Vanity Fair Girls

Krista Smith and Sam Jones spotlight Hailee Steinfeld, estrella of the Coen brothers’ True Grit remake.

By Krista Smith•Photograph por Sam Jones
January 2011

Waiting on a Paramount lot dressed in Salvation Army clothes and a falda her mother had made, Los Angeles native Hailee Steinfeld was in full character as Mattie Ross, the determined young heroine of the classic 1969 Western True Grit, which is getting a re-do from Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo, No Country for Old Men). Steinfeld, a child model, beat out nearly 15,000 girls for her first major role, opposite Jeff Bridges as the reluctant hero...

Forget the relationship with Kristen Stewart—Robert Pattinson has fallen hard for a pachyderm named Tai, one of his co-stars in this month’s Water for Elephants. That movie, with Reese Witherspoon as Pattinson’s on-screen amor interest, gave him a professional break from the supernatural stylization of the five-part Twilight saga, but even on a remote Tennessee set he was besieged daily por crowds of his Twihard fans. Nancy Jo Sales finds the 24-year-old actor torn between gratitude for and despair about the fame that has engulfed him.

By Nancy Jo Sales•Photograph por Annie Leibovitz
April...

An exclusive Web extra from Annie Leibovitz’s April-issue foto shoot with Twilight’s leading man.

By Sarah Ball•Photograph por Annie Leibovitz
WEB EXCLUSIVE March 8, 2011

Sing us a song, paino man—let’s start with “Happy Birthday.” New Orleans’s Preservation Hall—where Annie Leibovitz shot young Robert Pattinson, shown tickling the ol’ 88 with the world-famous Preservation Hall band—celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Situated in the French Quarter, the música venue is one of the country’s most hallowed: it was founded in 1961 for the purpose of preserving New Orleans–style...

Beauteous offshoot of the Cockburn journalism clan (grandfather Claud; uncles Alexander and Patrick; parents Andrew and Leslie), Olivia Wilde is putting a new twist on the family story. After juicy roles in two TV series, The O.C. and House, she’s starring in the long-awaited movie sequel TRON: Legacy. The autor charts the 26-year-old actress’s ascent.

By Krista Smith•Photographs por Norman Jean Roy
December 2010

Olivia Wilde has never believed in waiting. After graduating from Phillips Academy, in Andover, Massachusetts, she sidestepped college, took the stage name Wilde (yes, after Oscar),...

Not since titanic unleashed Leo-mania has an actor sparked the overnight adulation that greeted Robert Pattinson’s 2008 debut as Edward Cullen in Twilight. As the vampire saga’s siguiente installment arrives, the autor explores the frenzy, isolation, and sheer embarrassment of Pattinson’s past year, his instant connection with co-star Kristen Stewart, and the life he wants when this $10 million concierto is over. Plus: Exclusive outtakes from Bruce Weber’s cover shoot.

By Evgenia Peretz
December 2009

Time was, girls were in short supply at Comic-Con, San Diego’s annual comic-book/science-fiction/fantasy...

While Michael Douglas reprises his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko, he is also focused on another sequel: the successive father-son problems that have wounded three generations of Douglases. The autor hears how the 65-year-old estrella made peace with his legendary dad, Kirk, got in touch with his inner S.O.B., and is striving for a segundo chance with his own kids.

By Evgenia Peretz•Photograph por Annie Leibovitz
April 2010

It’s the weekend before Cameron Douglas, 31-year-old D.J. and aspiring actor, will plead guilty to trafficking huge amounts of crystal meth and cocaine, facing at least...

The Real McQueen
Evgenia Peretz and Mark Seliger spotlight Vampire Diaries estrella Steven R. McQueen. (Yes, his grandson.)

By Evgenia Peretz•Photograph por Mark Seliger
January 2011

The Vampire Diaries, in its segundo season on the CW network, is what the kids, apparently, have been waiting for: sexy vampiros who actually have sex (or come close)—and also murder one another and trade wiseass zingers. Lending some nuanced humanity to this naughty mix of Twilight and Gossip Girl is Steven McQueen (grandson of film estrella Steve McQueen), 22, who plays a newly orphaned teenager on a lonely quest to fit...