Shailene Woodley Will Never Get Used to Having Fans: ‘It Feels Odd’
Having started her career at the young age of 5, Shailene Woodley has been acting for nearly all of her life. And the California native has certainly amassed plenty of fans along the way. Her performances in movies like Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars and TV shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager have cemented her celebrity status. But even though Woodley is a well-recognized actor with millions of people following her career, she still isn’t used to having fans.
Shailene Woodley doesn’t think of herself as famous despite having millions of Instagram followers
Despite the fact that she’s been in blockbuster movies and graced many a magazine cover, Woodley doesn’t really think of herself as famous. Over the years, she’s erected boundaries that afford her quite a bit of privacy. Though the actor is known for her candor, she manages to lead a pretty private lifestyle. And while some of her projects have had built-in fandoms, she finds herself perplexed by the idea of actors having fans. While speaking with Flaunt Magazine, she expressed her opinions on this subject.
The movie star gets candid about the idea of fans
“I just find the whole f word, this whole ‘fan’ word, so completely fascinating,” Woodley explained. “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. [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… Now I feel like there’s this odd sort of obsession with certain people.”
Woodley thinks it’s strange to have fans that support just her rather than her acting projects
Because Woodley is aware of the general public’s obsession with celebrities, she does her best to distance herself from her work. It’s a bit discomforting for her to think about people who are super invested in her as a person rather than her work. “So, for me, I try to separate myself from my project; and I hope that people support that project,” Woodley continued. “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.”
How does Woodley circumvent her celebrity status?
But how does Woodley create such distance? One way is that she doesn’t entertain a typical celebrity lifestyle. She doesn’t frequent the “trendy” spots where other celebrities go to be photographed. In her interviews, she speaks a lot more about her projects and personal passions than her private life. When she does encounter fans in real life, she tries to speak to them with a semblance of normalcy. At this point in her career, it’s clear that Woodley will likely always have fans. However, she’s learned how to navigate being a celebrity even if she doesn’t necessarily understand or agree with it.
