(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Hailee Steinfeld's schoolwork helped her prepare for her starring role in Romeo and Juliet.

The 14-year-old actress will play Juliet Capulet in an upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tragedy.

Hailee's school classes helped her understand the content of the early Shakespearean play, and the pretty star insists she now feels more confident to tackle the Carlo Carlei-directed movie.

"I've never done Shakespeare before, so it's kind of different. I've started to work on it and it's really amazing," she told E! Online.

"The funny thing is, when I received the script I actually had to read the book at the same time in school, so that was perfect. I was able to go back and forth and I knew what I was talking about. Just kind of reading the material and really understanding it."

Hailee rose to fame for her portrayal of Mattie Ross in the 2010 film True Grit, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The American actress, who is the face of luxury brand Miu Miu, will star alongside English actor Douglas Booth, 19, in the movie, who is set to play Romeo. The brunette star is looking forward to working with him, amongst a whole host of other things.

"I'm really excited for everything," she smiled. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

The upcoming adaptation of the popular Shakespeare play follows Baz Lurhman's 1996 version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. (C) Cover Media