Shailene Woodley, who plays the role of Beatrice ‘Tris’ in Neil Burger’s Divergent, says that the film is not just about action and adventure, there is a lot of reality to the story
Tell us about TrisIJ
Tris lives in a world where who she is and what she is, is not accepted among the great leaders. It’s funny, I feel like it’s up until a few years ago when maybe it was a little bit easier when if somebody was gay, they felt like they had to hide it because they were going to be ostracised or criticised for feeling different feeling from what the mainstream thought was acceptable. And I feel like Tris is in the same place. She has to hide who she is because people don’t understand it and are therefore scared of it.
What drew you to the roleIJ
Ultimately what drew me to this movie is that it’s very metaphorical to things that are happening today that I am very excited to bring to light. Reading Divergent, I became very passionate about Tris and the story.
Why do you think young adults can relate to TrisIJ
Tris has basically chosen to become her own person, rather than stay with her family. All adolescents can relate to that as people have to eventually leave the nest, but it’s a really hard choice for many to make. The idea of deciding the rest of your life at such a young age is very daunting because once you leave the nest in the Divergent world, there is no going back. That’s incredibly frightening.
What do you think about Tris and Four’s romanceIJ
I love the Tris and Four dynamic because it’s so different than most young adult romances on screen. It’s very realistic. I love that it’s not necessarily a love at first sight dynamic. There’s obviously mutual attraction but respect, compassion and trust…those things are completely separate from attraction. Throughout the film, Tris is trying to figure him out because in one scene he’ll be vulnerable with her and complimentary towards her, then in the next scene, he’s harsh, very strict and truthful to the point it induces pain in Tris. The challenge of him is very intriguing to her.
You get beaten up quite a bit in this movie. Can you talk about the physical trainingIJ Did you getinjuriesIJ
We got some bruises and some scars. A little black and blue action. I feel like if you do an action movie and you leave without a few bumps then you’re probably doing something wrong!
Tell us a little more about the fight scene between Tris and Peter.
The training fight with Peter and Tris was intense. learning it was really fun because neither of us had done stunt fights before.
They’re all very mechanical and cut together it looks really intense. Tris gets a few hits in but Peter takes her down and he doesn’t stop. He’s relentless. It’s going to be a very powerful, hard scene to watch.
Did all the actors train togetherIJ
A month before filming commenced, I think it was most of us, except for Jai Courtney and Ansel, who got together and did physical fitness and fight training.
Have you read the trilogyIJ
I have not. I’ve just read the first one. I started to read the second one before we did the first and I go up to Neil, our director, and say: “Oh, we’ve got to put this scene back in.” And he goes: “Shai that’s from the second book.” So I had to stop reading it because I was mixing them up.
You had a lot of scenes with Kate Winslet and of course Ashley Judd plays your mother — what was itlike working with those two actressesIJ
It was amazing. They’re both incredible actresses and really legit women. When I say that I mean, they’re both very strong and empowered and own themselves and their bodies. And they’re both two kindred spirits, so I feel like we connected on that level. Ashley is such a strong woman, who I respect so deeply. I’m in awe of what she’s able to accomplish with such ease and beauty and such raw strong humanity.
What challenges did you face physically and emotionally with this character as she goes through somany emotionsIJ
Yeah, it was a sort of a mix between the two. I had never done a movie where you had to play an emotionally truthful character and yet add physical aspects to the mix. That was tricky and a fun challenge!
What can the audience expect from this filmIJ
I think they’re in for a lot of excitement. I think they will be pleasantly surprised that even though it is an action adventure film, there is a lot of truth and a lot of humanness to it. There’s a lot of authenticity involved.