Category: Divergent

‘Divergent’ First Look Teaser

August 23, 2013

The Hollywood Reporter Photoshoot

July 24, 2013

Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter, we have this fantastic photo of Shailene posing with Divergent co-star Theo James in their annual studio photo booth at San Diego Comic-Con, and were joined by director Neil Burger and author Veronica Roth. They spoke to THR about the upcoming film, which they just wrapped shooting of a couple of days before the panel at Comic-Con. You can watch that interview right here. Enjoy!

‘Divergent’ Stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James Could Probably Kick Your Ass

July 21, 2013

MTV – Shailene Woodley and Theo James did use talented stunt doubles for some scenes in their new movie, “Divergent,” an adaptation of a YA novel set in dystopian future Chicago, but in a lot of the action sequences were filmed by the actors themselves. That’s thanks in part to the realistic approach director Neil Burger took to the movie.

“I can say as a director that both of these guys brought such strength to the action. There’s a lot of fighting in the movie,” Burger told MTV News at San Diego Comic-Con. In the Chicago of “Divergent,” society is divided into five factions based on personality traits like intelligence and honesty. Woodley’s Tris is a teenage girl who transfers from her home faction of Abnegation (selfless) to Dauntless (fearless). James plays her Dauntless mentor (turned-love interest), which means the two of them spent plenty of time training and fighting together.

“I say that Theo’s kind of a combination of Paul Newman and Bruce Lee. He can really fight,” Burger said. “Shai is not scared of anything and also did some fighting. [She] climbed on top of all sorts of crazy things — 75-foot tall ledges — and did all sorts of crazy stuff. I was trying to keep everything as real as possible, which made them have to be involved in everything and do it for real — and they did it.”

Woodley said that one of her favorite scenes to shoot involved a huge fight sequence during the climax of the movie. “Toward the end of the film there’s a really big scene where Tris and Four engage in a big fight,” she explained. “The way that the stunt coordinator and Neil created that in the way that [author] Veronica [Roth] wrote it in the book was really beautiful. Theo kicked ass in that scene so I’m excited to see it.”

Adds James, “So did Shai. She’s like a natural athlete even though she pretends not to be.”

“Well, my stunt double is really great,” Woodley demurs. “To be fair, she did most of that scene.”

“Divergent” hits theaters March 21, 2014.

Shailene Woodley and Theo James on Ferris-Wheel Stunts and Hunger Games Comparisons

July 20, 2013

VANITY FAIR – Yesterday, Divergent stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James took Comic-Con by storm, premiering footage from their futuristic, adrenaline-fueled film at the San Diego Convention Center. But first, the duo, who play love interests onscreen in the adaptation of Veronica Roth’s best-selling young-adult novel, sat down with your blogger to discuss the dangerous stunts they had just completed on set in Chicago.

Before production began, both actors spent a month training for the physical challenges required of the big-screen adaptation, which details the grueling initiation process that Woodley’s character endures as she tries to join the “dauntless” group in a future society that divides people by their personality traits. James—the handsome British actor best known to us as Kemal Pamuk, the ill-fated Turkish diplomat who died suddenly in Lady Mary’s boudoir on Downton Abbey—did many of his own stunts, learning a hybrid style of fighting designed by the movie’s stunt coordinators and even severely injuring one its stuntmen.

“I had a fight scene, which happened very quickly,” he said. “It was, like, six guys coming at me doing various things. And unfortunately, one of the guys ended up getting 25 stitches in his face, which was not great, and I felt very guilty about it.” While Woodley did not fend off six attackers on set, she did do enough of her own stunts to injure herself. “I fell off a train and got two hernias,” the Golden Globe–nominated Descendants actress recalled nonchalantly.

“And a black eye,” James reminded her.

