Shailene Woodley ‘Hit a Wall With Acting’ Before ‘Big Little Lies’
Though Shailene Woodley may not seem like it, she was, in fact, a child actor. She was only five when she got her start in the entertainment industry. While she attended regular school, she also started getting consistent work and building her resume. Today, her CV spans more than two decades and features a bunch of great movies and TV shows. But there was a time, shortly before she was cast in Big Little Lies, that Woodley needed to take a hard stop with acting.
Shailene Woodley gave a standout performance in ‘Big Little Lies’
Though she was already a successful working actor prior to Big Little Lies, playing Jane Chapman was another boon to Woodley’s career. Even amid a star-studded cast, Woodley’s performance stood out and she earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of the young mom. But interestingly enough, the actor wasn’t initially interested in starring in the show. When the script was first sent to her, she was on a self-imposed hiatus from acting.
Why Woodley took a break from acting
In an interview with Net-a-Porter, Woodley got candid about taking a break from Hollywood. “There was a point in my life, right before Big Little Lies, where I had hit a wall with acting,” she recalled. “I felt it was time to do something different. I called my agents and said, ‘Please don’t send me any more scripts; I need to explore other avenues.”
But what triggered the need for a break? It seems that Woodley was working through some complex feelings surrounding the Divergent films. Fans of the dystopian movies will recall that there were initially supposed to be four films. However, the last one, Ascendant, got scrapped due to poor reviews and box office performance. There was talk about making Ascendant into a TV show, but that wasn’t something Woodley was interested in.
The actor wasn’t interested in doing a TV show for the final ‘Divergent’ movie
“Last I heard they were trying to make it into a television show,” Woodley shared with Screen Rant about Ascendant. “I didn’t sign up to be in a television show. Out of respect to the studio and everyone involved, they may have changed their mind and may be doing something different, but I’m not necessarily interested in doing a television show.”
‘Big Little Lies’ renewed Woodley’s love of acting
While Woodley doesn’t regret her participation in the Divergent films, they seemed to be a bit hard on her spirit. After she filmed Allegiant, she knew she needed a break. Speaking with Net-a-Porter, she shared that she’d almost taken a full year off before Big Little Lies came along, reinvigorating her love for the craft of acting.
“The last [Divergent movie] was a bit of a hard experience for everyone, and that was really what made me think I need to have some human experiences outside of this industry and fall in love with acting again, and Big Little Lies did that for me,” Woodley shared. Considering what a success the HBO show was, we’re sure Woodley is thrilled that she decided to come on board.
