Theo James and Shailene Woodley Fought to Reshoot that ‘Divergent’ Kiss Scene
Theo James has been happily married to his wife since 2018. Meanwhile, Shailene Woodley may or may not still be engaged to Aaron Rodgers. But despite these facts, some Divergent fans are still shipping the movies stars in real life. The pair portrayed on-screen lovers, Beatrice “Tris” Prior and Tobias “Four” Eaton and their chemistry was palpable. Furthermore, they seemed to have a good rapport in real life as well and became friends while working together.
There’s no evidence to support that James and Woodley had a romantic relationship in real life. However, they weren’t shy about how much they respected and cared for one another. In fact, the Big Little Lies alum shared that part of the reason she bonded with James was because of the respect that he had for the craft of acting. Given how big Divergent was, the then-newcomer, James, could’ve been wrapped up in the glitz and the fame. Instead, he was focused on bringing his character to life in a truthful way.
Shailene Woodley explains where her chemistry with Theo James stems from
“Theo is in it for the right reasons,” Woodley stated in an interview with The Daily Beast. “He’s not in it for the glamour, the toys, or the excess, and neither am I, so we respect each other on that level. And we’re good teammates and have each other’s backs, and I think a lot of our chemistry stems from that.”
The chemistry between the pair was certainly palpable during the famous kiss scene in Divergent. After Four saves Tris from being attacked, she spends the night in his room. Eventually, the romantic tension between the pair comes to a head and they share a kiss. The moment was well-received by most fans. Perhaps that’s because Woodley and James spent so much time trying to get the moment just right.
The ‘Divergent’ stars were intent on getting Tris and Four’s first kiss just right
In an interview with Games Radar, James got candid about the kissing scene in Divergent. Calling it the toughest stunt in the film, the Downton Abbey alum talked about its importance. “Genuinely the kissing scene Shai and I, in a real way, wanted that to be as good as possible,” James recalled. “Because it’s the only time they get together and the only really kissy smooshy scene. And we wanted it to be good and to fulfill the things that it needs to fulfill and be real and not ebb on the side of lots of cheese.”
James and Woodley fought to reshoot the kissing scene in ‘Divergent’
In fact, the actors we so insistent on getting the kissing scene right that they campaigned to refilm it after they weren’t satisfied with the first take. “We actually shot that a second time because the first time it didn’t feel quite right, we really wanted to honor it in a way that it is earned,” James shared. “Hopefully, it is earned because there is not a lot of batting eyelids and kind of fawning towards each other in the whole film. It’s quite a functional, tough, intricate, complex relationship so when they eventually kiss I hope it’s earned.”
Clearly, Woodley and James put a ton of thought into their characters’ relationship in Divergent. But considering many fans remember the scene, it seems like the additional effort was well worth it.
