Hailee Seinfeld is the cover model for the September issue of Seventeen, which hits stands on Tuesday. The 19-year-old actress talked to the magazine about her upcoming movie, Edge of Seventeen, which will be released on September 30. In the coming of age comedy/drama, Hailee plays a slightly awkward high school junior dealing with the budding relationship between her best friend and her brother and dealing with the perils of young love. The cast includes Glee alum Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick and Woody Harrelson. If the trailer is any indication, it looks like a pretty promising flick.

Apparently, Hailee was able to inject a lot of herself into the character. She told Seventeen that her high school years weren’t necessarily the best years of her life either. She’s obviously moved on to bigger and better things, including movies, music and being a part of Taylor Swift’s “squad.” Here are some highlights from the interview:

On how she relates to her character in The Edge of Seventeen: “This girl goes through experiences I totally went through, where it felt like it was the absolute end of the world. Just having so many moments where you question who you are and what it is that you’re good at and what you feel good in. I was homeschooled for a reason, and that was because of social issues.” 
 
On when she was bullied in the past: “There was a period of time where every morning at 7:02, I’d get a prank phone call at my house. That’s how I’d start every day, with a threat saying, “Come to school now. We’re going to kick your butt.” So I went to school early and went in the back way. And there would be times when I’d come back to my desk and have hand sanitizer all over my books and in my water bottle. People would come by and slam my locker shut when I was still putting my books in it. It was just the most absurd things that you are supposed to see only in the movies, you know?”
 
On whether she ever compares herself to other girls: “I have definitely had moments where I’m scrolling through Instagram and see these drop-dead gorgeous models, who we tend to forget are genetically a certain way, and think, Why can’t I or don’t I look like that? It’s so easy to forget that we are all so beautiful because we’re unique.”
 
On the biggest misconception of being part of Taylor Swift’s squad: “I think people think we spend a lot more time together than we actually do! She’s amazing, though.”
 
On her goals: “I have so many short-term and long-term goals with both movies and music. I’d really love to have an experience like True Grit again. And with the music, I want to make the best first album I can possibly make. And I want to get to a level where I can headline my own arena tour. I know that I can make it happen. It’s just the beginning. I see the future being really big.”

[From Seventeen]

In addition, Hailee, who is currently opening for Meghan Trainor while touring behind her debut EP, Haiz, is focused on taking the music world by storm, just like her famous friend Taylor. She told the magazine, “I want to make the best first album I can possibly make. And I want to get to a level where I can headline my own arena tour. I know that I can make it happen. It’s just the beginning. I see the future being really big.”

I didn’t know much at all about Hailee, except for the fact that she sings my new daily affirmation song, “Love Myself”, but she seems really down to earth and relatable. She overcame the same high school baloney many of us endured and came out a seemingly well-adjusted girl. How refreshing.

But let’s talk about this whole “squad” thing for a second. At this point it’s more like which young, female celebrity isn’t or hasn’t been part of Taylor’s squad, right? How do you assemble a squad, anyway? Is it hard to pin everyone down for a get-together? If they all meet at a restaurant, can a partial squad be seated if they’re all not on time? These are the things that keep me up at night.

Photo credit: Jason Kim/Seventeen, WENN.com, Getty Images