Shailene Woodley endured a whirlwind press tour to promote Divergent, and it paid off. Many people watched the movie — it scored $55 million on opening weekend. The fans who attended were those who read and enjoyed the first book. They didn’t show up because Shailene eats clay and fakes not using a cellphone. The press tour worked though. Everyone knows who Shailene is — the girl with the sunshine vagina. She’s also becoming a tabloid fixture. This week’s issue of Star paints Shailene as an up-and-coming diva. Emphasis on the diva:
Shailene Woodley is the face of the next huge movie franchise — and she has the attitude to prove it.
The young-adult blockbuster Divergent made a whopping $56 million over its opening weekend, giving headliner Shailene Woodley a taste of what it’s like to be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But sources say that fame got to the head of the 22-year-old well before her movie was No. 1 at the box office.
Shailene’s diva attitude was on display during the film’s March 18 premiere party at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, Calif. That’s where the actress set up her very own VIP section — away from her costars in the official VIP area — and refused to talk to anyone. “Shailene treated the event like she was Mariah Carey,” says an eyewitness. “She was walked to her area by her handlers and stayed there all night. She didn’t mingle with fans, and bouncers even stopped them from trying to take pictures. The bodyguards were acting like a blockade!”
While Shailene made waitresses deliver her soft drinks, costar Theo James, 29, acted like a seasoned movie star, schmoozing with guests and posing with fans all night long. “Theo couldn’t be sweeter,” says the partygoer. “He was in the VIP booth away from Shailene, but he also walked around with everyone else. He was mobbed, but he took it all in stride.”
Shailene’s privileged attitude isn’t a surprise to those who have known her for years. The young actress, who became the star of the hit TV series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, began to change at the age of 15, before her career took off, when her mother, Lori, filed for divorce from her father, Lonnie Woodley.
“The divorce was tough for Shailene and her brother, and that’s about the time she took on more of a negative, entitled attitude,” a source tells Star.
Shailene’s family has also struggled financially. In 1995, Lori and Lonnie filed for bankruptcy, and Lonnie filed for bankruptcy a second time in 2010. “Financial problems really took a toll on the family,” adds the insider. “Shailene’s success could be a great benefit to them, but her diva attitude may be the demise of her career.”
[From Star, print edition, April 4, 2014]
Is it just me, or does this not seem like a huge deal? Shailene didn’t want to get all touchy feely with the fans, which is weird because she hugs everyone. Here’s how I feel about the situation: Star is either making sh-t up, or someone is deliberately stirring the pot. It’s entirely possible that Shailene is putting on an act with her “kumbaya” personality. Or not. I do doubt she’d choose to drop the act at — of all places — a very visible film premiere. This story seems a lot like the Lena Dunham Enquirer story that painted the Girls star as “a demanding control freak.” Kaiser had it right when she said that tabloid tale meant Lena had arrived. Likewise … Shailene has arrived with her own version of diva-dom. She’s here to stay for at least a few more years.
Here’s some photos of Shailene at CinemaCon (where the lighting is just awful). As is that outfit.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
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