"Well, I was eight years old, and I have an older cousin who is three years older than me and she was doing acting, commercials, and modeling at the time and... To see my cousin doing that was really inspiring and I wanted to do it. So I went to my mom and I asked her if I could do it, and for the acting part of it, she made me study for a year!"
About this Quote
The subtext is about permission and gatekeeping, and how early those dynamics set in. Steinfeld doesnt present herself as pushed; she asks. The agency is emphasized, but its immediately met with structure: her mother requires a year of study. Thats parental caution disguised as discipline, a way of testing whether the desire survives boredom, repetition, and rejection before the industry gets a crack at it. Its also a subtle rebuttal to the common narrative that acting success is just luck or looks. She positions craft - even at eight - as the entry fee.
Contextually, it reads like a modern celebrity trying to keep the origin story relatable while still earned. No mythologizing, no talk of being discovered at a mall. Just a kid watching another kid, then a family that turns a fleeting spark into a controlled experiment. That combination - accessible inspiration, enforced training - is how a lot of careers actually begin, especially for women navigating industries that reward early polish and punish naive enthusiasm.
Quote Details
| Topic | Family |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Steinfeld, Hailee. (2026, February 17). Well, I was eight years old, and I have an older cousin who is three years older than me and she was doing acting, commercials, and modeling at the time and... To see my cousin doing that was really inspiring and I wanted to do it. So I went to my mom and I asked her if I could do it, and for the acting part of it, she made me study for a year! FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/well-i-was-eight-years-old-and-i-have-an-older-148499/
Chicago Style
Steinfeld, Hailee. "Well, I was eight years old, and I have an older cousin who is three years older than me and she was doing acting, commercials, and modeling at the time and... To see my cousin doing that was really inspiring and I wanted to do it. So I went to my mom and I asked her if I could do it, and for the acting part of it, she made me study for a year!" FixQuotes. February 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/well-i-was-eight-years-old-and-i-have-an-older-148499/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Well, I was eight years old, and I have an older cousin who is three years older than me and she was doing acting, commercials, and modeling at the time and... To see my cousin doing that was really inspiring and I wanted to do it. So I went to my mom and I asked her if I could do it, and for the acting part of it, she made me study for a year!" FixQuotes, 17 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/well-i-was-eight-years-old-and-i-have-an-older-148499/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.




