Let's talk about Shailene Woodley.
Unlike some young stars, the 22-year-old actress has mastered the ability to speak confidently and eloquently in press interviews—even if what she says leaves some people scratching their heads.
Woodley's been in the press more than ever in the months leading up to Divergent's March 21 release, but the former Secret Life of the American Teenager star has been enlightening readers for years by sharing her candid views on appreciating nature, eschewing technology, tanning in the nude and more.
The movie star never holds back when she chats with reporters—and that's what makes her so refreshing! In honor of Woodley's colorful candor, E! News reexamines 20 of the Fault in Our Stars actress' most memorable quotes from April 2011 to April 2014.
1. "My name came from a license plate, actually. My mom was driving when she was 18, she was in traffic on the freeway, and the car in front of her the license plate said 'Shai' and then it had a bunch of numbers," Woodley told reporters in April 2011. "She doesn't even know if it was supposed to be pronounced as Shai, but she created that in her mind."
2. "I'm fine with saying the normal 'F' and 'C' words, but famous and celebrity are off-limits in my book," the California native told Paper in December 2011, just before referencing her Descendants co-star. "I just think they are nasty words, unless you're George Clooney or a few other select people."
3. "I was 14, and my grandma is a naturopath, and she took my blood—she does live blood and cell analysis. She was like, 'You should probably eat more vegetables, and microwaves are not great for you.' And so I started doing research, and I haven't used a microwave since. And that kind of kicked off eating vegetables. But I still liked processed foods," Woodley told BlackBook in December 2011. "And then, at around 16, I got really, really big into the environment and the importance of realizing that we are nature, which a lot of people have forgotten. We're not part of nature, we are nature."
4. "Some movies have made me laugh, but I've never thought, 'Wow, if it weren't for that movie, I'd be a different person.' Except Pocahontas," the actress told L.A. Confidential in January 2012 of the animated Disney movie. "It's true! If you listen to the lyrics they actually have incredibly valuable lessons for human beings to learn, and whenever I need a pick-me-up, I just watch Pocahontas."
5. "I've always had a thing for trees; I think they are just so profound, so when I was 15 and in high school, I was watching the trees and the leaves blowing in the wind. The juxtaposition of the wind blowing, and the leaves and the trash from the school lunch in the air, made me so mad. Ever since then I have just had this really intense passion for educating myself and other people, on the environment and what we're doing to the planet," Woodley told Coco Eco in January/February 2012. "It's more than just recycling or picking up a piece of trash, or turning off the water when you're brushing your teeth. It's about treating everything with compassion and love, including humanity."
6. "I definitely want to go to college," Woodley told Vanity Fair in February 2012. "But right now I feel like I'm taking my life lessons backpacking and gardening and learning how to make tables. I'm really interested in woodworking. I want to maybe start a furniture business one day."
7. "I'm not a girlie girl at all. I never wear dresses. I'm always in either long, baggy skirts that I can still do 'crisscross applesauce' in, or blue jeans," she told Malibu in February 2012. "I'm very lucky to work with a stylist who cares about fashion, because I don't at all. And I'm very lucky to have a makeup artist and hair guy who are really good at what they do, because I would go to events with no makeup and no hair and in pajamas if I could."
8. "I'm excited to become a badass archer," she told ASOS in June 2012. "I want to be able to shoot a small pen dot on the wall, 20 feet away. I want to be like [The Hunger Games'] Katniss."
9. "If I didn't have acting, I would be just as happy," Woodley told Marie Claire in August 2013. "I would probably be an herbalist, or maybe I would open a fruit stand on a Hawaiian island."
10. "I think everything about my lifestyle is fairly alternative. I gather my own spring water from mountains every month. I go to a farm to get my food. I make everything from my own toothpaste to my own body lotions and face oils. I could go on for hours," the Spectacular Now star told Flaunt in August 2013. "I make my own medicines; I don't get those from doctors. I make my own cheese and forage wild foods and identify wild plants. It's an entire lifestyle. It's appealing to my soul."
11. "I just started adapting my lifestyle to that of indigenous people, and what I realized is that we're all indigenous creatures on this planet," Woodley told Interview in August 2013. "The whole concept of re-wilding came about through some really good friends of mine, and it's basically about adapting to your current situation. If you're in the city, then you can't go back to hunter-and-gatherer times, so you have to adapt to the lifestyle that's out there."
12. "I'm so young, and I'm single, and I just want to drift. I'm just going to be a drifter," she told Elle in November 2013. "I want to do something totally different before Insurgent. Maybe I'll work in a tea shop. Or live in Amsterdam. Or be a nanny. Life experience only helps us as actors. I need new experiences to draw upon."
13. "I feel like we've skipped a generation. We had the Ashley Judds, the Sigourney Weavers, the Demi Moores, and then it sort of faded and went to a period of making women appear dumb, like they had no worth in the intelligence arena," she told Bust in February/March 2014. "Now there's this reemergence and the fact that I get to be part of another cycle is so exciting. I plan to do some major s--t with it."
14. "I'm not a big technology person. I don't even have a smartphone. I don't even have a cell phone! And if I were to have one, it would be a flip-phone," Woodley told The Daily Beast in March 2014. "I'm talking to people more than I've ever talked to in my life because I no longer have that crutch. The more you get away from all the technological buzz, the more freedom you have."
15. "My religion is the Earth, man. I believe in trees," she told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2014.
16. "I exclusively buy used clothes," Woodley told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2014. "I'm going to be a citizen of this planet, and I'm going to do my responsibility and live in stride with nature instead of constantly fighting against her."
17. "There is an herb called mugwort that I've tried, which is supposed to help enhance dreams. You can burn a little before bed or sleep on a mugwort pillow. It's found in all parts of America, East Coast and West—anytime you see weeds growing through cracks in a parking lot, there's probably mugwort. You can harvest it yourself, dry it, bundle it, and burn it like sage," she told Harper's Bazaar in March 2014. "Specifically, mugwort is associated with lucid dreaming, which I've experienced a few times. I'm no expert, but when I've tried it, I've used a technique where you fall asleep while knocking on a wall. Something about that keeps your brain awake while your body goes to sleep, inducing that great moment when you realize, 'Wow, I'm conscious of the fact that I'm dreaming.'"
18. "I was the latest bloomer there ever was," the White Bird in a Blizzard star told Marie Claire in April 2014. "I was still playing with Barbies at 14 and didn't have my first kiss until 15-and-a-half. He had big, beautiful lips, and I was like, 'I don't know what I'm going to do with those.'"
19. "I first heard about the benefits of eating clay from a taxi driver. He was African and was saying that, where he's from, the women eat clay when they're pregnant," she told Into the Gloss in March 2014. "Seriously—ask your taxi drivers where they are from and about their customs. You will learn a lot."
20. "Another thing I like to do is give my vagina a little vitamin D. I was reading an article written by an herbalist I studied about yeast infections and other genital issues. She said there's nothing better than vitamin D," Woodley told Into the Gloss in March 2014. "If you're feeling depleted, go in the sun for an hour and see how much energy you get. Or, if you live in a place that has heavy winters, when the sun finally comes out, spread your legs and get some sunshine."
What marvelous musings will Woodley come up with next? Only time will tell!