Hailee Steinfeld made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with the Disney+ original Hawkeye. Taking over the role of Kate Bishop, the actress made her grand entry into the franchise, setting up her eventual transition into the next Hawkeye of the universe.
Steinfeld’s performance as Kate Bishop garnered universal acclaim, with all fans and critics praising her blend of on-screen action and humor, making her role of a witty, stubborn, yet valiant teenager. Her on-screen chemistry with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova has fans rooting for the duo to pop up in the MCU together soon. But, being Kate Bishop in Hawkeye wasn’t a cakewalk for the young actress.
Steinfeld recently talked about her experience shooting the show in a behind-the-scenes interview with Marvel, highlighting some pre-shoot work she had to undergo before she could perfect the tactics behind her character’s portrayal. Reminiscing how short the duration between her casting and the show’s commencement was, she had to thoroughly learn archery techniques.
“Everything happened very quickly from the time that I got the call to the time that I showed up [on set] ready to shoot. I don’t know the exact amount of time, but it wasn’t a lot. I had a few archery lessons with an amazing coach in Los Angeles. The first handful of lessons were spent really just talking and being taught the mechanics of the bow: how to hold it and how to change the limbs.”
Steinfeld later said she was eager to begin shooting and get out of the training regime.
“The whole technical side of things is what I was introduced to first, which I’m so grateful for, but at the time I was like, “dude, I really just want to shoot.”
It’s understandable how difficult it is to settle into a challenging role, especially that of a superhero. While one can use computer-generated imagery to enhance a superhero’s portrayal; the combat action and physicality of the role can only come out via proper choreography. Marvel Studios is particular about how appealing a superhero character looks on-screen. After all, that’s part of the job. Of course, it turned out to be fruitful for Steinfeld.
The actress added her gratitude to Marvel for the stunt training, which she said she realized when she finally went to Atlanta for the shoot.
“I’m so thankful to know the in’s and out’s of it, because once all of that information is stored, you can place it in the back of your head and know that it’s there, and it becomes more and more second nature, after tons of repetition. I had a few sessions in L.A., then I went out to Atlanta, and I started working with the bow in a different way, and that was through stunt training.”
Hailee Steinfeld is now among the top favorites in the list of potential names for the upcoming Young Avengers lineup, alongside Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel. Steinfeld is awaiting the release of her next superhero project, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, wherein she voices Gwen Stacy. Steinfeld’s next MCU appearance hasn’t been confirmed yet, but there’s a solid chance we’ll be eventually seeing her in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.