Shailene Woodley Falls Deep in Love
She's one of her generation's hottest stars...and way too cool to be fame trapped. Shailene Woodley gets off on loving deep, inciting a revolution, and surviving in the wilds of Hollywood––and she opens up to contributing editor Holly Millea about all that, plus her vagabond lifestyle, in the April issue of ELLE. Check out the following excerpts for a sneak peek at the full interview, which you can only find exclusively in ELLE when it hits newsstands digitally and in select cities on March 17, and nationwide on March 24.
By last count, she's lost her virginity five times on screen. The triumvirate are at that age. Each has her own allure: Lawrence is plush; Stewart, brooding; Woodley, vulnerable. Unlike her peers, off screen, Woodley keeps a low romantic profile that's in sync with the way she lives the rest of her life. As you'd expect from a heart-to-heart hugger, "I'm all-loving," she says. "I fall in love with people based on who they are. "I never want to love like this"—Woodley holds her arms outstretched, as if to envelop you—"I always want to love like this." She thrusts her arms behind her back, pressing her chest forward. "Heart centered, like, 'This is who I am! And I love you if you love me for who this person is. And if not, I'll still love you, but I ain't fallin' in love with you!'" Happily she carries on with what could seriously be the best personal ad ever—feel free to steal it: "When you're truly in love, for me, it's...you're my lighthouse! You're somebody who holds me high, keeps me safe, you've got my ****in' back.... You also love me whole, wild, and free. You let me do me, and I'm gonna let you do you! And I'll be the home that you return to." Is she currently in love? Woodley smiles…
"I was born into a family of warriors, really strong people," says Woodley, who, along with her younger brother, Tanner, grew up in Simi Valley. (Simi is the Chumash Indians' name for the threadlike clouds in the sky over this Southern California town.) "It doesn't mean that it was an easy childhood and we didn't have our ****, because every family does behind closed doors. But even though my parents are divorced, they get along. I have a family who every day strives to do the right thing." It helped, too, that her grandmother was ever present. "One day I was having one of my teenage crises, when you think everything's falling apart—your estrogen and progesterone are freaking out. And she said, 'Shai, the most important thing in life is self-love. You've gotta take care of yourself. You've got to take care of yourself, and you gotta live from your deep heart.' "Woodley wraps her hands around a warm porcelain teapot on the table; her brow furrows. "For some reason, her saying the words deep heart just always stuck with me. And I was like, 'Well, what is a deep heart? What does it actually mean?' What I've come to determine in my life is that my deep heart is my—it's my compassion, empathy, and intuition. Because your intuition never wants to be mean to somebody. You intuitively know that another human being on this planet is hurting just as badly as you may be. The way that they express themselves could be rude or seen as douchey or whatnot. But maybe they're scared, or had no one there to support them." She looks up, and her face brightens: "My Grams is the most banging 69-year-old I've ever met in my life. She's so fit. She's so rad!"
