The 'White Bird in a Blizzard' star explains that her commitment to 'Divergent' prevented her from auditioning for the Anastasia Steele role.
- Mar 10, 2014
AceShowbiz - Before Dakota Johnson was cast for the role of Anastasia Steele in "Fifty Shades of Grey", Shailene Woodley was rumored being in talks for the female lead in the movie. Now, the "Divergent" actress confirms that she was offered a chance to audition for the role, but she opted to pass on it.
"It actually is true. I didn't want to audition for it," she says to The Daily Beast when asked about the rumor, before explaining her reasoning, "It's because I had already done Divergent and I knew there was no way I wanted to do multiple franchises at the same time, because that's crazy, so I didn't see the point in it."
Even the "Divergent" role, Woodley was also reluctant to accept it. But fellow star Jennifer Lawrence, who successfully helped launch "The Hunger Games" franchise and to whom Woodley lost the Katniss role, convinced her to give it a shot. The two female stars never met before and communicated only through letters though.
Woodley said, "She was like, 'Small things will change, but if you stay who you are, nothing will change. The big picture won't change. It's only going to make your life greater and you'll be so grateful for it. Don't be stupid, don't make a sex tape, don't do drugs, don't go to Whole Foods the day the movie opens, and you'll be fine!' I thought, 'I'm gonna love this chick when I meet her.' "
"Divergent" is due Stateside on March 21, and is projected to open big atop domestic box office. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Woodley will earn $250,000 to $500,000 for the first film and is likely to get a raise for the second one, "Insurgent", if the first movie is a success.
In comparison, Lawrence reportedly earned $500,000 in advance for "The Hunger Games" and got more bonuses after the movie enjoyed a box office success. She allegedly then negotiated a $10 million deal for the sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire".
"Divergent" TV Spot "Dangerous":
