One of the many films to premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival was Ten Thousand Saints.  Co-directed and co-written by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman and based on the novel, the film takes place in the late 1980s and follows "three lost kids and their equally lost parents" as they navigate the ups and downs of coming of age in New York's East Village. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Asa Butterfield, Emily Mortimer, Julianne Nicholson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Emile Hirsch. For more on Ten Thousand Saints, read Adam's review.

Shortly after the premiere I landed an exclusive video interview with Hailee Steinfeld. She talked about what the last two years been like working on so many  big projects, why she was drawn to Ten Thousand Saints, her character and how she figures into the plot, the drug use in the film and being ready to tackle more mature subject matter, the Sundance experience, Pitch Perfect 2, Kyle Newman’s Barely Lethal, Twitter, future projects, and more.

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Image via Screen Media

As usual, I’ve time indexed the interview to provide an overview of the conversation.

Hailee Steinfeld Time Index:

  • :10 – Talks about how she and Emile Hirsch are debating her height.
  • :45 – What have the last two years been like for her working on all these big projects? Remembers how True Grit was shot and released in the same year and sent her on a whirlwind.
  • 2:30 – Why was she drawn to Ten Thousand Saints?
  • 3:45 – Talks about the drug use in the film and being ready to tackle more mature subject matter.
  • 4:37 – The Sundance experience. Discusses how this is her first time being at the festival and the “community” aspect of the fest.
  • 5:35 – Pitch Perfect 2. Talks about how she was a big fan of the first film and the excitement of going through “the initiation process” and becoming a Bella.
  • 6:57 – Describes her character in Ten Thousand Saints and how she figures into the plot.
  • 8:10 – Talks about working with Asa Butterfield again after Ender’s Game and how they both loved the script for Ten Thousand Saints.
  • 9:39 – Upcoming projects. Is she looking to explore different genres?
  • 10:29 – Talks about Kyle Newman’s new film Barely Lethal.
  • 11:40 – Twitter. What is her thought process when she tweets?
  • 12:20 – What is she getting ready to film?

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