She has ventured to become a film producer and activist. Shailene Woodley actually began her career as modeling at the age of four. Her first major acting role was in a couple of minor television roles. When Shailene starred as Amy Juergens in the ABC Family drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, she became known. It ran from the years 2008 to 2013. Shailene’s film debut was in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants, a comedy-drama. Then she did the coming of age film The Spectacular Now with Miles in 2013). It is however when she played a teenage girl, suffering from cancer in the romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars, she was on the map. Her next flick was as Beatrice Prior in the science fiction film The Divergent Series. Shailene’s latest is a young mother, a sexual assault survivor in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies. She was also seen in Adrift opposite Sam Claflin, and recently her movie Endings, Beginnings starring Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan came out. Shailene has had fairly mixed filmography. Her movies have done tremendous business, even though they haven’t rated well. Here we list her 10 best films, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Insurgent (28%)
The Divergent Series: Insurgent is a 2015 American dystopian science fiction action film. Tris (Shailene Woodley) is back with her short hair once again. Insurgent is about romance, drama, and action. The movie is directed by Robert Schwentke. It is based on the 2012 novel Insurgent, which is the second book in the Divergent trilogy by author Veronica Roth. Insurgent is the sequel to the Divergent and the second installment in series. Insurgent is produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick. Besides Shailene, the cast includes Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Miles Teller, Octavia Spencer, and Zoe Kravitz.
Endings, Beginnings (30%)
Endings, Beginnings is a 2019 American romantic drama film. We did an entire review of Endings, Beginnings here on OtakuKart. It came out last month, and it tells the tale of a young woman who has been just broken up. She goes on a break to get to know herself better. In her self discovery, she meets two young men, both of whom are best friends but wildly different from each other. In Endings, Beginnings Shailene is the lead, and her co-stars are Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan. The movie bombed critically, but if you like romantic dramas with the likes of three hottest and most talented actors, this should be your go-to. Endings, Beginnings is directed by Drake Doremus, based on a screenplay, Drake wrote alongside Jardine Libaire.
Divergent (42%)
Divergent is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction action film. The movie is helmed by Neil Burger and is based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. Divergent just like Insurgent takes place in a futuristic, dystopian world. It is here the society is separated into factions. The factions of Divergent are seen as different and dangerous. Shailene plays Tris, a young girl rocking her pixie cut. She lives in this dystopian society and she uncovers the plan of the rulers to destroy them. Besides Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, and Kate Winslet star in the movie. The story of Tris is set in post-apocalyptic Chicago.
White Bird In A Blizzard (54%)
White Bird in a Blizzard is a 2014 art drama thriller film. I know most people are here for The Fault In Our Stars. I am here for White Bird in a Blizzard. I’d say this is Woodley’s greatest performances, ever. It is written, directed, and edited by Gregg Araki. Shailene Woodley and Eva Green lead the cast and daughter and mother. Christopher Meloni is the antagonist. White Bird in a Blizzard is based on the novel of the same name by Laura Kasischke. The story is non-linear. It tells the tale of teenager Katrina “Kat” Connors (Woodley). She has lost her mother and she lives with her father. Just one day her mother, Eve (Green) disappears and quickly she begins to untrace the events. White Bird in a Blizzard takes place in 1988. This mystery thriller will have you biting your nails.
Snowden (60%)
Snowden is a 2016 biographical thriller film. Even though the movie doesn’t belong to Shailene, she has played a pretty great part in Snowden. It is the true tale of Edward Snowden, the whistleblower known for leaking classified documents during his position with the NSA’s surveillance team to the press. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the titular role, the lead in the movie. Shailene Woodley plays his partner. Their chemistry is just palpable. Snowden is directed by Oliver Stone and written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald. The cast ensemble includes Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood, Logan Marshall-Green, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schnetzer, LaKeith Lee Stanfield, Rhys Ifans, and Nicolas Cage. Snowden copied and leaked highly classified information from the NSA at the beginning of 2013. He now lives in Moscow, Russia.
Adrift (70%)
Adrift is a 2018 American romantic drama film. This one is just a tragedy! But also a hopeful one. Adrift is the true story of a young couple, who embark on a sailing trip across the ocean. What looks to be a smooth sail turns out disastrous for both of them. Their boat gets caught in a catastrophic hurricane and the man dies. Adrift is produced and directed by Baltasar Kormákur. It is written by David Branson Smith, Aaron Kandell, and Jordan Kandell. It stars Sam Clafin and Shailene Woodley in the lead roles and the couple, Richard Sharp and Tami Oldham, respectively. The woman, Tami is left alone to find her way to Hawaii with a damaged boat and no radio.
The Fault In Our Stars (81%)
The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 American romantic drama film. Ugh, I could just go on and on with this one! The Fault in Our Stars directed by Josh Boone and is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by John Green. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort play a teenage couple Hazel and Augustus, star-crossed lovers, cancer patients who take a trip to Amsterdam to go see Hazel’s favorite author. In the beginning, it looks like Hazel may lose her life any moment now. But turns out, it is Augustus who dies in the end. The Fault in Our Stars has a fantastic supporting cast. Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff, and Willem Dafoe feature in the movie.
The Descendants (89%)
The Descendants is a 2011 American comedy-drama film. The young Shailene stars opposite George Clooney, Amara Miller, Patricia Hastie, and Nick Krause in this comedy. George Clooney leads the movie as an estranged father who tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is badly injured. The Descendants is directed by Alexander Payne, based on a screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash. It is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The Descendants is funny, relatable, and a beautifully written story about family. The fact that Shailene and George star together makes it all the more lovable to watch. It also won Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture – Drama and Best Actor – Drama for George Clooney.
Big Little Lies (90%)
Big Little Lies is an American drama television series. The series is based on the novel of the same name by author Liane Moriarty. Big Little Lies is created by David E. Kelley. It was supposed to be a mini-series at first. Season one had only seven-episode, written by Kelley and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Season 2 was spectacular. Shailene plays a young mother, a sexual assault survivor. The rest of the cast includes Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz. All these women are mothers in a rich town. But a deep secret and a murder turns their lives upside down.
The Spectacular Now (91%)
The Spectacular Now is a 2013 American coming-of-age romantic drama film. I hated the fact that Miles and Shailene were paired up together. There seems to be no chemistry between the two. But there are a lot of people who will vouch for exactly the opposite. Shailene plays Aimee a quiet, introvert. Miles Teller is exactly his opposite, a high school senior, a party animal who battles alcoholism. The Spectacular Now is directed by James Ponsoldt and it garnered major critical acclaim.
