It’s safe to say that 2011 is ending on a very sweet note for rising star Shailene Woodley—and 2012 is set to kick off in equally grand style. The 20-year-old has a hit TV show as well as Oscar buzz for a new film with none other than George Clooney.
Oh, and she has been nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globe Awards for her work in “The Descendants“ opposite Clooney. We Love this movie at BNH.
Yep, not a bad year at all for Ms. Woodley.
“The Descendants,” based on a popular novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, was adapted for the screen (with co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) and directed Alexander Payne, whose previous films include “Sideways,” “About Schmidt” and “Election.”
Woodley plays Clooney’s wayward daughter during a period of crisis for their family. “At year’s end, when studios launch their best hopes for Oscar attention, there usually is one or two Cinderellas poised to step into the lead or supporting actress category,” writes “USA Today“ in a glowing profile. “It might be Woodley’s turn, thanks to her knockout performance as Alex, a recovering addict whose profanity-laced resentment toward her distant dad gradually shifts to respect after her mother falls into a coma.”
“She really elevates that role from a stereotype,” said Clooney. “You can write and direct it. But at the end of the day, someone has to play it. “She’s the cat’s pajamas,” boasts Payne. “She is going places.”
IndieWire.com named her to its Honor Roll 2011 year-end wrap. “You’ve heard it a million times before. An up-and-comer is cast in a big project, touted as the next best thing and then he/she fails to leave a lasting impression,” they write. “We’re happy to report [she] doesn’t fit that bill.”
She delivers “a comic, wrenching and amazingly vivid performance, sure to make her a hot commodity.”
On the small screen, she has headlined “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” on ABC Family since 2008. It’s one of the highest-rated shows on the cable network.
Trivia: Woodley was born in Simi Valley, California, and has been acting since she was 5 years old. Her father is a high school principal and her mother works as a middle-school guidance counselor.
CLICK HERE for interviews with Woodley and her castmates on TheWrap.com.