By Chris Betros

Arts & Culture Feb. 21, 2011 - 05:02AM JST ( 6 )

TOKYO —

When she was growing up in California, Hailee Steinfeld dreamed of going into the glamour and glitz of the acting world. Last year, the 14-year-old got her wish, when she made her movie debut in the Coen brothers’ western “True Grit.”

“It was so funny,” said Steinfeld during a recent trip to Tokyo. “I had been dreaming of glamour, and here I was wearing old western clothes and with dirt all over my face.”

More than 15,000 girls auditioned for the role of Mattie Ross, the headstrong girl who hires an overweight, hard-drinking one-eyed U.S. marshal (Jeff Bridges) named Rooster Cogburn to catch her father’s killer. Determined to see that he gets the job done, she goes along with him and a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon), who is also after the wanted man. Based on a 1967 novel by Charles Portis, “True Grit” was made into a movie in 1968 staring John Wane (in his Oscar-wining role as Cogburn), Glenn Campbell (as the Texas Ranger) and Kim Darby (as Mattie).

“I never really found out why the Coens chose me,” said Steinfeld. “They don’t really talk much off set and when they do, they’re very much in tune with each, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences.”

On the other hand, Steinfeld said she had a great time with Bridges and Damon. “They were so much fun to be with and full of surprises. They made me feel at ease by telling me stories about what it was like when they made their first movies. The thing that most impressed me about Bridges is that he loves acting just as much today as he did when he first started. That is a real inspiration for me. I learned so much from just watching him act and taking it all in.”

Steinfeld, who is in almost every scene of the film, has earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress—which promises to be a big night for her on Feb 25. “I can’t think about that. A year ago, I hadn’t even been cast in my first movie, and now this. It’s so crazy. I just feel so honored to be in it.” She added that she doesn’t have any expectations. “Win or not, I’m just looking forward to seeing what opportunities come my way in the future.”

Of course, that includes finishing her education. “My mom is very strict about that,” she said. “Sometimes, when I am spending too much time on the computer or cell phone, she reminds me to get back to my study—even when I am traveling to promote the film. But I have to say that my parents have been great and since Day One, have always encouraged me to do what I love.”

“True Grit” opens in Japan on March 18.