​​​​​​​The Mouse That Roared

- Shawna Malcolm ​​​​​​​

PICTURE THE SCENE:It’s late afternoon on a warm February day in Los Angeles. Thousands have gathered outside the Dolby Theatre to catch a glimpse of Hollywood’s elite as they arrive for the 83rd Academy Awards. Cate Blanchett has already walked the red carpet. Gwyneth Paltrow follows, then Halle Berry. Christian Bale is there and so, too, is James Franco. But the actress everyone is actually clamouring to see? A diminutive 14-year-old called Hailee Steinfeld, whose virtuoso performance in the Coen brothers’ film True Grit garnered her a Best Supporting Actress nomination that night.

OK, so she didn’t win the Oscar (that went to then-50-year-old veteran Melissa Leo for The Fighter),but that night everyone fell for the smart Californian kid who left the party with her towering Ferragamo heels in her hands, scuffed Converse on her feet.

Up until then, Hailee, who turns 21 this month, had only really appeared in a series of adverts and short films. But following True Grit, a Miu Miu campaign came calling, as well as a cameo in Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood video. And that was on top of a record deal with Republic Records (yes, she can sing, too). Her polymath career shows no signs of abating in the next year either. This month sees Hailee reprise the role of Emily in Pitch Perfect 3 alongside Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick. She’s also preparing to release her debut album. (Her first single, Love Myself, released in 2015, reportedly became the highest debut for a solo female artist in the US since 1998.)