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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Shailene Woodley is keeping her own records after experiencing life as a journalist in her upcoming film, Three Women, set to release September 13.
While speaking to Bustle for a September feature story, the 32-year-old Divergent star ensured she had a recorded copy of the conversation for fact-checking purposes. Why? Because Woodley thinks journalists can sometimes be “sneaky,” especially since she played one in the movie based on Lisa Taddeo’s novel.
In the cover story, Bustle writer Chloe Joe noted how the actress’s phone was on and recording for their entire interview because, according to Woodley, she needs proof of everything she says.
“I try to approach things always from a place of positivity, and it’s not always the case. Journalists can be really f***ing sneaky,” she told Joe. “That’s why I record everything now, because I’m like, ‘You say something I didn’t say? I got proof.’
“But it’s a weird world because I want to be genuine, and I am, and you never know how that’s going to come across,” Woodley continued.
That said, the Adrift star said she knows not everyone is like her. In fact, Woodley has little tolerance for people who “perform” for others instead of being their authentic selves.
“I’m very uninterested in the performance of people at this moment in life. I’m uninterested in the external value that we put on everything,” she confessed. “I find the performance of being something else in order to receive love or acceptance or work from others to be the ultimate form of soul death.”
Calling off her engagement to Aaron Rodgers in April 2022, Woodley was thrown into the throngs of heartbreak, dealing with the reality of her relationship. With this, the Ferrari star learned that she didn’t need to be the one to fix issues in the relationship for the sake of the other person – which is why she no longer “performs” for others either.
She noted: “Ultimately, that has helped me walk away without the need to understand why certain things didn’t play out the way that I may have desired them to.”
As someone raised by two psychologists, Woodley didn’t have a lot of practice in setting boundaries. Her parents – Lonnie and Lori – enforced a “zero boundaries” household when she was a kid, which wasn’t necessarily the best thing for her. Now, she’s learned how important they are, especially in the film and television industry.
Starting her acting career at a young age meant Woodley had a particularly heavy responsibility placed on her.
“The narrative crafted was: Everything is dependent on my ability to be aware, responsible, accountable, knowledgeable, and professional, for family and for career,” she explained of her life at the start of her acting journey. “When I was younger, I felt like I had to be the one with the answers [or] the whole world would fall apart. Completely untrue.”
