Coen Brothers Cast Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
By Krystal Clark
The search has ended for the unknown actress to take part in the Coen Brothers remake of the 1969 film, True Grit. The cast of the movie has already been filled with a who’s who of A-list talent including Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. The Oscar winning directors behind the new version looked high and low for a fresh face to take on the female lead, and they finally found her in Hailee Steinfeld.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the Coen’s auditioned more than 15,000 teenage girls for the role of Mattie Ross in True Grit. The character is the centerpiece of the story about a U.S. Marshal (Bridges), his sidekick (Damon), and a 14 year old girl (Steinfeld) who tags along as they try and track down her father’s killer. The original film’s point of view was taken from that of Cogburn, while the Coen’s remake we will follow the vantage point of the young girl.
The film has been scheduled for a Christmas 2010 release, which means it could be a prime candidate for next year’s awards season. A lot of the young actresses who auditioned for the role weren’t professional actors or didn’t have a lot of jobs to their credit. Steinfeld has three listed on her IMDB page, but nothing to write home about. She’s only 13 years old but she looks a lot older in her photos. Hopefully they’ll give her a fresh-faced look that will highlight her youth for the film.
What do you think about Hailee Steinfeld as this generation’s Mattie Ross? Who do you think could have played the role?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 8:06PM
She is way too young, and from the trailer, she can't compare to the depth of character that the original Mattie Ross portrayed. Too bad.
Sunday, December 5, 2010 6:34PM
Was Mattie Ross really that young? I doubt they would've let her go along, precocious or not, had she been under, say 16 at the very very youngest. I think they should've cast Miley Cyrus. She would be fantastic!
Saturday, January 1, 2011 2:31PM
I saw True Grits for 6 times. Hailee Stenfeld is talented girl, I am sure she will be a big star.
It's a great movie.
Sunday, January 16, 2011 5:44AM
In a movie filled with career-best performances, Steinfeld's young Mattie Ross is the only character to equal the phenomenal work of Bridges' Rooster. The two together on screen are movie magic. Wow. Just wow that a 13-year-old girl can be that talented.
Monday, January 31, 2011 11:18AM
I liked both versions of the film, and Steinfeld was great, but I agree she looked too young, more like 11 or 12, such that when Matt Damon said he had been thinking of "stealing a kiss", it was not believable and a little gross. Not so with Glen Campbell and Kim Darby who looked like she was on the brink of womanhood.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 7:42AM
That's because Kim Darby WAS a woman in the original True Grit. The Coen's version was more true to the book. They never rewatched the original movie, they just stuck with the text so if you want to find the source of creepiness fault the author of the book. He put it in there.