On Target
There’s a new Hawkeye in town… Hailee Steinfeld is getting to grips with a bow and arrow for the latest MCU TV series
What’s it been like joining a superhero universe?
Hawkeye is quite the diversion from Dickinson [in which Steinfeld played the poet Emily Dickinson], so it’s been very fun to jump into a whole new universe. It’s been really exciting just to bring this character to life – this character who people are really looking forward to hearing her story. It’s been a wonderful experience so far – another rollercoaster ride, to say the least, which is why I love what I do. We’re in it, so we’ll see what happens, but I’m very honoured to be a part of the MCU, and be Kate Bishop.
Have you become adept at archery now?
As far as a bow and arrow goes, I’m pretty damn good! And I’ll say it’s something that I genuinely, really enjoy. Not something I’ve ever picked up, a bow, before this project. So something I definitely recommend – it’s a sport that anybody can play and start at any point in their life. And it’s truly therapeutic and just really amazing. Not something I’d ever see myself doing. But here
I am! And I absolutely love it.
What else can you tell us about being on the show?
I always love when I get to step into a universe that exists, because it just feels like there are endless amounts of references and information. And it’s always exciting to see what the filmmakers choose to take from what we know and turn it into what it becomes.
Does that mean you’ve been catching up on all the previous history of the characters?
As far as the comics go, yes. Again, it’s kind of like Emily and her poetry: having this world of endless information. I’ve always loved comics. I’ve always been a very visual person, and a large book with anything over 200-250 pages has always intimidated me, so comics have always been something I’ve been drawn to because of the visual aspect of it. So I’ve had so much fun reading these comics, and going through them and discovering these elements of Kate Bishop that are in there that we’re bringing to life in the show, and other elements of the comics. AT
Hawkeye is currently in production and will stream exclusively on Disney+ in late 2021.