and then I’d get overwhelmed and go dark. Then I felt isolated. I thought, “What can I do that creates a safe place and a community where there’s still conversation and excitement and experiences being shared that don’t feel forced?” So I thought, what if I created a community that jumped on board with the things that I was wanting to talk about? How can I make this feel like we’re sending voice notes back and forth? And that’s basically what it is.
RAE: I love that.
STEINFELD: Also, it’s given me an excuse to take advantage of being in the places that I’m in. Where normally I might just prioritize sleep, I’ll go out to a sandwich shop or to a new restaurant and report on it. I’m so much more intrigued by and excited about the people around me and where I’m at in my life and wanting to just share that more. I’ve never been one to do that so comfortably.
RAE: I’m like, “Do I subscribe now? Will I get the back issues?”
STEINFELD: Please do.
RAE: For sure signing up. I just wanted to say I absolutely love the way you move in every facet. You’re a timeless star in a way, and it’s so great to watch you.
STEINFELD: Thank you.
RAE: Keep doing what you’re doing. I’m going to have an Angel Margarita [Steinfeld’s alcohol brand].
STEINFELD: Come on! Please do.
RAE: I will; summertime is here. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope you have a great awards-season campaign and y’all clean up.
STEINFELD: Thank you for doing this. I was so excited to talk to you.
RAE: My pleasure.
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Hair: Gregory Russell at The Wall Group.
Makeup: Kristine Studden at Highlight Artists.
Nails: Tom Bachik using Après Nail at A-Frame Agency.
Photography Direction: Gilles O’Kane.
Lighting Technician: Austin Durant.
Tailor: Caroline Trimble.
Fashion Assistant: Abigail Jones.
Hair Assistant: Kelli Martin.
Makeup Assistant: Violet Sciole.
Nail Assistant: Tina Le.
Production: Rachel Nagao.
Production Assistant: Almodine Thompson.
