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Shailene Woodley: Back to Independent Films After Divergent

Young actress also wants to direct

By Marc Malkin Mar 07, 2014 2:30 AMTags
Shailene Woodley, DivergentSummit Entertainment

Shailene Woodley is on the verge of becoming one of the biggest young stars in Hollywood.

The first of the three Divergent movies she's starring in hits theaters on March 21.

But Woodley's already thinking about her life back in independent film.

"Studio films, there are so many cooks in the kitchen," she told me at the Independent Spirit Awards. "It's like, there are just a lot of people. Independent film is so nice because the same people in the editing room are the same people who were on set with you that day."

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Woodley has major cred in the indie world. She received a Golden Globes nomination for her work playing George Clooney's daughter in director Alexander Payne's The Descendants. Last year's The Spectacular Now with Miles Teller was a huge critical success.

When I ask if she'll be returning to smaller projects after Divergent, Woodley says, "Oh, yeah! Indies are where it's at."

She also has plans to go behind the camera. "I'll direct one day," she said. "I love to feel and I love truthful, authentic films that are very thought-provoking or emotion-provoking."

Woodley recently revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Jennifer Lawrence convinced her to sign on to Divergent.

According to Woodley, the Oscar-winning Hunger Games star told her via a series of email exchanges, "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."