Hailee Steinfeld’s Role inSinnersBecomes Her Deepest Self-Reckoning Yet
Let me tell you about something that genuinely caught me off guard — Sinners , Ryan Coogler’s latest cinematic mind-bender, and more specifically, Hailee Steinfeld’s performance as Mary. This isn't just another role for her. It's not just a character she played — it’s a journey that cracked open something real and personal for her, something ancestral and intimate.
In Sinners , Steinfeld portrays Mary, a white-passing woman living in the Mississippi South of the 1930s. On the surface, it’s a vampire film — stylized, eerie, gorgeously unsettling. But beneath that, it’s layered with questions about identity, privilege, and the uncomfortable truths of racial passing. What’s wild is how much this role forced Steinfeld to confront parts of herself she had never fully explored before. She always knew she was Jewish and Filipino — but Black? That part of her history wasn’t even a blip on her radar until this project unearthed it.
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Playing Mary meant Steinfeld had to dig into her own roots. She spent hours talking with her mom, diving into the untold story of her maternal grandfather, who was half Filipino, half African American. Imagine learning about a part of your identity for the first time because of a movie role. That’s what Sinners did for her. And not in a superficial way — we’re talking about understanding your family’s story, the struggles of your ancestors, and how that history lives in you whether you acknowledge it or not.
Now, toss in the fact that she becomes a vampire — yeah, things go from metaphorical to mythological real fast. But even that transformation is layered. Mary doesn’t suddenly become this monster. She’s still longing, still aching, still trying to connect. The vampirism is just another way she’s alienated — immortal, powerful, yet more isolated than ever. Her “passing” becomes her downfall, her white privilege turning against the very community she longs to belong to.
It’s chilling. And it’s beautiful. And it’s deeply sad.
What’s more, Steinfeld credits Ryan Coogler for guiding her through this emotional terrain. His writing and direction created a space where she could not only build the character but also face her own complexities. That kind of collaboration is rare. And it shows. Mary’s story doesn’t offer easy answers, and neither does Steinfeld’s. But that’s kind of the point.
Watching her in Sinners , it’s clear this isn’t the same Hailee Steinfeld we’ve seen in past roles. This is a woman who has come face-to-face with her heritage, embraced the discomfort of it, and channeled it into something brutally honest. She said this role brought her closer to herself and her family, and honestly? You feel that in every scene.
It’s one of those performances that stays with you. And now, I can’t wait to see where she goes from here — because if this is just the beginning of Steinfeld’s evolution, then we’re in for something truly special.
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