Shailene Woodley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shailene Woodley
Woodley in 2024
Born	Shailene Diann Woodley (1991-11-15) November 15, 1991 (age 33) San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Awards	Full list

Shailene Diann Woodley (born November 15, 1991) is an American actress. She first became well-known for her main role as Amy Juergens in the ABC Family teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013). She then starred in the movies The Descendants (2011) and The Spectacular Now (2013). For The Descendants, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Woodley became even more famous for her main role as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars (2014). She also played Beatrice Prior in the science-fiction series The Divergent Series (2014–2016). For her acting in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019), she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Since then, she has had smaller roles in movies like Snowden (2016), The Mauritanian (2021), and Ferrari (2023). She also starred in Adrift (2018) and The Last Letter from Your Lover (2021).

Woodley is also an environmental activist. She is a Greenpeace Oceans Ambassador. She has helped the organization talk to leaders about environmental policy ideas. These include the High Seas Treaty and the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty. She is part of the board for Conservation International and an advisory council for GoodLeap. She is also a board member of Our Revolution, a group that supports certain political ideas. She co-founded All it Takes, a nonprofit organization that helps young people grow.

Early Life

Woodley grew up in Simi Valley, California. Her mother, Lori, is a school counselor. Her father, Lonnie Woodley, is a school principal. She has a younger brother.

When she was 15, doctors found that her scoliosis was causing her spine to curve. She wore a plastic brace to help stop it. Woodley went to Simi Valley High School. She also took acting classes from Anthony Meindl.

Career Beginnings

Early TV Roles

Woodley in 2008

Woodley started acting in 1999 with a small role in the TV movie Replacing Dad. She then had small TV roles in The District and Crossing Jordan. In Crossing Jordan, she played the main character as a 10-year-old. She also had a main role in the TV movie A Place Called Home (2004). For this, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award.

She also played young Kaitlin Cooper in The O.C.. In 2005, she appeared as the main character Felicity Merriman in the TV movie Felicity: An American Girl Adventure. Her acting earned her another Young Artist Award nomination. After this, Woodley had many guest roles in other TV shows. These included Everybody Loves Raymond, My Name is Earl, CSI: NY, Close to Home, and Cold Case.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Woodley was then cast as the main character, Amy Juergens, in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013). The show was about a 15-year-old girl who finds out she is pregnant. It explored how her pregnancy affected her family, friends, and herself. Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly praised her acting. The show was very popular and became one of ABC Family's most-watched shows. It ran for five seasons and had over 121 episodes.

Film Breakthrough

The Descendants and The Spectacular Now

In 2011, Woodley made her first movie appearance in The Descendants. She played Alex, the older daughter of Matt King (played by George Clooney). Movie critics really liked her acting. A. O. Scott from The New York Times said she gave "one of the toughest, smartest, most credible adolescent performances." Peter Debruge from Variety called her acting a "revelation." Woodley was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. People magazine named her one of 2012's "Most Beautiful at Every Age."

Woodley starred in the movie The Spectacular Now (2013). It was based on Tim Tharp's novel. She played Aimee Finecky, a quiet, book-loving teenager. She starts dating the charming high-school senior (Miles Teller). The movie first showed at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. Her portrayal of Aimee received a lot of praise. Critics said Woodley and Teller showed "such an authentic face of confidence and questioning." Woodley won a Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. She was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.

Woodley in 2011

Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars

In October 2012, Woodley was offered the role of Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. However, her scenes were cut from the movie. The director, Marc Webb, said it was to "streamline the story."

In 2014, Woodley starred as Beatrice "Tris" Prior in the movie Divergent. This movie was based on Veronica Roth's popular young-adult novel. The story is set in a future dystopian Chicago. The movie received mixed reviews, but Woodley's acting as Tris was praised. Divergent was a financial success.

