Shailene Woodley recently appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, where she expressed gratitude for Kate Winslet's guidance early in her career.
Woodley, 32, reflected on her journey, saying, "I've been blessed to have people, at a young age, show up in a really real, truthful, pure way."
After rising to fame with The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, and Big Little Lies, Woodley credited Winslet, 48, for offering valuable advice.
Barrymore asked, "Did Kate Winslet actually, was she someone who was, like, a good sounding board for you?"
Woodley replied, "Beyond. I mean, you guys, she's so, not to overuse the word real, but she's just real. She is who she is, and she's not afraid to be who she is. And she's done the hard work."
Barrymore mentioned a quote from Winslet: "I wish I had had the gumption and confidence that I have now as a woman, as a young girl when I came out in Titanic and, particularly men, commented on my body shape and size and how I would not have allowed that at all and I would have shut it down right there and then."
Woodley shared, "But you know what's cool about that is she maybe didn't do that for herself but she did do it for me. She absolutely did."
Woodley recalled working with Winslet on Divergent and Insurgent, saying, "I was 21. I had all, you know, the influx of public life and being told 'you should look a certain way' or 'you should be a certain thing' or 'don't eat that' or 'do this' or 'dye your hair a different color'."
Winslet intervened, sitting Woodley down and saying, "No, no, no, that's not who you are. This is the truth."
Woodley credited Winslet for shaping her identity: "She gave me that moment. And I wouldn't— I would not be who I am today without her, singlehandedly."