As Hailee Steinfeld readies for the release of Pitch Perfect 3 — the third installment in the series that follows a cappella group the Barden Bellas — she can’t help but notice how closely her own life mirrors the plot. Come Dec. 22, she’ll reunite with co-stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson, as the movie’s group members again join forces after trying to find separate paths in the real world. “A couple of years had gone by between the second [film] and this one, and the whole time it felt like we were living the storyline,” says the 20-year-old. “Here we are, a bunch of [actors] that love what we get to do together. It never gets old.”
When Steinfeld first took on the role of Emily Junk in 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2, she had just released her debut EP, Haiz — she has yet to put out an LP, but has since placed five songs on the Billboard Hot 100, most recently with Alesso on “Let Me Go” (featuring Florida Georgia Line and watt). While filming this time around, her acting and music careers aligned once again as she recorded new material “wherever I could” in between scenes for a mini-album or possible full-length slated for the top of 2018. (“I can’t wait to release a full body of work,” she says.)
As her own music career blossoms, Pitch Perfect has provided the easiest way to marry her Hollywood ambitions with her musical leanings. “You get to call singing and dancing to your favorite songs work for four months,” she says. “It’s insane.”
This article originally appeared in the Dec. 9 issue of Billboard.