Veronica Roth, the author of the very popular Divergent trilogy, is speaking out about recent news that Shailene Woodley may play her lead character Tris.
We had told you last week that Woodley was in talks to play Tris, and while those talks are still ongoing, Roth couldn’t wait to analyze what this means for the film. “From the moment I heard that she was being considered, I have been nothing but enthusiastic,” she said on her blog. “My priority has always been, first and foremost, that the role of Tris be well-acted, and Shailene has proven how talented she is, as anyone who has seen The Descendants can attest.”
Roth also addressed the look of Woodley, which had been a concern for some fans after hearing the news last week. “Physically, what’s most important to me, far and away more important than other aspects of her appearance, is that Tris does not look like an action hero — she looks like a slight person with youthful, delicate features, someone who shocks you with how strong and capable she becomes. To me, that is exactly the look Shailene has, exactly the look I’ve always had in my mind. From what I’ve seen, I’m confident she will be able to capture Tris’s particular mixture of vulnerability and strength, and that surprising moment when a seemingly unremarkable girl from Abnegation transforms into a powerful yet flawed young woman.”
Roth also spoke about confirmed director Neil Burger. She revealed she had a lengthy phone call with him after he secured the spot. “By the time I hung up — an hour and a half later! — I felt very reassured. Neil knew the books remarkably well, and asked some amazing questions about the world and the story, and generally demonstrated tremendous respect for the books and for my answers. I actually found myself wishing he had been around while I was writing, to help me think through the particularities of the world of Divergent!”
Divergent will hit theaters March 21, 2014.
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