ailee Steinfeld is the youngest Oscar nominee of this century. Two of her three singles have gone platinum, and last week she gave an impromptu performance at Coachella. But you wouldn’t know any of that just by talking to her.
“I live at home with my parents,” she told AOL Entertainment. “I wake up, clean my room, do the dishes, take my dogs out … I really don’t feel like I’m different at all. I love that my job allows me to interact with [fans] and sort of let them know that there’s really not much of a difference between us.”
In fact, the down-to-earth star, 20, is no stranger to an “exercise” habit you’re probably guilty of yourself: Dressing in a cute athletic outfit and then never actually making it to the gym. “I love workout clothes. I’ll get up in the morning and put them on with the intention of going for a walk, just getting out and being active,” she said. “Hours will go by and I’ll look at myself in the mirror and be like, ‘Wow. I just chill in these. I don’t do anything.'”
That habit’s changing, though, thanks to her partnership with MISSION, which just launched a new line of scientifically-engineered athleticwear that keeps you cool and comfortable even during rough workouts.
“I dread the treadmill,” the “Edge of Seventeen” star admitted, adding that she much prefers outdoor exercise or dancing. “But I really do find that finding the right outfit that makes you feel great and look great — that puts me in the mood to get active.”
While her fit physique makes for gorgeous red carpet photos, Steinfeld emphasized the larger importance of what her body can actually do: “Even on days when I wake up and feel a little under the weather, my body allows me to get out and enjoy life and this world we live in,” she said. “There’s so much beauty in everyone’s strength.”
It’s a message she hopes her teenage fans will take to heart, especially those who enviously scroll through her Instagram.
“There are times when I get to post pictures — I never in a million years thought I’d be on a helicopter with my friends going from one city to another. That stuff is so crazy,” the “Starving” singer said. “I feel so fortunate to even be able to do that and share that with people.”
And no matter how wild the Hollywood experience seems, her family is always along for the ride. “They are everything,” Steinfeld said of her parents. “I trust their opinions, I trust them implicitly. I have an older brother who’s my best friend. They’re my number one.”