Shailene Woodley on Her Open Relationship; ‘There Should Be No Rules…’
If there’s one thing Shailene Woodley is known for, it’s doing things her own way. Though she’s been in the spotlight for over half of her life, the Divergent star has never lived like a traditional actress. Rather than settling in Los Angeles or even New York, Woodley lives in a way that’s often nomadic, living in different parts of the country and the world. Furthermore, though she’s highly-recognizable, she doesn’t allow all the fame to get to her head. Moving around consistently allows her relationship with fame to be different from many of her colleagues.
Naturally, moving around a lot has allowed the 28-year-old to see the world in a different way. Her personal relationships are no different. In a recent interview with the New York Times, the Big Little Lies star got candid about how she views romantic relationships when talking about her latest film Endings, Beginnings. In the film, her character is stuck in the midst of a love triangle and trying to decipher which person is the right choice for her.
Shailene Woodley has been in an open relationship
While talking about the film, Woodley shared that she’s been in both open and monogamous relationships in the past. She shared that people shouldn’t feel restricted by societal expectations of love, but rather define them for themselves.
“Listen, I’m someone who has experienced both an open relationship and a deeply monogamous relationship in my life, and I think we’re in a day and age where there should be no rules except for the ones designed by two people in a partnership — or three people, whatever floats your boat!” The O.C. alum confessed.
The ‘Divergent’ star thinks people should make their own rules
Of course, Woodley added that making one’s own rules requires trust and honest communication. Other than that, she shared that people should be allowed to explore relationships in whatever capacity works for them.
“But there has to be a level of responsibility in any relationship dynamic, and that responsibility is simply honesty and communication and trust. Apart from that, it’s really none of our business what people choose to do with their lives,” Woodley continued.
Exploring the concept of monogamy
The actress also added that the concept of monogamy is one that she’s been thinking about more and more lately. She wonders if being someone actually changes you or if they simply unveil something about yourself that was already there.
“We’re societally conditioned to assume that one person can be our end-all, be-all. This is a concept I’ve been thinking about often right now, because I’m very much single and I’ve chosen to be single for a while. The idea of being with someone … is it only because you’ve fallen in love with that person, or because there’s a newness to understanding yourself because of what that person can offer you?” Woodley questioned about the concept of monogamous relationships.
Woodley’s open perspective about relationships is certainly refreshing. It’ll be interesting to see how her unique viewpoint translated into her new film. We can’t wait to see how this mindset lends itself to the screen.
