Q: Now that Shailene Woodley starred with George Clooney in The Descendants, will she be leaving The Secret Life of the American Teenager?
—Christie Clarke, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Even though there is a lot of buzz that Woodley's performance in The Descendants is a star-making role, the 20-year-old actress is back to work on the ABC Family series, honoring her contract. Woodley, who landed the role as pregnant teenager Amy Juergens when she was a junior at Simi Valley High School in California, says, "Being on a show for as long as I've been on it-and being in a contract for another two years-I've learned a lot about making commitments and really paying attention to the material that you work on.
"I'm so grateful for the show. It's been such a fun ride."
But long term, Woodley's goal is to become a film actress. "I'd always wanted to do a film because film is always where my heart has been. I like diving into the character for a few months and then leaving it behind."
While she waits for her next film role to materialize, Woodley, who plans to attend college, indicates she may study psychology, in which both her parents hold degrees. But for now, she is doing a little independent research in herbology. She says, "I'm really interested in natural healing and, besides the healing and medicinal purposes of plants, what plants you can use for paper and building in a sustainable way."
