Hailee Steinfeld on 'Romeo & Juliet' and BFF Taylor Swift

So, Romeo and Juliet, your first death scene and your first kiss scene. Yeah. What was more nerve-wracking? Which one of shooting?

Oh. Um, I they're both obviously very different um in a lot of ways. Uh, but um, background-wise, uh, you know, doing your first kissing scene is always, you know, You you have expectations and you read it on paper and you think it's gonna be as magical as it's written, but you forget that you have like a crew of like eight to ten people standing right there and like it is very technical. It was really important to me and to Douglas who plays Romeo to have chemistry. And we had great chemistry and we became really great friends and so we were very considerate of each other. Um, and it was it was all done very professionally.

Now, he talked about. I know in the movie True Grit, you brought a swear jar. There was a. You were so young too. You was a swear jar that if somebody swore on set, they'd have to put it was it a dollar?

It was a dollar for It was $5 for the F-word and a dollar for the other words.

Up the ante for the five. So, he said that you brought it on set, but it didn't go very far because he would have had to give you his entire wages. Basically.

I um it just turned into me being like $5, $5, $2, everything and it just never really happened. He owes me a lot of money. Um, just kidding.

So, I know you had such a different experience. True Grit, there were so many girls auditioning. And this one, you didn't have to audition and you actually had a hand in choosing Douglas. Right. I can't imagine why you chose him, he's so ugly and so untalented.

You know, a lot of people are saying that.

But it's obvious obviously a lot of it is chemistry. Was there How many people did you like, how many guys did you do chemistry reads with? How did this whole process work?

Um, for I feel that, you know, for the story of Romeo and Juliet to be impactful and for it to be believable, there has to be a certain level of chemistry between the two characters. So, it was really important and exciting for me to be able to weigh in on um on finding the right guy which we did. And uh that was a really exciting process to be a part of.

What about moving forward? Like, down the road, is there because I know you're really into fashion. Yeah. Could you see yourself design? Are there other things that you want to do in particular?

When I'm um when I'm on set of a film, I'll be talking to one of the producers or the writer or the director and I'm like, I want your job. I want to do this. I'm like, when I turn this age, I'm gonna do this, this, this and this. And then I like experience in New York Fashion Week and I'm like, I want to be a model. I want to be a fashion designer. Like, you know what I mean? So, I am sort of in the middle of this world that has so many different outlets. And um I don't know. I I think it'd really be fun to sort of venture out one day and explore something new. But right now, uh like I said before, I'm I'm always changing, I'm always doing something different and I love that about what I do.

I know a lot of actors have talked about, oh, when I make it big, I want to like buy my own house. Or when I make it big. Did you have anything that you sort of said you want to buy that by yourself or do or or use?

I mean, I guess occasionally I'll have that that moment where I'm like, you know, one day I'm gonna buy a house with a really great kitchen so that I can bake every single day and do whatever I want. But um, you know, I love I love where I live now and I love, you know, everything about how things are now that I couldn't really imagine it any different.

You can't say, when I grow up, I want to win an Oscar. Or be nominated for an Oscar because you already did that. You sort of you hit that at like what, 14, 15? So, you gotta up it's hard to up the ante after that. You did.

I know. I'm just. Yeah, I mean it's uh, gosh, that was that was crazy. Uh, that whole year. It's it's so weird to think that it was three years ago that True Grit was released. And um it's just it's weird to just sort of be back here again and and be doing all of this again. It feels like it was just yesterday, but sometimes it feels like it was three years ago and I have no idea what the heck I'm doing sometimes. But uh, I really I really enjoy all of this and and, you know, I I love that the future is so unpredictable.

Well, speaking of enjoyment, we have some of your Twitter photos. Uh-uh. They're behind you on the monitor. Oh no. You wrote the most magical Saturday night. Yes. She's your friend, right?

She is.

So, and wasn't this like a girl's weekend with Lena Dunham or was this during the girl's weekend?

This was uh after. This was recently when she played at Staples in LA.

When you hang out, I know you've talked about how your life aside from what you do being so in public is just normal. So, what's like a typical night when you guys are hanging out? What are you guys doing?

You know, sometimes just hang out and really do nothing. Um we talk a lot all the time. We watch movies, we bake. Um, but yeah, we we love to just sort of hang out and uh spend time together.

Okay. Here's our excited. Your Teen Vogue cover. I know. And then, I'm assuming that's you behind it. Yes. Is it strange to like walk into an airport and see your face on a Vogue cover? It's huge.

Oh my gosh. It's Being on the cover of Teen Vogue has actually been something I've dreamed of forever. Um and something really cool about this cover is it's the Young Hollywood issue. And

Well, there you go. And you're out your own. There you go. Hey.

Um, three years ago, I had my first photo shoot and it was for Teen Vogue. It was for the Young Hollywood issue. Um, I was in the portfolio. So, to be on the cover three years later is just it's amazing.

You're really into fashion as well. You're one of those people you don't just wear it because somebody tells you to wear it. You really you were at New York Fashion Week, I think Marc Jacobs, face of Miu Miu. For girls who don't have the access to that sort of level, like if you're if you're just hanging out on the weekend and you're shopping like budget chic, advice to girls couple staples.

Yeah. I I love um Zara and Topshop and H&M. I those are my go-to places. I live there. I I live in the clothes when I'm at home. I'm very casual.

And last but not least, I know you've talked about how you sort of try to stay normal amidst all the craziness. I know you've got Ender's Game coming out. Things are just gonna get crazier and crazier as your career goes. So, is that an intentional thing?

I guess I I don't really look at like being normal as trying to be normal. Um, I I've never really experienced any of this before and I, you know, again like I said, the future is very unpredictable. So, I think it's just good to uh remember that I am doing this because it's what I love to do and I've been given the most incredible opportunities ever. And so, I'm gonna continue to enjoy that and take advantage of that.

Thank you for coming in. This is such a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

Please come back again.

I will. Thank you.

Ender's Game. We're really excited for it.