Shailene Woodley on Why She Needed to Work on a Farm in Between Filming
Shailene Woodley has never made her passion for agriculture a secret. She developed a keen interest in environmentalism after taking a class in high school and that love has only grown since then. As her knowledge has expanded, Woodley has found ways to embrace an environmentally conscious lifestyle. She forages a lot of her own food, makes her own medicine, and even gets her water from a natural source. The actor has even made working on a farm in between projects a part of her self-care practice.
Shailene Woodley never got into acting for the glitz and glam
Though Woodley has been acting since she was five, she was never drawn to the glamorous side of Hollywood. She has a passion for storytelling but resented the more shallow aspects of her career for many years. The Divergent alum has spoken candidly about how she rejected the pressure to look or act a certain way after she began accruing recognition for her work. Instead, she found herself gravitating toward nature, even choosing to work on farms in between projects.
The actor often worked on a farm between shooting movies and TV shows
“The idea of magazines, press lines, red carpets, and fashion, all of that was so overwhelming that I stayed away from it all,” Woodley shared with Net-a-Porter. “I can’t half-a*s anything, so when it came to me having to look a certain way or speak a certain way for this image I was meant to create, it turned me off. When I wasn’t filming I would work on a farm somewhere because that’s what I could hold onto that felt real.”
What didn’t feel real to Woodley was morphing into someone she wasn’t. After she starred in The Descendants, she received pressure from studios that she needed to alter her appearance to become “more cosmopolitan.” At 18, she found that idea ludicrous and did everything she could to reject it. Though she recognized that was an expectation for her to look and act a certain way after receiving fame and acclaim, she refused to lean into it.
Woodley rejected the traditional Hollywood starlet trope
“I didn’t want to be a mannequin for someone to dress up and throw on a red carpet,” Woodley recalled. “We often see a pattern with young women in this industry: they lose a bit of weight after they become successful, their hair changes, or their skin becomes clear. There’s a lot that goes into the behind-the-scenes that, if that’s not your thing, can itch at your soul.”
Whether it’s rejecting a certain way of dressing or spending time on a farm, Woodley has found a way to manage her unique lifestyle. Throughout her expansive career, she has always fought to be her authentic self. And while she may have raised eyebrows with some of her more unusual choices, at least she’s found a way to stay grounded amid the highs and lows of Hollywood.
