Shailene Woodley Explains Why She Got Rid of Her Belongings at Age 19
Shailene Woodley has quite an impressive net worth. The Endings, Beginnings star has been acting for the last 25 years. Starring in films like Divergent and TV shows like Big Little Lies have helped her to become a multimillionaire. But despite her immense wealth, Woodley has always led a pretty low-key lifestyle. In fact, at age 19, she famously got rid of nearly all of her belongings. But why did she make that choice?
Shailene Woodley got passionate about the environment at a young age
Long-time fans of Woodley likely know that she’s an environmentalist in addition to being an actor. Thanks to a high school agriculture course, The Fallout star started thinking about her food consumption at a young age. That eventually led to her having a passion for the environment. In fact, it was that passion for the environment that inspired Woodley to give up the overwhelming majority of her possessions.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ actor explained why she got rid of her things at 19
“I actually got rid of my belongings when I was 19,” Woodley explained on The Avocado Show. “That was an environmental thing. I was like, I want to see what I can live without and what I can live with. And that’s when I got rid of everything and had a carry-on suitcase. I had like a couple pairs of jeans and a sweater. I had the daily kind of essentials, like a toothbrush and deodorant.”
In addition to clothing and hygiene products, Woodley always kept one important thing on her person. However, it was not something that was luxurious or even high-tech. “The main thing that I really had with me, no matter where I was, was a journal because I’m a big writer,” Woodley continued. “And also that’s how you can like, leave notes and send letters to people.”
Woodley lived a nomadic lifestyle in her early 20s
Living out of a suitcase may have been an unusual choice, but it worked very well for Woodley. This was especially true since she was fairly nomadic in her early 20s. Rather than having a permanent home, she lived all over the world, crashing in friends’ homes and on their couches. And while not having roots might unnerve some people, it made Woodley feel more grounded. Furthermore, The Fault in Our Stars actor believes that it helped her grow as an artist.
“Moving around a lot makes me feel more secure, and it makes me a better artist because I get to talk to and learn from people,” Woodley explained to InStyle. “If I’m going to tell stories outside my wheelhouse, I need to at least have personally observed these experiences to understand them. Not all actors are like that because they are classically trained. I’m not.” Clearly, giving up her belongings at a young age worked out well for Woodley. It’ll be interesting to see if she returns to her nomadic ways now that she’s in her 30s.
