In a new interview with the New York Times, Shailene Woodley opened up about a challenging time in her life. While filming the Divergent film series, the 28-year-old actress revealed she was struggling with ill health. As a result of her illness, Woodley had to turn down a number of opportunities while she focused on getting better.
“I haven’t spoken much about this yet publicly, and I will one day, but I was very, very sick in my early 20s. While I was doing the Divergent movies and working hard, I also was struggling with a deeply personal, very scary physical situation," Woodley told the New York Times. “Because of that, I said no to a lot of opportunities because I needed to get better, and those jobs ended up going to peers of mine who I love. They went on to a lot of success."
Though Woodley did not disclose her ailment in the interview, she opened up about the mental toll the ordeal took on her over the years. “Am I going to survive what I’m going through right now and ever be healthy, or even have the opportunity to work on projects I’m passionate about again because of the situation I’m in?’ ” she recalled. “I was in a place where I had no choice but to just surrender and let go of my career, and it brought out this negative voice in my mind that kept spinning for years and years afterward.”
Woodley took the necessary time to get better—both physically and mentally—and returned to acting when she accepted a role in HBO's blockbuster series Big Little Lies. “Now I’m on the other side of it, thank God. A lot of the last few years has been about focusing on mental health for me, and it’s a slow process. But because of that work, I feel very grounded and rooted in who I am and very clear about everything in my life, whether it’s my career or my relationships or my own internal worth,” she explained. “I feel very grateful to have walked that line of fire, because now I know what I don’t want to ever go back to.”
Woodley's next project is the upcoming romantic drama Endings, Beginnings, will premiere April 17 on digital and on demand May 1.