How time flies! The first Divergent movie — based on the book series of the same name by Veronica Roth — premiered on April 11, 2014.
Starring Shailene Woodley (Tris Prior), Theo James (Tobias “Four” Eaton), Jai Courtney (Eric Coulter), Miles Teller (Peter Hayes), Zoe Kravitz (Christina) and Ansel Elgort (Caleb Prior), the original flick spawned two sequels and followed the story of a teen girl, named Tris, who leaves her family behind to join another one of the five factions (Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite) in a post-apocalyptic society. After finding out that she’s “divergent” — meaning she doesn’t fit into one specific category — the three films explore Tris’ life as she attempts to save the world she lives in and falls in love.
Shailene has made a huge name for herself in Hollywood since starring as the fictional heroine, but if it wasn’t for the Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence‘s words of wisdom she may not have taken the role at all. “‘You must do it. You will not regret it for a second. Yes, there are some hard things, but there are so many beautiful things that will come from an opportunity like this,'” the Secret Life of the American Teenager alum remembered when chatting with The Hollywood Reporter in 2014. Shailene said the fellow star urged her to take the role of Tris in an email via Lionsgate copresident, Erik Feig.
When it comes to her character and Jennifer’s character, Shailene said that in an epic dystopian crossover, the two girls would “combine forces and bring it together.”
“I don’t feel like they would actually battle,” the Big Little Lies star said at the time.
She also compared the two heroines during an interview with Entertainment Weekly from June 2013.
“What I like about Tris is that she’s isn’t perfect,” Shailene said at the time. “She’s not a superhero — she’s not [The Hunger Games protagonist] Katniss [Everdeen]. She doesn’t know how to shoot a bow and arrow, she’s not a badass by nature.”
While there were only three Divergent novels, there was meant to be a fourth film, which was never completed. Variety reported in June 2016 that the franchise may possibly come to an end with a TV movie in lieu of the film. It’s unclear what went wrong.
“No, I’m not going to be on the television show,” Shailene said during a Vanity Fair interview from February 2017 amid the reports.
Scroll through our gallery to see what the Divergent cast is up to now.
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