Hailee Steinfeld Rebels as a Modernized Poet in ‘Dickinson’ Trailer

A new trailer for Dickinson, the upcoming AppleTV+ series based on the life of Emily Dickinson, was released Wednesday ahead of its premiere on the streaming platform November 1st.

Hailee Steinfeld stars as the rebellious young poet who, in a modern-day twist, uses contemporary slang like “dude” and scoffs at the old-fashioned values of her era. “Check me out, I’m a man,” Dickinson tells her sister-in-law Susan Gilbert (played by Ella Hunt), while donning a top hat and cane. “I do what I want, I go where I want, I have the right to vote, I can legally own property…” When Gilbert asks why society fears her rebellion, Dickinson replies, “Maybe they’re scared that if they teach us how the world works, we’ll figure out how to take over.”

The new trailer features Steinfeld’s single “Afterlife,” also released on Wednesday. “There’s a line in the song that says ‘immortality is bliss’ and its reminiscent of a lot of Emily’s poems,” says Steinfeld. “She lived during a time where women were forbidden from voicing their opinions and restricted in many ways, including how they dressed. I wanted the single art to reflect this idea too so the corset has an exaggerated cinch to represent how Emily in particular felt constricted and stifled.”