With her indie movie start, YA franchise gig, and chic short hair, Shailene Woodley has been endlessly compared to Jennifer Lawrence.
While J. Law, 23, is one of the most celebrated young actresses in Hollywood, both for her Oscar-winning acting chops and for her headline-making personality, Woodley, 22, is not entirely comfortable with the comparisons.
"As women, we are constantly told that we need to compare ourselves to a girl in school, to our co-workers, to the images in a magazine," Woodley said in a revealing new interview with New York magazine. She appears on the cover of the latest issue with fellow starlet Brie Larson. "How is the world going to advance if we’re always comparing ourselves to others? I admire Jennifer Lawrence, but she’s everyone’s favorite person to compare me to."
"Is it because we both have short hair and a vagina?" the Divergent star continued. "I see us as separate individuals. And that’s important. As women, our insecurities are based on all these comparisons. And that creates distress."
While they are "separate individuals," Woodley did look to Lawrence for guidance as her star rose and she became more of a household name.
She told New York that she sent the American Hustle beauty an email and "asked her advice."
"I do think we have things in common," Woodley explained. "We both believe in having fun and still telling the truth. We’re not fashion girls, but we play the game. And we both care deeply about being actors."
Woodley is staying committed to her craft, going so far as to strip down for her upcoming movie White Bird in a Blizzard. She stars as a high school girl in the thriller, which required nude scenes.
"It was so much fun," she told the publication about her sex scenes. "Everyone was freaked out because I’m nude, but in real life, when I have sex, I’m naked. I don’t have a bra on, and I don’t usually have panties on. So let’s make a real movie! Let’s bring truth to the scene!"
"I didn’t want to be exploited, but this girl—like most girls when they first have sex—doesn’t know what she’s doing," Woodley added. "When you’re younger, you think you know what to do, but you really don’t."
