Top 10 Interesting Facts About Shailene Woodley

22-year-old actress Shailene Woodley is all the talk in Hollywood these days. She is the female star in the current box office hit The Fault in Our Stars. Born and raised in Simi Valley, California, Shailene is the daughter of Lori and Lonnie Woodley.

Woodley began her career as a child model. At age five, she was signed by an agent and started acting. In 1999, she made her big screen debut in Replacing Dad. She is well known for her lead role as Amy Jurgens in ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

In 2012, Woodley earned her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress for her role in the 2011 film The Descendants alongside actor George Clooney.

One of Hollywood’s most promising young actresses, Woodley has quite the personality. Her hobbies and quirks have created quite the buzz. Be prepared, because we have collected 10 of her most interesting fun facts, and some of them may come as a bit of a shock.

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10. She starred in Season 1 of the O.C.

At age 12, Woodley starred in Season 1 of the hit teen drama show The O.C. in 2003. She played Kaitlyn Cooper, Marissa Cooper’s (Mischa Barton) younger sister.

While talking about her role in The O.C., Woodley told Moviefone, “I didn’t go through puberty until late, I was the 15-year-old who had no boobs. So, at 11, I was like a little mouse-child. I looked like an 8-year-old.”

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9. Shailene worked at a retail store while she acted in .

While Woodley was acting in the ABC Family show The Secret Life of the American Teenager, she worked at American Apparel. The humble actress had a packed schedule, working at the retail store whenever she wasn’t filming. She worked at the store for quite some time, until she was cast in the film The Descendants.

In November of 2011, Woodley appeared on Chelsea Lately, and told Chelsea Handler that she was petrified to tell her boss that she had to quit.

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8. She’s a hugger!

Shailene Woodey’s favorite way to express her affection is hugging. She is quite generous with her hugs, and shares her warm embraces with fans, journalists, and friends.

In an interview with Fox News, Woodley discussed her hugging hobby. She said, “I don’t know, it’s kind of just a good way to break down walls and be like, ‘I’m real, you’re real.’”

During an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Woodley explained to Fallon that handshakes simply don’t cut it. She’s all for hugs. She and Ansel Elgort, her co-star in The Fault in Our Stars, demonstrated the technique behind giving a perfect hug.

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7. She studies Urban Survivalism and Herbalism.

Shailene has an intense passion for the environment. She has taken it upon herself to study herbalism and urban survivalism.

In an interview with Dazed, she said, “Around 15, I remember looking out at high school, seeing the wind through the pine trees. It was so beautiful. Then I looked down and saw all the trash the kids had left lying around at lunch. That juxtaposition of nature and swirling tornadoes of trash was so sad to me. So I’ve been studying herbalism for the past five years.” Shailene grew interested in indigenous cultures, and how they used plants as food and medicine. This led her to study urban survivalism. She now knows how to survive in the wild.

Woodley made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and brought Fallon several different plants and herbs. She explained what each plant and herb can be used for, and advised Fallon of various remedies.

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6. She’s obsessed with mason jars.

Another unique characteristic of Shailene Woodley is her obsession with mason jars. She carries one with her everywhere she goes! She doesn’t like using plastic water containers because she believes that in doing so, she ingests the chemicals of the plastic.

Woodley described her love for mason jars during an appearance she made on The Queen Latifah Show. She loves their size, durability, and nostalgic vibe.

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5. She doesn’t own a cell phone.

Yes, that’s right. Shailene Woodley doesn’t own a cell phone! Unlike many Hollywood stars, she believes in the value of face-to-face human conversation.

Woodley claims that not having a cell phone has given her the most freedom she’s ever had. Huff Post Celebrity reports that she said, “There’s a bigger lack of privacy than there’s ever been, but there’s also a bigger lack of camaraderie and community than there’s ever been. I mean … just asking people for directions. Since I got rid of my phone, having to pull over and be like, “Hey, buddy—do you know how to get here?” I’m talking to people more than I’ve ever talked to in my life because I no longer have that crutch. The more you get away from all the technological buzz, the more freedom you have.”

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4. She has scoliosis.

When Woodley was 15 years old, she was diagnosed with scoliosis. This meant that her spine was severely curved. She had to wear a back brace for 18 hours a day. She told US Weekly, "It's like wearing a tacky, disgusting, plastic corset for 18 hours a day. In the beginning, it was hard to eat or breathe. And I had to give up cross-country running. But I needed to have it to realign my spine.” She had to wear the brace for two years, until doctors allowed her to remove it.

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3. Shailene follows a natural, DIY health regime.

It is generally assumed that Hollywood stars only use the most expensive and complex beauty and health products on the market. Shailene Woodley is very different. She enjoys living an all-natural lifestyle, and she actually makes all of her own food and beauty products.

An interesting routine of Shailene’s is her daily dosage of clay. Eating clay is extremely beneficial to one’s health. Since your body cannot absorb the clay, it bonds to negative isotopes in the body, and helps the body rid of toxins. Shailene brushes her teeth with clay twice a day. She also practices oil pulling, which involves swishing sesame oil around her mouth for 20 minutes. When she’s ill, Shailene makes her own tea out of pine needles.

Shailene also prefers to go all-natural when it comes to makeup. She only wears makeup when she’s filming, and for special events. She told Lucky Magazine, "You have to pick and choose where you are going to represent you and the things you keep sacred, and then there are the things you have to do for the public. I respect the establishment, but I don’t sacrifice my own integrity. I wouldn’t wear fake eyelashes or crazy extensions."

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2. Whenever Shailene is feeling down, her pick-me-up remedy is watching Pocahontas. She told Entertainment Weekly, “Some movies have made me cry; some movies have made me laugh, but I’ve never thought, Wow — if it weren’t for that movie, I’d be a different person. Except Pocahontas. It’s true! If you listen to the lyrics they actually have incredibly valuable lessons for human beings to learn, and whenever I need a pick-me-up I just watch Pocahontas.”

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1. If she wasn’t an actress, Woodley would want to open a fruit stand.

Shailene Woodley loves her job, but she claims that if she didn’t have acting, she would still be equally as happy. In an interview with US Weekly , she said, “If I didn’t have acting, I would be just as happy. I would probably be an herbalist, or maybe I would open a fruit stand on a Hawaiian island.”

Woodley is fascinated with food, and its abilities to nourish and heal the body. If she wasn’t an actress, she would turn this passion into a career.