“I tried to do as many stunts as they would let me,” said Woodley. “I got to zip-line, which is pretty fun. I didn’t get to do the whole distance, but I got to do part of it. I got to be, like, 40 feet up over Chicago streets. We got to climb a Ferris wheel, [which] was not as cool as it seems. There was a ladder at about 45 degrees, and we were essentially just climbing the ladder. But it was a full moon, a super moon, so it was cool.“ When asked if the Ferris-wheel stunt was for a romantic, Notebook-type love scene, Woodley and James laughed.

“We were 69-ing on the top,” joked James.

“That was actually the most intense stunt work in the film,” she laughed. “It was really tricky to figure out.”

The pair also told us how they felt about all the Hunger Games comparisons that Divergent is already receiving and what, if anything, audience members should expect when they enter theaters next March.

“I don’t think anyone should have expectations,” Woodley said. “People compare us to the Hunger Games and think that’s a compliment. They’ve done an amazing job. Expectations always screw with you, though. Visually it is very different from Hunger Games and other young-adult franchises. Our D.P. and director really created a new world.”

“And also, when you see the trailers and stuff, I think that will answer the questions. It is quite unique,” James added, before making Woodley laugh one last time. “Watch—it comes out, and it is actually just like The Hunger Games. Shot for shot.”

Full Video of ‘Divergent’ Comic-Con Panel

July 19, 2013

The Five Coolest Things Revealed at ‘Divergent’ Panel

July 19, 2013

MTV – The romance between pretty people Shailene Woodley and Theo James is something plenty of fans are looking forward to watching in “Divergent” the latest dystopian young adult novel to be adapted for the big screen.

“I kind of intentionally kept myself away from set on days when they were doing anything smoochy because I feel like that’s just awkward, like that’s just voyeuristic somehow,” Roth told a packed Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. That’s probably the opposite of how most of us would do things, but hey, the lady created those characters, so it’s her prerogative.

“Divergent” is set in a dystopian future Chicago, a walled-in, ruined city where the population is divided into five factions that devote themselves to personality traits like bravery, selflessness and intelligence. Woodley’s Tris is a selfless teen who transfers to the daredevil faction, and James plays her mentor. It shouldn’t be a spoiler to say that a romance eventually blossoms.

Roth was joined at the panel by Woodley, James, director Neil Burger, and a ton of their supporting cast members to present the first footage of the film, which is scheduled to come out March 21, 2014. Here are five takeaways from the panel, which brought the cast together in one of their very first public appearances:

Theomania
James might be the most handsome human specimen to hit the Hall H stage in quite some time (or at least, like, a couple of hours), but the audience enthusiasm for his entrance was definitely not quite at a Pattinson level. He and Woodley received about the same not-quite-deafening amount of screams as they took their seats. In fact, Maggie Q got the loudest round of applause of everyone.

Fast Turnaround
“We just finished shooting two days ago, on Tuesday morning, so it’s all very, very fresh for us right now,” director Burger told the crowd. Since the cast has been in a production bubble for the past several months, they haven’t really heard much feedback from fans regarding news from set. The panel was the first time the stars have been able to gauge the fans’ excitement over the project. “We really worked our asses off to make something that I think you’ll all really be proud of,” James said. “It’s a really special movie and it has a really iconic look to it.”

“Allegiant” Details
While Roth wouldn’t spill a word about the plot of the upcoming third book in the trilogy, which hits stores October 22, she did reveal an intriguing detail about the story: it will be told from both Tris’ point of view and Four’s point of view.

Forming Friendships
The Dauntless initiates bonded offscreen much like their characters do onscreen: in the gym. The actors went through several weeks of martial arts training together before filming began and they had to do the same thing again while cameras rolled.

Being Brave
Because Dauntless is the faction that values bravery, Woodley and James have both spent some time pondering what bravery means to them. “I think all of us are extremely brave and extremely courageous, but I don’t think that we’re necessarily put in situations where we’re forced to call upon our bravery,” Woodley said. “What I love about Tris is that she was in that situation and she rose to the occasion.” James added of Four, “I think he’s a man with a very centered sense of masculinity and he’s not afraid to demonstrate what he’s afraid of. It’s not about being fearless, it’s about how you deal with things that are scary.”