“Divergent” New York City Press Tour Proves We’d Want Shailene Woodley In Our Faction

The stars of “Divergent” were in New York City as part of the press tour that is sweeping the nation. The film’s stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Ansel Elgort as well as author Veronica Roth and director Neil Burger reunited during a special screening hosted by Marie Claire and The Cinema Society.

While on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Woodley admitted initially she wasn’t sure she wanted to be the lead female for the franchise. The actress who had only done indie movies reached out “The Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence for advice. Lawrence told her, “If you love the story and love the character, don’t pay attention to the budget.”

The laid-back Cali native is not the biggest fan of red carpet looks and at the New York premiere of “Divergent,” she swapped her glam outfit for something a bit more comfy at the after party. “My intention was to put jeans on, and then I got to the bathroom and started changing, and I was like these jeans are way too tight,” said Woodley. “So I just put on my overalls.”

The style (which is making a comeback) has many benefits as the actress noted. “You can have a food baby and nobody can see it. You can hide things in the pockets, nobody knows. Yeah, it’s like a built in backpack.”

While we love James’ British accent and old soul personality, it seems Woodley has the survival smarts to thrive whether in Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity, Candor, or factionless. She’s studied indigenous cultures and wildness skills, but after realizing that probably wouldn’t help her if she was stranded in L.A., the actress enrolled in an urban survivalist class.

Curious to find out which factions the stars would opt for during The Choosing Ceremony? The duo discussed their picks when they stopped by SiriusXM Studios for Entertainment Weekly’s Radio Special. Both were in agreement that Dauntless was their go to, but Woodley revealed she could also be divergent. “I like to be challenged, and I think it’d be fun to sort of be a warrior for a minute. And then the second the leadership started getting corrupt, which is what happens in the movie, I’d choose to be factionless so that I could just do my thing and not have to worry about such controlling factors.”

Even after all “The Hunger Games” comparisons, the stars don’t seem fazed by the hype surrounding the film. “I think to be honest, I’m a bit of a realist, so until it happens then I don’t think about it too much,” James told “Today.” “Something’s not something, until its something. I guess.”