Also in 2014, Woodley starred as Hazel Grace Lancaster in The Fault in Our Stars. This movie was based on John Green's novel. She played a 16-year-old cancer patient who falls in love with Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort). John Green said that Woodley's "love for the book and her understanding of Hazel blew me away." The movie was a huge success, earning over $307 million worldwide. Woodley's acting received great reviews. Peter Travers from Rolling Stone called her a "sublime actress." Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times said her acting was good enough to win an Oscar. In November 2014, she received The Hollywood Film Award for Hollywood Breakout Performance – Actress for her role as Hazel.

Later Roles and Break

Divergent Sequels and Snowden

Woodley in 2014

In 2015, Woodley played Tris again in The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the second movie in The Divergent Series. Her acting was again praised by critics. Insurgent was a commercial success. She played her role again in the next movie, Allegiant (2016). However, this movie was not liked by critics and did not make much money. Lionsgate planned to make the final movie, Ascendant, for TV. But Woodley said she would not be part of it. She wanted the series to end as a full movie, to do justice to her character Tris.

She then starred with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Oliver Stone's movie Snowden (2016). Gordon-Levitt played Edward Snowden, and Woodley played Lindsay Mills, Snowden's girlfriend. The movie first showed at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Big Little Lies and Adrift

Starting in 2015, Woodley took a break from acting for almost a year. She thought about quitting, saying she "had hit a wall with acting." But she "fell in love" with acting again through Big Little Lies. In 2017, Woodley starred with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies. Sarah Rense of Esquire praised Woodley's acting. She was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for her role. She played Jane Chapman again in the second season in 2019.

She also starred in and produced the movie Adrift (2018). Woodley learned sailing and did her own difficult actions for the movie. Most of the movie was filmed on the open ocean. Daniel Feingold called her acting "Oscar-worthy." Woodley received the Rising Star Award at the 2018 Deauville Film Festival.

In 2019, Woodley starred in the romantic drama Endings, Beginnings. She played Daphne, a character trying to improve her life. The movie was not liked very much.

Recent Work

Woodley speaking at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016

In 2021, Woodley had a smaller role in Kevin Macdonald's movie The Mauritanian. She played Teri Duncan, a junior lawyer. She also had a small role in The Fallout. This was a tribute to her friendship with the director, Megan Park. She then starred in and helped produce the romantic drama The Last Letter from Your Lover. She played Jennifer Stirling, a married woman in the 1960s.

In 2023, Woodley starred in and produced the crime thriller movie To Catch a Killer. She played Eleanor Falco, a talented but troubled police officer. Rex Reed of Observer said Woodley "adds another laurel to her already impressive resume." She also starred with Jack Whitehall in the sci-fi comedy Robots. Woodley said she accepted the role because it was her first chance to do a comedy. She also appeared in Dumb Money. She played Lina Lardi in Michael Mann's movie Ferrari.

Woodley starred as a fictional version of author Lisa Taddeo in the drama series Three Women (2024). She will also star in Philippe Lacôte's mystery thriller Killer Heat (2024).

Personal Life

In 2018, Woodley confirmed she was dating Australian-Fijian rugby union player Ben Volavola. Their relationship reportedly ended in April 2020.

Woodley was reported to be in a relationship with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2020. In February 2021, Rodgers mentioned his "fiancée" during an awards speech. Woodley confirmed she was engaged to Rodgers in February 2021 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In February 2022, it was reported that Woodley and Rodgers had ended their engagement.

Environmental Activism

Woodley is very active in protecting the environment and fighting climate change. In 2010, she and her mother started the nonprofit organization All it Takes. This program helps young people learn empathy, compassion, and responsibility. It aims to create positive change for themselves, others, and the environment. She received the Philanthropy Award from Variety for her work with All it Takes. She supported and campaigned for Bernie Sanders for president in 2016. Woodley organized the Up to Us movement. This was a trip across the country to the Democratic National Convention. Its goal was to bring Americans together and raise awareness about important issues.

