For her role in Ryan Coogler’s upcoming supernatural thriller Sinners, actress Hailee Steinfeld made a bold move: she traded in her signature long locks for a sleek, vintage-inspired bob that helped bring her 1930s character to life.
Steinfeld, 28, plays Mary, the love interest of one of two twin brothers portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, in the film set in Depression-era Mississippi. The dramatic transformation was orchestrated by celebrity hairstylist Mara Roszak, who recently opened up about the cut — dubbed the “Sinners bob” — and its golden-age Hollywood influences.
In an Instagram post shared on April 22, Roszak documented the process with before-and-after shots of the actress. “Still thinking about this chop,” she captioned the post, reflecting on the transformation a year later.
Speaking with Vogue, Roszak offered more insight into the styling choices behind the look. While the cut removed a significant amount of length, she left enough to accommodate the style’s natural shrinkage. “We did an ‘S’ wave shape,” she explained, referencing the retro technique inspired by icons like Lauren Bacall. “It shortens the style by one to two inches, so we trimmed subtle layers around Hailee’s face and cut the hair just above the collarbone.”
The result is what Roszak calls a “swing bob” — a long, layered bob that grazes the collarbone, echoing the classic, conservative styles of the 1930s. But Roszak cautioned that it’s a significant change for anyone used to long hair. “Hailee has always been a long-haired girl and this was a really big chop and change,” she said, adding that she was “honored to be asked to do it.”
The bold new look caused a stir when Steinfeld debuted it on social media in April 2024, surprising fans who were accustomed to her flowing tresses from roles in Hawkeye, Pitch Perfect, and The Edge of Seventeen.
In a subsequent interview with PEOPLE, Steinfeld revealed that she’s never had hair this short — not even as a child. “I was going through old photos with my mom, and there’s a photo of me — I’m not kidding, I have to be 9 or 10 months old — and my mom had clipped one of her ponytail [extensions] to my head,” she said. “So at 10 months, this girl had long hair. I’ve never had short hair like this.”
The transformation made such an impression on Steinfeld that she decided to go even shorter after the initial cut. “Who knows what happens from here,” she teased.
With Sinners set to bring 1930s gothic mystery to the big screen, Steinfeld’s era-accurate hairstyle is already turning heads — long before the film hits theaters.
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