Hailee Steinfeld on Love, Corsets and Her “Weird” Show Dickinson
“It’s definitely weird. I’ve called it that quite a few times. But it’s more than that… It feels very honest and truthful.”
As someone who has been acting since the age of 12, it’s no wonder that Hailee Steinfeld relates deeply to poet Emily Dickinson who, though from a different era, was also someone who came into her own as an artist from a young age.
The 24-year-old actress (and former FASHION cover star) recalls being “very intrigued” after reading the first two episodes of Dickinson, an Apple TV+ show that debuted last year. When one hears “it’s a show about 19th century poet Emily Dickinson,” that may conjure up a somewhat stuffy picture that’s vastly at odds with the exuberant, eclectic show that it turned out to be. (Just a couple of its absurdities: modern slang and hip-hop music in a period setting, and rapper Wiz Khalifa as Death.)
“I remember reading it and loving it and being very intrigued,” says Steinfeld over the phone. “Alena Smith [the creator and showrunner] just painted this very vivid mental picture of what this show is in those first