Shailene Woodley Biography

Courtesy of ABC

Birthdate: November 15, 1991
Birthplace: Simi Valley, California

Shailene Woodley plays Amy Juergens in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Find more about this young, rising star!

Shailene (Shai) Woodley got her start acting in commercials and small roles on TV shows like Cold Case, My Name Is Earl, CSI and Crossing Jordan. Her first big break came in 2003 when Shailene landed the role of Mischa Barton’s little sister, Kaitlin Cooper in the hit show, The O.C., but Shailene really made a name for herself when she took on the controversial role of Amy Juergens in The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Shailene's Secret Life

Shailene plays Amy Juergans, a 15-year-old who discovers she’s pregnant! Controversy surrounded the show when it debuted in 2008, but Shailene believes the role has encouraged a lot of families to talk to their teens about sex. Secret Life follows Amy as she tries to figure out how to balance motherhood with high school, family and boy trouble.

Season 3 Spoilers

The third season of Secret Life promises even more drama! “There’s a lot of new things,” Shailene says. “Another maybe pregnancy, weddings; there's a lot of confusion as far as in Ben and Amy's relationship; there's a lot of up and downs with Ricky's character and trying to figure out who he is and what he wants.”

Amy is going through changes too, and not necessarily for the better! “I think that all teenage girls kind of go through that mean stage where the world revolves around them,” Shailene says. “I think it's very hormonal and especially after having a child I think that your hormones are all out of whack and it causes a lot of mood swings.” Imagine all the stress you normally deal with—then add a baby! Amy doesn’t have it easy.

Acting With George Clooney

During the off-season of Secret Life, Shailene will take some time to star alongside George Clooney in The Descendants! The movie follows Clooney’s character, a lawyer who’s forced to get closer to his daughters after a family tragedy. Shailene plays his older daughter, Alex, but you’ll have to wait to see how Shailene stands up to George. The Descendants doesn’t hit the big screen until 2011!

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