Shailene Woodley is playing Beatrice "Tris" Prior, a rebel in a dystopian Chicago, for her new movie, "Divergent," based on a series of books by Veronica Roth. Although the role seemed solid, with a large number of fans looking forward to the big screen adaptation, Woodley was originally not sure if she wanted to take on the role. She eventually did, and it's a bit of a surprise to learn who convinced her to do so.
According to E! Online, the 22-year-old has Oscar-winning friend, Jennifer Lawrence, to thank for the role. Woodley shared that Lawrence was able to convince her via email, saying, "You must do it. You will not regret it for a second. Yes, there are some hard things, but there are so many beautiful things that will come from an opportunity like this."
Lionsgate motion picture group co-president Erik Feid admitted to enlisting Lawrence to get Woodley on board with the role. He shared, "I don't know what happened, but I do know that after that interaction, Shailene said, 'OK, now I'll make Divergent. Let's talk.'"
In the March 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter, Woodley was asked how her character would fare against The Hunger Games protagonist Katniss Everdeen.
She told them, "If my character and Katniss from The Hunger Games battled it out? I don't know. I don't feel like they would actually battle. I feel like it'd be like 'You're a strong lady? I'm a strong lady too. Let's combine forces and bring it together.'"
Although Divergent may put Woodley's career trajectory on track, the actress is reported to be banking only around $250,000 to $500,000 for the first film, at least according to a report by THR. But that does not mean she is not a bankable actress, because she is. In fact, she has another big role in a tearjerker based on a book by John Green. In her summer flick, "The Fault In Our Stars," 22-year-old Woodley will be playing the role of the cancer-ridden Hazel Grace Lancaster.
"Divergent" will be released in theaters on March 21.
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