Hailee Steinfeld Says Motherhood Gave Her a Whole New Understanding of the Mother-Daughter Story in Disney's 'Hexed'
(Illustration: USA Current Affaires)
Hailee Steinfeld says becoming a mother has changed the way she sees her newest film — and the relationship at the heart of it. The actress, who welcomed her first child earlier this year, told reporters at the world premiere of Disney's animated adventure Hexed that motherhood gave her a fresh understanding of the mother-daughter bond the movie explores.
Steinfeld, 29, voices Billie Doe, a teenage girl who discovers she has magical powers and is pulled into Hexe, a hidden realm of witches and creatures. Alongside her are Jodie Foster as the villainous Queen Celeste and Rashida Jones as Billie’s cautious mother, Alice. The film arrives in theaters on November 25, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively on the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 12, Steinfeld said her daughter Harper, now seven months old, has already reshaped how she relates to the characters. She and her husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, welcomed Harper in April 2026.
A New Perspective on Alice and Celeste
“I gained so much perspective so quickly on the mother-daughter relationship,” Steinfeld told PEOPLE. “I just gained a whole new understanding for it.”
That understanding, she explained, reaches beyond the film’s heroine. “I’m only seven months in, and I fully understand Alice in this movie and even Celeste for that matter,” she said. “There’s this constant battle of wanting to protect and shield and guard, but also push and encourage to just be your best self and do everything you know as a mother your baby is capable of doing.”
Steinfeld echoed the same thought in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, telling the outlet, “I became a mother while making this film, and I gained so much perspective on life and the evolution of life and on the mother-daughter dynamic.” She added that she had never really played through a mother-daughter dynamic like this one before, and she praised her own mother while reflecting on the role.
Becoming a Mom While Making the Movie
Steinfeld worked on Hexed while pregnant, and the film premiered while she was seven months into motherhood — a timing she has described as deeply personal. In the Friday, November 6 edition of her Beau Society newsletter, she wrote about what the first months of motherhood have taught her about herself.
“There’s a long answer, but I’ll give the short one here: I’ve learned just how much of myself I still have to discover,” she wrote. “I thought becoming a mom would be this transformative experience about loving someone else, and it is that 1000%. But what I didn’t expect is how much she’s teaching me about myself.”
She added that her daughter has made her “more patient, more present, and so much more aware of how special the little things are.”
A Magical Story for the Whole Family
Directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, with Josie Trinidad as co-director, Hexed follows Billie as she learns to channel the magic inside her and uncovers long-buried secrets about her family. The voice cast also includes Walton Goggins as Beef Roger Crummchuk, a magical three-eyed cat. The film is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 65th feature, and its soundtrack arrives on November 20, five days before the theatrical release.
At the Los Angeles premiere, Steinfeld turned heads in a black lace Fendi dress styled by Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn, paired with black cotton socks and slingback heels. You can see more from the big night in our earlier report on the Disney Hexed world premiere, where Steinfeld joined Foster and Jones on the red carpet.
Steinfeld is also looking ahead to her first holiday season as a mom. Speaking to Extra alongside Foster and Jones, she said the family is excited to make the holidays “a little extra special” this year, with plans to finish most of her holiday shopping by the end of November so she can spend December baking cookies and taking Harper out in the snow.
For Steinfeld, Hexed is more than a new role — it is a story she now understands from both sides of the mother-daughter bond. As she told The Hollywood Reporter, she hopes viewers leave the film wanting to call their mothers and tell them they love them. With its mix of magic, family and heart, the film looks set to be one of the season’s biggest family outings.
What do you think of Hailee Steinfeld’s honest take on new motherhood — and will you be watching Hexed when it hits theaters on November 25? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Comments