When it comes to love stories, few rival Romeo and Juliet. But Oscar-nominated teenager Hailee Steinfeld has a confession to make about the challenge she faced reinterpreting the iconic girl on the balcony in a new version of William Shakespeare's 16th-century play.

“I can't really say I've ever been in love before, but I'm 16, so what do I know about love anyway?” says Steinfeld, who was only 15 when she filmed the classic tale. “But I do think Romeo and Juliet is that symbol of your first deep love and I think we can all relate in terms of kids defying their parents, so it's great to bring this very universal story to a newgeneration.”

Adapted by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, this version of Shakespeare's epic tale about two star-crossed lovers (Steinfeld and Douglas Booth) kept apart by warring families is reimagined for the 21st century, filmed in Italy and told in a more traditional way than Baz Luhrmann's recent modern take on Romeo + Juliet.

“I loved doing it as a period piece, because you have everything around you to use and take advantage of, and the story is told in a very dramatic way,” Steinfeld says.

Looking like a typical teenager, in a bright blue and pink dress with a headband keeping her long brown hair off her face, she giggles as she talks about nerve-racking kissing scenes with her then 20-year-old English co-star as Romeo, eager to caution that “the love scenes were done appropriately and tastefully due to my age: because I am a minor, there are restrictions”.

Raised in Los Angeles by her parents, Pete, a personal trainer, and Cheri, an interior designer, the young star knew she wanted to be an actress at the early age of eight, when she watched her cousin in a commercial.

Her own shot at stardom came after she was plucked from more than 15,000 actresses auditioning for Joel and Ethan Coen's 2010 remake of True Grit. Success did not take long: a few days after her audition, she was on a plane to Texas to make her film debut as Mattie Ross, a spirited 14-year-old who hires US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hunt down her father's killer. That role not only earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, it also set the bar high for future projects.

“Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are three of the most incredible people and actors to work with,” she says. “When I finished filming True Grit, I cried my eyes out, because I thought it was the end of the world, but they all kept telling me it was just the beginning.”

It seems they were right. Steinfeld, who had never been overseas before the global press tour for True Grit, has since worked all over the world and made another 10 films, including the recent releases Ender's Game and 3 Days To Kill. She has also been photographed with new friends such as Girls creator Lena Dunham and singer Taylor Swift, but she does not seem to be in danger of going off the rails. “I was home schooled and stayed away from high schools where a lot of that trouble begins,” she says, recoiling at the suggestion. “I also live in a very strict household, so I owe a lot to my parents for helping me know how to behave in this so-called adult world.”

Romeo and Juliet

Genre Drama

Buzz A dismal US box-office might indicate today's generation prefer the Twilight and Hunger Games franchises for their love stories

Stars Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth, Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis

Director Carlo Carlei

Released Out now, rated M