Hailee Steinfeld is leaning in—which explains how a born and raised Angeleno found herself in the midst of a snowstorm in Buffalo, New York, and absolutely loving it. Steinfeld, an Academy Award-nominated actor, multi-platinum recording musician, producer, and entrepreneur-at-large, might not have been able to predict she’d end up in “The City of Good Neighbors,” but, if she’s gleaned anything from her decades in the industry, she knows that leaning into the rhythm of the universe hasn’t done her wrong yet.

“It feels like such a community here,” she explains, warm and comfortable despite the blizzard outside. Steinfeld splits her time between her hometown and Buffalo, where her fiancé, NFL quarterback Josh Allen, plays for the Bills. “Coming here is just a breath of fresh air,” she shares. “It slows down, and there’s a charm to this place that you see in every season, and there are seasons, which is something we don’t have much in LA. I can go on. I love it here.”

Steinfeld is leaning into a whole lot more than her newfound love of Western New York. Most notably, her on-camera return to the big screen following a six-year “hiatus.” Though, one can’t really call Steinfeld’s last six years a hiatus. Steinfeld’s break from film hasn’t been for a dearth of work—since her last appearance on silver screen in the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reprisal, Steinfeld has worked on animated projects like Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and the League of Legends inspired Netflix series, Arcane. She also made a foray into television in Marvel’s Hawkeye, and plays the titular role in Apple TV+’s Dickinson, a comedic retelling of the life of Emily Dickinson. This April, Steinfeld returns to film alongside Michael B. Jordan and Jack O’Connell in Ryan Coogler’s forthcoming title, Sinners—a “genre-fluid” thriller set in the Jim Crow-era South.

“I do feel this role in Sinners is something that I’ve been dreaming of and waiting for,” she shares. She couldn’t have been more ready to jump back in. “I feel like life has a funny way of showing new signs, and this movie being the first one in six years—and the first one back after the strike—was such a moment of gratitude and appreciation.” She continues, “Here I am on the set of this movie with one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, the most insane cast telling the most insane story, and I just get to be this part of it.”

Sinners will be released this April. Though the role will mark a transition from voice-over acting to on-screen, the shift feels less stark than the one Steinfeld made from movies to television six years ago, pivoting from years of film and music into Dickinson.

When asked about the shift, Steinfeld explains that her trust and respect for the vision of Alena Smith—the show’s writer and creator—made her first TV production experience feel as much like shooting a movie as possible. While all three seasons of the hit show weren’t written at once, Smith knew where the story was going from the jump, as she was able to pull from the true story of the poet’s life. Steinfeld reflects, “The fun surprises along the way were what the genius that is Alena created, threw at us, and challenged us with—which was so fun.”

 Yet, knowing how the story is scripted to end while shooting doesn’t always mean Steinfeld knows how the story will end in theaters. “That’s part of what I love and lose sleep over with what I do. You just never know how something is going to come together. You think that for a certain length of time, you’re in control—which you are. Then there’s a greater length of time in which you’re not in control, it’s out of your hands entirely, and whatever happens, happens.” She laughs, “You just hope and pray that they don’t cut you out all together.”

It’s that exact love for and acceptance of the unknown that has led her back to the big screen. “I’ve learned with the last handful of projects I’ve done that the importance and beauty of embracing the chaos, and leaning into whatever it is you have right in front of you, to make the most of that. I am someone that likes to think ahead, feel fully prepared, and know what’s coming; but sometimes we only know what we know, and we have to run with that.”

When it comes to other projects on the horizon, the same philosophy applies. “Part of what I love so much about what I do is that I’ve never been able to predict where it’s going to go or take me, because it’s taken me in so many different directions and down so many avenues I never even thought I would be down.” 

Steinfeld is not exclusively a television actor, voice actor, or film actor—she’s not exclusively an actor at all, in fact. Since her 2015 debut, Steinfeld has scored double and triple platinum hit singles, with several billion streams across her sizable discography. Recently, however, she has taken a step back from music. On one hand, Steinfeld describes herself feeling a sense of relief; on another, she found herself missing something a bit unexpected: her connection to her fans.

