Shailene Woodley may be famous, but she lives life on her own terms. The actor has adopted a lifestyle that many would find atypical. From hunkering down in a crowded RV for months in her 20s to living in a remote cabin without cell service in her late teens, Woodley has always done what works for her. And despite her millions of followers, she knows how to stay out of the spotlight. In fact, she once lied about backpacking in New Zealand for months, only to hide out in LA.
Shailene Woodley has plenty of experience backpacking and camping
For someone like Woodley, going on a backpacking trip is pretty on-brand. The Endings, Beginnings actor is actually a great survivalist. She forages a lot of her own food and has a keen understanding of the environment. In fact, her survival skills helped her earn roles in movies like Divergent and Adrift. A native of Simi Valley (a city just 40 miles from LA), Woodley grew up camping and backpacked across Europe at the age of 19. In her 20s, she even gave up most of her belongings and lived out of a suitcase.
The actor told people she was in New Zealand when she was really in LA
Funnily enough, Woodley once used backpacking as an excuse to earn herself some downtime. In an interview with The Guardian, it was revealed that The Fallout actor told people that “she planned to spend a couple of months backpacking around New Zealand, and instead disappeared from view by hiding in LA.”
But what exactly was Woodley hiding from in LA? While she didn’t give an explicit reason, it could’ve just been that she needed some time to herself. As an in-demand actor, Woodley fields constant communications. So by telling people that she was going off the grid, she may have successfully reduced the sheer volume of day-to-day communications that she was expected to see and respond to.
Woodley manages her busy life by staying off of her phone
Of course, Woodley has other ways of dealing with her busy LA lifestyle. In an interview with, Harper’s Bazaar, the Three Women actor shared that staying off of her phone is a crucial method that she uses in order to help manage her anxiety. “I guess I believe that if something is going to happen, it’s going to happen whether I’m on my phone that second or I’m not on my phone,” Woodley explained. “So at the end of the day, I can put my phone away and take time for myself instead of feeling that I have to go through hundreds of text messages or scrolling on Instagram or listening to every voicemail or replying to every single email.”
Of course, not being instantly available to everyone is something that sometimes causes tension in Woodley’s life. However, the actor shares that people have learned to adjust. “I’ve come to accept that the people in my life who I actually want to be surrounded by will not be offended if I don’t respond to them right away because I have to take care of how much energy I am constantly consuming and putting out,” Woodley shared. Clearly, the actor knows how to take time for herself, whether she’s pretending to be overseas or not.
