IF YOU WEREN’T already looking forward to Hawkeye, the latest small-screen Marvel offering, then one of the year’s most entertaining trailers might have swayed you: it showcased not only Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton but also his comic-book rival for the Hawkeye title, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop. With the same mad bow skills as Barton but a scrappier, underdog energy, Kate immediately looks like a worthy successor, and a fun double-act with Renner.
“Kate wants to do good; she has this burning desire to follow in Hawkeye’s footsteps,” says the actor. “She’s idolised this person forever and then she finds herself on this wild ride with him.” Steinfeld started training before she even landed the role, keen to ensure that she’d be able to nail the action from day one. “My archery is now quite good,” she grins. “Kate is self-taught and it was important to me to take it on myself, to be there by the time we started shooting.”