The much anticipated movie of the year is hitting theaters this friday March 21st. The stars of the film, Shailene Woodley and Theo James, made a stop in Atlanta for the Divergent red carpet tour. We got a chance to sit down with the stars and talk all things Divergent. As a die hard fan myself, you can imagine that I was a little excited.
First, let me start by saying how great Shai and Theo were. They signed lots of autographs for screaming fans and came into our interview with big hugs and handshakes. Extremely fun and pleasant people. Divergent has been on the “radar” since 2011 when it hit shelves. Rivaling another great dystopia, The Hunger Games, it has a similar following. When word got out that a movie was being made we knew it would be big. Shailene Woodley has been noted as the perfect person for this role because she embodies a lot of the characteristics that Tris takes on and stands for throughout the series. I asked Shai what made her take an interest in survivalism and I was intrigued to find out that she “studied indigenous cultures and really loved the lifestyle that they lived and how connected the eco system they were.” She believes that this is one of the main reasons as well for landing the role of Tris.
If you’ve seen a lot of Shai and Theo interviews online you’ve probably seen the fact that they have been asked the same set of questions by each set of interviewers. They have started having fun during their interviews by giving hilarious answers to the questions fans want to know most. This alone shows me the great chemistry they have with each other. Something that clearly translates in the film. When asked what their fear landscapes would be both Shai and Theo didn’t skip a beat in answering, “Submarines in space” (Shai) and “Dumbledore cooking pancakes'”(Theo).
They both were able to do a lot of their own stunts, Shailene mentioned that she would have loved to do the whole zip-line. Her stunt double, Alicia Vela-Bailey told me that is was a lot of fun. To stick with the fun I asked them if they could be any superhero which one would they choose to be. Shailene responded with, “Catwoman, she’s so sexy! What a babe right? Showing up on her motorcycle in all black sleek like in and out the window Batman style. So cool.” Theo thinks that, “Superman would be too much because there is no limit to your power, so I think maybe Spiderman.” 
Another interviewer asked a great question, What is it that you hope young audience members take away from this film. Shailene immediately began sharing her many thoughts on this. Including, “you don’t have to be codependent in a relationship. You don’t need somebody to need you. You can be an empowered, strong individual and you can have have a strong independent individual and be partners. You can base your relationship on fundamentals of trust, and pride and respect. Which I think is a very beautiful and neat thing to have in a young adult franchise.” I couldn’t agree more on this sentiment. One of the reasons that I love this series so much is how much Tris breaks the mold of other female leads I’ve read in other stories and seen in movies. She truly is independent. Which makes her love with Four so much more meaningful to me.
She goes on the also talk about the friendships in the story as well. “I also think it’s really neat that Tris and Christina have such a close relationship and that they are supportive of one another and there isn’t any jealousy or envy involved because you very rarely see that in films or in real life. Where females are able to be supportive of one another without the external sort of back stabbing and what not. The drama thats involved. That sisterhood is really special.” Again, she’s hit the nail on the head.
The film is a must see. Every second will have you on your toes. Make sure you catch it. Buy Divergent Tickets now!
If you pre-order you could win a walk on role in Insurgent! The story is a great one and we can’t wait to see Insurgent which is set to come out in March 2015.
Check out the entire interview in the video below.
Here is a first hand look at the red carpet event in Atlanta. You get a glimpse of the stars with fans and answering some questions. You even get a taste of Theo James beat-boxing!
