We’re about to see and hear a lot more about Shailene Woodley.The actress is set to take on the role of Beatrice Prior in the Young Adult hit book, Divergent. Like Harry Potter, Hunger Games and the like, it is the first installment in a trilogy of books by author Veronica Roth. I’ve seen the trailer… it doesn’t look bad, it just doesn’t really look like my cup of tea. (Trailer after the jump)
I don’t really have much of an opinion on Shailene, I suppose. I never watched her show ‘The Secret Life of a Teenager,’ but I did think she was amazing in the George Clooney movie ‘The Descendants.’
Apparently she’s very spiritual, very hippie, very earthy. I think she calls it alternative. She gathers her own spring water from the mountains (seriously), she makes her own cheese, butter, toothpaste, medicines. She’s very down to earth, you see. I thought the interview was rather interesting, honestly. She seems to have a great outlook on things. I’ll hand it to her. And she’s beautiful. Here’s the interview, much more after the jump!
On her alternative lifestyle: “I think everything about my lifestyle is fairly alternative. I gather my own spring water from mountains every month. I go to a farm to get my food. I make everything from my own toothpaste to my own body lotions and face oils,” she laughs at the long list. “I could go on for hours. I make my own medicines; I don’t get those from doctors. I make my own cheese and forage wild foods and identify wild plants. It’s an entire lifestyle. It’s appealing to my soul.”
On ‘The Secret Life of a Teenager’: “I didn’t like it because if it started to change, I had no control over it. It’s like anything in life, whether you’re an actor or you work in an insurance office, if you want to be able to leave your job, it’s nice to be able to leave your job. But when you’re in a contract, unfortunately, you can’t do that. I’m extremely grateful for it; it was a fantastic five years of my life, but towards the end, morally, the things that we were preaching on that show weren’t really aligned with my own integrity. So that was a bit hard to show up to work every day knowing that we were going to project all of these themes to thousands—millions—of young adults across the country, when in fact they weren’t what I would like to be sending out.”
On playing Beatrice Prior in ‘Divergent’: “I was extremely passionate about the character, and about the project. I thought that it was worth it to sign on to do another series.”
MUCH MORE AFTER THE JUMP!
On method acting: “I’m not one of those actors who feels like they need to get in character, to do any sort of method acting situations. For me it’s all about learning my lines, showing up on time, and professionally listening to what others are saying, and then authentically and truthfully reacting off of their expressions. So, it’s easy to drop roles, because I don’t feel like I acquire them to begin with.”
On being a celebrity: “I just find the whole f word, this whole ‘fan’ word, so completely fascinating. I think it’s one thing to be a fan of a particular movie—growing up, I was a huge fan of The Goonies and certain bands or musicians. [But] I look back at my favorite childhood films, and I don’t remember being obsessed, or necessarily being a fan of a particular actor. I was excited to see what they were going to do next, but…” she trails off, the perplexity audible in her voice. “Now I feel like there’s this odd sort of obsession with certain people. So, for me, I try to separate myself from my project; and I hope that people support that project. But when people are solely supporting me, it feels odd; it’s something that I haven’t quite gotten used to and I don’t think I ever will.”
On playing the paparazzi game: “You hear a lot about people who go out and put themselves in the position to be photographed, and go to the places where they’re expected to be seen. And because I don’t really read those weekly magazines, I don’t really know who or what people are talking about right now. But I think somebody like Jennifer Lawrence handles it incredibly well, or Kate Winslet. Strong women who are able to maintain their personal lives, yet graciously—and gratefully—entertain the other side of their lives as well.”
Source