Boy do they grow up fast. When we were setting up our photoshoot and interview with Abigail Breslin last month in New York, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. After all, at 13, Breslin is still young enough to be headlining Disney-type movie’s like Nim’s Island, yet she’s obviously growing into her own as a teenager. It’s that fine line between wanting to skip into the room with a slurpee and flip-flops and attempting to stomp it out in a pair of dangerously-tall high heels. On this day, Breslin chose the latter. And her confidence and surprising maturity were matched only by her tenacious determination to not fall out of her shoes.

We photographed Breslin at the Ravel Hotel in Long Island City — a small boutique hotel tucked under the Queensboro bridge that’s become a hotspot in the summer thanks to its massive rooftop patio (Sundays are the best days to go FYI). The roof served as the perfect backdrop for our shoot with Breslin, who lives in the Lower East Side with her family but admitted to rarely getting a chance to see Manhattan from across the river. While some young stars are notoriously difficult to work with, Breslin seemed to be just as excited about the shoot as we were, pouring over the clothes and shoes to find something that would represent a more “grown-up” Abigail Breslin, while still maintaining her own burgeoning sense of style. Did she succeed? Check out a few behind-the-scenes photos below and judge for yourself:

Watch for our full interview with Abigail Breslin in our next issue, in stores soon. And for more behind-the-scenes photos from all our events and photoshoots, check out our gallery HERE.