Shailene Woodley talks about ‘Divergent’–and Jennifer Lawrence

WOODLEY. Has a good head on her shoulders. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

LOS ANGELES—We got on with the question right away when we recently interviewed Shailene Woodley: How does she feel about being compared to Jennifer Lawrence? “I feel that comparison always leads to despair—all of our insecurities, lack of confidence always come from comparisons when you were a kid,” the star of “Divergent” answered. “You’re constantly comparing yourself to someone else. In this industry, it’s inevitable that people are going to be compared. If they’re going to compare me to anybody, Jen is who I would choose. She’s incredible!”

Remarkably, Shailene is very much like Jennifer in personality—both are no-nonsense, easygoing, down-to-earth. But, whereas Jennifer likes to dress up at interviews, Shailene looked very casual in a simple white blouse, dark pants and, shall we say, very comfortable shoes (clunky flats, not heels). Not at all what you’d expect from an actress on the cusp of stardom.

“Divergent,” directed by Neil Burger, will be followed by “Insurgent” next year, then “Allegiant” in 2016. Last year, she also starred in the well-received “The Spectacular Now.”

Asked to imagine what would happen if her “Divergent” heroine, Tris, duels with Jennifer’s Katniss from “The Hunger Games, Shailene replied, “I’ve thought about this. I know Tris would be like, ‘Yo, Katniss, you have some bad-ass archery skills.’ Katniss would be like, ‘Hey, Tris, you know how to shoot a gun pretty well. Let’s be on the same team instead of battling against each other.’ So, I think they’ll come together and be like sisters—strong, united women. Then they’d go out and do what they have to do.”

At 22, the actress who’s been acting since she was 8 seems well-equipped to handle fame. In 2011, she broke through in Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” where she memorably played George Clooney’s daughter.

She cited a coming film, “The Fault in Our Stars,” based on John Green’s book about two young cancer patients, for helping shape her outlook. “We have a set amount of time in our lives,” she said as she sat in a meeting room at the Four Seasons Hotel in LA. “That’s something that I learned in ‘The Fault in Our Stars.’ Anything can happen. Right now, there could be an airplane that just happens to crash through this window, and we could just be done. With whatever time we do have on this planet, I’m going to use it and have fun. That’s all I want to do in my life. I want to have fun, because everything’s going to end. It’s all fleeting.

Privilege

“It’s also easier to have fun in life. It’s easier to wake up each day and be like, all right, what are we going to learn? What are we going to do? Who are going to meet? It’s a privilege to be alive. I’m experiencing the world through the eyes of a woman for the first time versus through the eyes of a young adult. It’s interesting. Making that transition into a woman sort of happens in one day. You wake up and you’re like, wow, all those things that used to be important to me, I transcended them!”

On whether  her “Divergent” costar, Kate Winslet, gave her advice, Shailene said, “She just described her experience and what she went through with ‘Titanic.’ Kate is so normal and chill. She’s such a strong woman. She comes into the industry, does her thing and leaves for a long period of time. She is a mom and lives a very normal, grounded, humble life.”

About her kissing scene with Theo James, who plays Four, Shailene laughed, “Oh gosh. Isn’t he one of the funniest people you’ve ever talked to? That scene was actually difficult. We filmed it once. Then we rewrote and refilmed it at the end of the movie because, for Theo and me, it was really important.
“One of the things I love the most about Tris and Four’s relationship is that it’s not based on ‘I need you to need me’ or codependency or any of those themes that you often see in young-adult movies. They fall in love with each other based on what their hearts represent. They’re more partners than lovers. They respect and support each other. They’re proud of one another. It’s such a cool message to be giving to young people—and to all. So, that scene was important because it’s the catalyst to their relationship, to move from being platonic to acknowledging and seeing one another romantically.

Finding the right actor to play Four was a challenge. “We auditioned a lot of guys for Four. It’s such a tricky character because he has to be strong and masculine. He also has to be sensitive, vulnerable and funny. A lot of actors would come into the room, and they would look really masculine, but it’s like they were acting, instead of just being it.”

Chuckling, she added, “They were trying to act strong and sensitive. Even if they were good actors, it was still acting. Theo walked into the room—and he just was! He reminds me of George Clooney. Theo is strong, comfortable in his skin, yet he can relate to you on a very real level.”

Shailene was not desperate to follow up “The Descendants” with just any film. “After ‘The Descendants,’ I didn’t do a movie for two years until ‘The Spectacular Now,’ because I didn’t read a script that I felt creatively stimulated by. Then, last year, I randomly read five scripts in a row where I was like, ‘These are all amazing!’  Now, I’m in the same position again where I haven’t read anything that I’m truly stimulated by.  Obviously, we have a second film, ‘Insurgent,’ to do. But, I’m waiting to read another script that I feel affected by.”

This former child actress does seem to have a good head on her shoulders. “After ‘The Descendants,’ I still have the same attitude. I have acted for 17 years because I love it, it’s fun and I’m passionate about it. The day that it becomes too stressful is the day I’ll quit because, like I said earlier, we’ve only got a certain amount of time. If I’m not having fun, I’m moving on
—next, please!”

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