Hailee Steinfeld is the heart and soul of Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit, without a doubt. The film (inspired by 1969 novel of the same name) centers around a teenager Mattie Ross, a daughter of a murdered man by an outlaw Brolin. Teenage Mattie hired Rooster Cogburn to hunt down the outlaw Brolin. Hailee’s strong, skillful acting impressed the critics. The movie also stars Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Barry Pepper.

So, let us explore more about how Hailee Steinfeld landed the role in True Grit.

Hailee Steinfeld’s journey as Mattie

The creators of the film had auditioned over 15,000 girls in the months of November and December 2009. For the audition, they have covered places like Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. They were looking for teenage girls who can play the role of “sassy, fearless, and sure of herself” Mattie.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joel, the elder Coen brothers claim that most of the girls were eliminated for the particular reason that the girls were using the very particular language written in the novel as a verse player.

After the hectic search, they finally find their Mattie in Hailee Steinfeld from California, who has already done a few TV roles and short films. Steinfeld recalls her good old days and expresses, “Just the thought of it was a kind of intimidating. But the minute I met [Bridges], I realized that he was just there to do a job — and I’m there for the same reason, and I kind of clicked with him and the Coen brothers.”

True Grit has earned a total of $86.8 million, and it was nominated for ten Academy Awards. Steinfeld became one of the youngest Oscar nominees in history for her incredible performance in True Grit. She was only 14 years old when she received this nomination. Moreover, she was the first actor of known Filipino descent to receive this nomination.

Steinfeld as Mattie is still being cherished in the industry for her amazing performance in True Grit, which is now available on Netflix.