Shailene Woodley's Heartfelt Tribute to Kate Winslet: She Changed My Life

Shailene Woodley, the shining star of Three Women, found herself basking in nostalgia on The Drew Barrymore Show, where she took a moment to reflect on the profound influence of her Divergent co-star, Kate Winslet. As she promoted her current Starz show, Woodley’s words flowed with an appreciation that was both heartfelt and effortlessly charming. It’s almost as if she was crafting a love letter to the women who have graced her life, and Winslet took center stage.

Woodley described herself as “blessed” — a term that somehow feels both sincere and slightly ironic, as if she’s aware of how peppy that sounds, yet can’t help but embrace it fully. "I’ve had people show up in a really, really truthful, pure way," she mused, a twinkle in her eye, as if the sheer absurdity of it all could be tucked away in the pages of a novel, complete with plot twists and delightful characters.

The duo graced the screen together in Divergent and its follow-up, Insurgent, where Woodley played the fiercely determined Tris and Winslet stepped into the shoes of the formidable Jeanine. When Barrymore probed if Winslet had been a “sounding board,” Woodley leaned back, her expression transforming from playful to profound. “Oh, darling, it went so much further!” she declared. “She’s so — not to overuse the word — but she’s just real!”

This was no ordinary compliment; it was a declaration, suggesting that perhaps, in a world filled with façades, Winslet stood as a paragon of authenticity. “She is who she is, and she’s not afraid to be who she is,” Woodley recounted, her admiration palpable. It was as if she was describing a near-mythical creature, one who roamed the glitzy landscapes of Hollywood unencumbered by the superficialities that often weigh others down.

Drew Barrymore then popped the bubble of nostalgia with a mention of a poignant quote from Winslet about her regrets post-Titanic. Winslet had wished she had stood up for herself more as comments about her body shape invaded her space like unwanted guests at a party. And while the Oscar-winning actress might not have been loud in her own defense back then, Woodley was quick to point out, “She defended me.”

Woodley reminisced about their working relationship, recalling the ripe age of 21, when she was a fresh face in the industry grappling with the relentless flood of public scrutiny. “I was told, ‘You should look a certain way,’ or ‘You should be a certain thing,’” she remembered, a mix of indignation and laughter lacing her tone. It was during this tumult of unsolicited advice that Winslet swooped in like a guardian angel.

“She sat me down, held my shoulders, and literally shook me out of it,” Woodley shared, a sense of gravity softening her words. “She was like, ‘No, no, that’s not who you are, this is the truth,’ and she gave me that moment.” It was a moment of clarity better than any self-help book could offer. “I would not be who I am today without her,” she concluded, and you could almost hear the collective sigh of all the women out there who understand the weight of that statement.

In a world that often feels heavy with expectations and noise, Woodley and Winslet’s connection serves as a reminder — sometimes the truest, most impactful conversations happen when someone simply looks you in the eye and reminds you of your own reality. And isn’t that a lesson worth its weight in gold?