Shailene Woodley has opened up about a phone call that “forever changed” her life.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Woodley candidly lauded a co-star of Big Little Lies, who backed up at the time when she decided to step back from Hollywood.
At the time, “I got a call, I’ll never forget it. It was November or October of 2015,” she recalled. “I was really sick at the time and I was not at all exhausted by acting or the artistry and the craft of storytelling, but I was really exhausted by the act of Hollywood.”
Moreover, Woodley shared that she had received the offer to play Jane in the directorial series of Jean-Marc Vallée, who died at age of 58 due to heart attack.
Meanwhile, she revealed the costar, Laura Dern, who supported her and told the publication, “I got a call from Laura the day before I left for India — or maybe I was actually already in India and I hadn’t turned my phone off yet.”
“And she just said, ‘Listen, I know where you’re at in your life. I’ve been there before too. It’s a lot. This world is an illusion, but what isn’t an illusion is what you love to do.’”
“‘And what I see in you, Shai, is your purpose — at least in this moment in your life — is to be a storyteller,” the Hollywood star added. “And I think it’s a massive mistake for you to walk away from this opportunity that you really should lean into.’”
Before concluding, the Fault In Our Stars actor lauded, “And so, in so many ways, I’m grateful for Laura, but that was a massive moment of courageous friendship to say, ‘I think that you’re making a mistake and I’m gonna be brave enough to tell you why, cause I really see you and I see something you can’t see in your own life right now.’”
