Since the age of 16, actress Shailene Woodley has been gracing the big and small screens with her talent. Even still at the young age of 30, her career is impressive and extends across a wide range of genres. From Nicole Kidman, to Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep, Woodley has acted next to some of the most acclaimed and sought-after women in the industry. Woodley first got her big break in 2008 when she starred as Amy Juergens in the ABC drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Her leading role in the series brought her career to new heights, and she worked on the show for five seasons until its finale in 2013.
Since then, Woodley has gone on to star in extremely successful mainstream films such as The Fault in Our Star, adapted from the novel written by John Green, which grossed over $300 million at the box office. 2014 was a game changer for the actress as she got to lead her own sci-fi film franchise known as The Divergent Series. The franchise was an instant success and is one of the largest projects Woodley worked on. In addition to Divergent, Woodley was set to play MJ in Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, but was ultimately cut from the movie. Now, the actress has joined Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz in Michael Mann's new film Ferrari. As we await more details about her role and the project, here's a look back at Shailene Woodley's best performances.
8 The Fallout
Shailene Woodley plays Anna, the gentle and supportive therapist to Jenna Ortega's character Vada in director Megan Park's drama The Fallout. While her role may be on the smaller side, the impact her character makes in the film is immense and crucial to the story. When a school shooting takes place at Vada's high school, she becomes forever changed. Learning to live with trauma and processing what happened to her, Vada creates new relationships that help her get through this difficult point in her life. Her growing friendships with Mia and Quinton, help from her therapist community, and self discovery are what ultimately help Vada to grow.
7 The Mauritanian
Similar to The Fallout which released in January 2022, The Mauritanian is one of Shailene Woodley's more recent projects. This legal drama was first released in February 2021 and was directed by Kevin MacDonald. The most notable and worthwhile aspects of the film are the incredible performances given by its huge cast: the iconic, Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Benedict Cumberbatch, and of course Woodley all give truthful and top-notch portrayals.
6 The Secret Life of the American Teenager
This ABC television drama is amongst some of Shailene Woodley's less acclaimed work, but it was a huge turning point in her career, and despite the at-times corniness of the show, her acting is still superb. Woodley plays Amy Juergens, a high school student who ends up pregnant after a fling at band camp and comes to learn that she and every teen have issues they are battling behind closed doors. The show ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013 and was very popular during those five years. The Secret Life of the American Teenager is one of the first leading roles the actress ever played and is considered her big break.
5 The Descendants
George Clooney and Shailene Woodley give nothing but excellence in the 2011 comedy-drama The Descendants. Grappling with the possible death of his wife, Matt (Clooney) must deal with the repercussions of his wife's tragic accident while as trying to be a good father to his daughters. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards in 2012, including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay, the latter of which it ended up winning. What's more, critics believed that Woodley herself was deserving of a nomination for her performance.
4 The Spectacular Now
The Spectacular Now is a story of young love and discovering who you are as an individual through your surrounding relationships. Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller star in the film alongside Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Denver, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Levi Miller, and Kyle Chandler. Woodley and Teller's chemistry is incredible, so much so that they were even cast together the following year to star in the widely successful sci-fi/action trilogy, The Divergent Series. Every time these actors come together onscreen, they create magic. The Spectacular Now received a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and is definitely worth the watch.
3 The Fault in Our Stars
This beautiful and heartbreaking adaption of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is a roller coaster of emotions. In 2014, when the romance/drama was first released, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elogort's onscreen romance was all people could talk about. The film grossed over $300 million at the box office and really brought Woodley and Elgort's careers to new heights. The story follows a teenage cancer patient, Hazel Grace Lancaster (Woodley) who falls in love with Gus Waters (Elgort), another teen she meets in her cancer support group. The two relate to one another on a level no one could possibly imagine, and take a journey across the world together in an attempt to live their lives to the fullest while they can.
2 Big Little Lies
Shailene Woodley stars in the acclaimed HBO drama series Big Little Lies alongside a powerhouse of women actors, including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz. In a town like Monterey that is run by money, power, drama, success, and affairs, the scandals are limitless. The show follows five mothers trying to give their kids everything while simultaneously each battling their own demons at home. Based on the novel by Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies ran fan for two seasons and won over eight Emmys and four Golden Globes. Available to stream on HBO Max, this series is nothing short of breathtaking and should be experienced by everyone.
1 The Divergent Series
Coming in at number one on our list of the best Shailene Woodley performances is the actress' portrayal of Tris Prior in the sci-fi/action trilogy The Divergent Series. Based on the Veronica Roth novels, Tris Prior lives in a world where society breaks people down by their personalities into groups called factions. The faction system consists of five groups: the people who value intelligence are in Erudite; the kind go to Amity; the honest to Candor; the selfless to Abnegation; and the brave go to Dauntless. Leaders of the society believe that factions keep people controlled and in order. Those who don't fit into just one category threaten the system — these are the Divergent. Tris must keep her identity as a Divergent hidden from everyone, or it could cost her her life. Woodley carried this franchise (consisting of Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant) alongside the talented Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, and Zoë Kravtiz.