Though Shailene Woodley keeps her private life out of the spotlight for the most part, she doesn't hold back when it comes to speaking her mind and opening up about her outlook on the world—much of which stemmed from her upbringing.
The 24-year-old actress sat down for the latest issue of NET-A-PORTER.com's digital magazine, The EDIT and explained a bit about how her parents—her dad, a psychologist, and her mom, a counselor—chose to raise her.
"My family is super-f--ked up in many ways, but they are also my everything," she admitted unabashedly. "They would do anything for me, and I would do anything for them. That's a lot more than most people can say about their families. I'm grateful for the s--t that happened."
While she didn't go into great detail, she did provide a couple examples about the unique style of parenting she received.
For instance, when Shailene and her younger brother, Tanner, would get into typical sibling arguments, her parents would make them stand on the lawn and hug it out for hours on end—in front of their neighbors and everything!
"The whole time you're just seething, you're disliking this person with so much energy, but if you let go you have to stay there for an extra hour," she revealed. "That was the manipulative psychology my parents were into!"
However, as she's gotten older she's realized the benefit of her upbringing, especially now that she finds herself in the spotlight.
"There were times in school, when someone said something really mean, it would hurt my feelings and my parents weren't on my side," she recalled. "They would be like, 'I'm so sorry you're feeling this way, but what do you think that person was feeling?' Oh, I hated it."
She continued, "Now, of course, I understand it; it's enabled me to recognize that no one's evil, they're probably hurting and can't express themselves, get no love at home, so it's repeated. It gave me a broader outlook: just put yourself in another person's shoes."
This is a big reason she doesn't feel comfortable talking politics with colleagues in Hollywood.
"I have a hard time having political conversations in Hollywood. Most people there are so privileged, they don't see the 99-percent of America, because they don't have to," she explained. "It's hard for people like that to see another perspective."
Shailene—much thanks to her parent's unique style of parenting—feels totally capable of stepping out of her own skin and viewing things from another perspective.
Case in point: her vision on playing Lindsay Mills in upcoming biopic about Edward Snowden.
"I think about Lindsay every day, and we wrapped this movie over a year ago," Shailene admitted. "She's a real person, living through this story now…Lindsay was a yoga and pole-dance instructor, and [the press] tore her apart [saying]: 'Edward Snowden's girlfriend is a stripper.' She was a fitness coach…At least when you're an actor, you expect that kind of reporting, but she never signed up for it."
See The EDIT's full interview with Shailene Woodley here or download the free EDIT app at the App Store and Google Play.
Snowden hits theaters Friday.