Shailene Woodley on ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ Movie: ‘I wanted to do this movie because the book changed my life’
Based on John Green's 2012 best-selling novel of the same name, "The Fault In Our Stars" will premiere on the big screen on June 6 starring "Divergent" stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. A "one sick love story," the movie follows the journey of a 16-year-old girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, with stage IV thyroid cancer who fell in love with a 17-year-old boy, Augustus "Gus" Waters, who lost his leg to osteosarcoma.
A deeply emotional love story, "The Fault In Our Stars" is the second big movie of the rising star Shailene Woodley after the release of "Divergent." "This movie is incredibly sad and incredibly heartbreaking, but it's so celebratory," says 22-year-old star in an interview with ABC News. "It celebrates life."
Best known for her role in ABC's family series, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," Woodley has a string of successes including the 2011's "The Descendants" and indie hit "Spectacular Now." Now that she made a name for herself, the outspoken actress revealed that she didn't take the project so she can prove to fans that she can act.
"I didn't want to do this movie so I could be like, 'look how I can cry as an actor, look what I can do,'" the actress said. "I wanted to do this movie because the book changed my life."
Like Woodley who was deeply moved by Hazel Grace's story, Laura Dern who plays Woodley's mother revealed that she fell in love with the character. "You can't help but fall in love with her, but you can also relate to her longing for love, to feeling, as she says, that she's a grenade and her job is to protect everybody else from her so they don't get hurt," says Dern.
The actress also revealed that she wanted to honor Green's work, the reason why she took the role and because the author captured the voice of the present generation. According to her, the book is not just for young adults but an important book for any adult.
"The Fault In Our Stars" will premiere in theaters on June 6.