Woodley at Web Summit 2016 - Future Societies, November 2016

In 2016, Woodley protested against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This was an underground pipeline meant to carry oil. In October, she was arrested for trespassing while protesting. She was live-streaming the protest on Facebook when it happened. This brought a lot of media attention and made more people aware of the situation. Many other celebrities supported Woodley. She paid bail for herself and 26 other protesters. Ten days after her arrest, she wrote an article for Time. It was called "The Truth About My Arrest." In it, she shared her experience and raised awareness about the environmental issues. She later pleaded guilty and was given a year of probation.

In mid-2016, Woodley joined the board of Our Revolution. This group aims to teach voters about issues and get people involved in politics. As an environmental activist, Woodley spoke at a National Town Hall in 2018. It was called "Solving Our Climate Crisis" and was hosted by Our Revolution founder Bernie Sanders. The event talked about climate change and ways to protect the Earth. On September 29, 2016, Woodley was honored at the 20th Anniversary Global Green Environmental Awards. She received an award for her environmental leadership. In October 2016, she received the Female EMA Futures Award. She also received the Advocate Award at the 2016 InStyle Awards for helping others. In 2017, the environmental group Sierra Club honored Woodley for her local activism.

Woodley believes strongly in clean and renewable energy. In 2017, she wrote an opinion piece for The Hill. It was called "US Should Run on Renewable Energy by 2050." She encouraged Americans to support clean energy. This led to her introducing the 100 by '50 Act. This bill asks the United States to reduce carbon pollution and use 100% clean energy by 2050. In 2019, she supported Indigenized Energy. This local nonprofit brings solar energy and jobs to Native Americans.

Woodley has used her voice for many environmental campaigns. She is part of Conservation International's Leadership Council. She also worked with American Express and Parley for the Oceans to fight ocean plastic pollution. She joined Ocean Unite's 30x30 mission. This aims to protect at least 30% of the Earth's oceans by 2030.

In July 2019, Woodley became an Oceans Ambassador for Greenpeace. She went on a three-week trip to the Sargasso Sea. There, she studied how plastics affect ocean life. She also helped show why this special ocean area needs protection under a new global ocean treaty. She wrote an article for Time about her experience. The expedition helped lead to the UN Ocean Treaty being agreed upon in March 2023. This agreement helps keep the 30x30 target alive. In 2020, Woodley partnered with Karün, a company that makes eyewear from recycled waste.

In 2022, Woodley became a member of GoodLeap's Advisory Council. In 2023, Woodley joined Greenpeace in Paris. She asked the United Nations to create a strong Global Treaty to end plastic pollution. This happened during a meeting about a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.

Woodley signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter. In 2023, she also appeared in the Italian documentary Materia Viva. She talked about her care for the environment in this film.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Replacing Dad	Little Girl	Television film
2001–2003	District, TheThe District	Kristin Debreno	3 episodes
2001–2004	Crossing Jordan	Young Jordan Cavanaugh	4 episodes
2003	Without a Trace	Young Clare Metcalf	Episode: "Clare de Lune"
2003–2004	O.C., TheThe O.C.	Kaitlin Cooper	6 episodes
2004	Everybody Loves Raymond	Snotty Girl #2	Episode: "Party Dress"
	Place Called Home, AA Place Called Home	California "Cali" Ford	Television film
2004–2005	Jack & Bobby	Chloe Benedict	2 episodes
2005	Felicity: An American Girl Adventure	Felicity Merriman	Television film
	Once Upon a Mattress	Molly	Television film
2006	My Name Is Earl	Young Gwen	Episode: "BB"
2007	CSI: NY	Evie Pierpont	Episode: "A Daze of Wine and Roaches"
	Close to Home	Gaby Tursi	Episode: "Getting In"
	Cold Case	Sarah Gunden	Episode: "Running Around"
	Final Approach	Maya Bender	Television film
2008–2013	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Amy Juergens	Main role, 121 episodes
2017, 2019	Big Little Lies	Jane Chapman	Main role, 14 episodes
2024	Three Women	Gia Lombardi	Main role, 10 episodes
2024	Hope in the Water	Herself	Docuseries

Key

Denotes television series that have not yet been released

Theater

Music videos

Video games

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Shailene Woodley para niños