Shailene Woodley Opens Up About her Struggles as a Teen Actress

Celebs

| LAST UPDATE 08/03/2021

By Georgina White
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From The Secret Life of the American Teenager to The Fault in Our Stars, Shailene Woodley spent her teenage years starring in some of the biggest projects in Hollywood. But it wasn't always easy facing industry pressures at such a young age. Here's what the starlet had to say.

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In fact, Woodley got her start in Hollywood at the age of five when she started appearing in commercials and guest roles. The soon-to-be-married actress sat down with Alex Moshakis from The Guardian to rehash some of her memories and lessons learned from a life in front of the camera. Despite starring in some famous projects and finding major success in film, the 29-year-old actress was never 100% sold on the life of fame. Shailene told The Guardian that she actually lived in a remote cabin in the mountains while she starred in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. "I had to drive a couple of miles to the end of the road to get phone service," she recalled of the "magical period."

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But Shailene never seemed to regret her breaks from the public eye. She found it the perfect balance to handle the pressures of dealing with the industry at such a young age. "You know, there's this theory in Hollywood that when you're hot, you're hot, you've got to keep working, otherwise you're not going to be hot anymore, and nobody's going to care," she explained to her interviewer. And the ups and downs involved in her career of choice could take a toll at times. "You audition almost every single day. You get told 'No' a thousand times. You get one yes and it's sooo exciting. And then you get told 'No' another thousand times." And sometimes the criticisms went beyond her acting performance...

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The star of The Last Letter from Your Lover confessed to Alex that she even got heat because of her teenage acne, and was told that she "shouldn't audition anymore." And some industry figures pushed her to become "more cosmopolitan - to dress a certain way, to thing a certain way, not to say certain things."

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Luckily, Shailene's overcome the insecurities and has stuck to her "strong-headed and free-willed nature." All while delivering some legendary performances along the way. Check back for more news from your favorite celebs.