Shailene Woodley first caught the attention of audiences back in 2012 with her performance in The Descendants, shocking everyone by proving that somebody on Secret Life of an American Teenager could actually act. But one good role isn't enough to start singing an actor's praises. After all, it could just be a fluke. But this year, Shailene Woodley showed us that her work in The Descendants wasn't just a one-off, with two powerhouse performances in the young adult supergenre. Despite the fact that the Divergent franchise is glaringly inferior to some of the other young adult fantasy book to film adaptations we've gotten over the past couple years, Woodley acquits herself very well as its anchor. And she also got to show a less action-y, more dramatic side to herself as a teen with cancer in John Green's massively popular tearjerker The Fault in Our Stars. Even having her performance as Mary Jane in the newest Spiderman film end up on the cutting room floor couldn't break her stride. (Actually, as much as we love Andrew Garfield, that may have been a blessing in disguise.)
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