“I feel like there’s such a huge difference between the direct connection to fans as an actor and as a musician. When I was making music, it was the most incredible thing to release a song out into the world, be able to see who is listening to it and where, and hear from those people. Then talk to those people, and have this sort of direct line of communication.You can make a movie that comes out maybe a year or more after you’ve made it, you’re maybe a little further removed from it by the time it reaches other people—then you’re on to the next.”

As she looked deeper, Steinfeld found this connection she was missing couldn’t be solved with posts on Instagram or TikTok—especially as someone who considers herself a largely private person. She shares, “I love social media. I find that it can be quick hits of random surface level things. That’s what makes it fun. I love a mindless scroll, but I always felt like I struggled so much when I was intrigued by something—or interested about something or someone—and wanted to talk about it.”

Her way of bridging that gap? Beau Society, a weekly newsletter from Steinfeld directly to her community covering all things art, beauty, fashion, and music. Launched in August of last year, she describes it as her most personal project to date, and has become a place where she can not only wax poetic about whatever it is she’s feeling passionate about that week. “It’s been so rewarding to have built this small, but fast, growing community around people that have shared interests with me: from the new spoons that I just bought, to the greatest movie ever.”

The Beau Society conversation goes both ways. “It’s so amazing too, to have an opportunity where they can hit reply, and we can have a conversation. It’s very cool. It’s been very rewarding.” In a recent edition of Beau Society, Steinfeld discusses her New Year’s resolution to take more photos, something her subscribers responding feeling equally passionate about, prompting her to interview close friend and photographer Kat Temkin in a follow up coversation—a direct result of that genuine connection and communication between Steinfeld and her community.

Steinfeld’s latest obsession? Her Leica Q3 camera. “I’ve always loved photography, but I feel like I’ve become obsessed with this idea of just taking photographs more intentionally.” She continues, “I never leave the house without a disposable camera, and of course my phone, and I’m constantly firing away and never really paying attention to what it is that I’m getting.”

Outside of Steinfeld’s creative pursuits, she just launched a canned margarita brand: Angel Margarita, a ready-to-drink spirit made with 100% agave tequila, is set to hit shelves in March. Steinfeld worked alongside Jordi Zindel and Rodrigo Hernandez of the Premium Beers Group to develop the drink—a product of both a desire to learn, and, of course, manifestation.

“Several years ago I made a short list, if you will, of things that I was intrigued by and wanted to understand more about. The ready-made drink was one of them.” She continues, “[I’m] a big, big fan of throwing it out there into the universe and manifesting, and not long after, the Angel Margarita team came to me. The most rewarding part is to see this incredible team of people work so hard to make a product that tastes incredible, looks amazing, and is made with so much care and passion.”

In Hailee Steinfeld’s case, success and fulfillment have arrived by way of her relaxing into the irregular, unpredictable beats of her own career. Steinfeld has made it far enough to trust that strange rhythm: it’s led her onstage at international music festivals and Radio City Music Hall; it’s led her in front of the camera, it’s led her to voiceover studios for mega summer blockbusters and into mid-nineteenth century-era corsets on television sets. That rhythm has led her into entrepreneurship in the alcohol business, and it’s led her to Buffalo. Where this flow will lead her next, Steinfeld is unsure—though it doesn’t appear it’s led her wrong yet.

Photographed by Su Müstecaplioğlu

Styled by Anna Katsanis at Walter Schupfer Management

Written by Emma Turetsky 

Hair: Braydon Nelson at The Wall Group

Makeup: Carolina Gonzalez at A-Frame Agency

Nails: Mo Qin at The Wall Group

Lighting/DP: Forest Erwin

Photo/Digital: Fiona Carlsen

Flaunt Film Editor: Şirin Tunalı

Flaunt Film Music: Ailbhe Reddy

Audio/Interview: Theresa Grill

Makeup Assistant: Vasilios Kombogiannis 

Location: Eden Studio