Shailene Woodley Reveals How Being ‘Very Sick’ Made Her Realize What She Wants In Life

When Shailene Woodley rose up on the Hollywood ladder with the “Divergent” franchise and “The Fault In Our Stars,” everyone was sure of the upward trajectory of her successful career.

Then she disappeared from the screen for a year, stating that she has “hit a wall with acting.” But now, the Big Little Lies actress has finally spoken out struggling with a “very scary physical situation” in her early 20s, while shooting the “Divergent” series that practically ended her career.

“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,” the “Divergent” actress shared with 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,” she added.

But despite the diagnosis and the toll it was taking on her health, Woodley continued to work.

"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.”

But, in the end, it was her willpower that rallied her own, giving her the confidence to overcome the hurdles.

“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 added. “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.”