Within the first 10 minutes of watching "True Grit" last year, breakout star Hailee Steinfeld had me (and plenty of others) convinced she'd be a great Katniss Everdeen. And while Jennifer Lawrence is going to be splendid in the role, a small part of me can't help but wonder, "What if?" I'm happy to report that, no matter what I think, Hailee is totally and completely behind the big screen adaptation of "The Hunger Games."
When I caught up with the starlet at last Friday's Young Hollywood Awards, I asked her for her thoughts on all the casting news so far.
"I honestly, as a fan of the books, cannot wait [for the movie]," she said with genuine excitement, and then asked me if I'd seen the photo of Jennifer on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
"Amazing, right?" she asked, again with serious enthusiasm. "Oh my God. I'm so excited!"
I agreed. And then mentioned that I was taken aback by how colorful the photo was, since in my mind I'd been picturing all kinds of gray, bleak, desolate, apocalyptic-looking stuff.
"Yeah. Well... that's what she'll bring to it," Hailee said with a smile, meaning that Jennifer has the acting chops to bring about all that intensity and despondence all on her own.
Seriously, how freakin' cute is Hailee? She and Jennifer must be buddies, having been through the awards circuit together recently. We need to talk to Jennifer about Hailee the next time we see her...
What do you think of Hailee and her adorable enthusiasm? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
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