Shailene Woodley’s breakup with NFL star Aaron Rodgers may have been one of the darkest times in the actress’ life, according to a recent interview.
In an article published Monday by Net-A-Porter, Woodley reflected on her time shooting the TV adaptation of “Three Women” and recalled feeling overwhelmed by her personal life.
“It was hard to film because I was going through the darkest, hardest time in my life,” she said.
The 31-year-old Southern California native said that filming in the frigid New York winter, combined with personal issues, made her feel like she was in “a big pain bubble for eight months.”
“I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character,” she said.
While Woodley did not disclose details about what caused her emotional struggles, her split with Rodgers in February 2022 was widely reported. Filming for “Three Women” wrapped months later in May.
Despite the difficult time in her life, Woodley was able to find inner peace with age and admitted she stopped caring what people thought about her and her choices.
“I’m so excited to continue letting go of so many of the things that controlled me in my twenties; to really experience the joy of life in a way that, when you’re younger, is more difficult to experience – because it’s controlled by the way you were raised instead of the identity that you create as your own person,” Woodley said.
Before she came to this revelation, Woodley admitted that she struggled to deal with some of the criticism that came with sharing pieces of her relationship with Rodgers on social media.
Pictures surfaced in May 2021 of Woodley and Rodgers’ trip to Hawaii with actor Miles Teller and his wife. In a reference to Rodgers, Teller posted a photo to Twitter with the caption, “Cheers to signing with the Packers.”
Rodgers, 39, is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all time and gained attention outside of sports media in November 2021 when he admitted to providing misleading comments about being “immunized” against COVID-19 though he was not vaccinated.
Prior to her relationship with Rodgers, Woodley’s relationships generated little attention. She previously dated Ben Volavola, a rugby player who is barely known in the U.S.
“It honestly never really hit me that millions of people around the world were actually watching these things and paid attention to them. Then, I dated somebody in America who was very, very famous,” Woodley said.
“It was the first time that I’d had a quote-unquote ‘famous’ relationship, and I watched [the] scrutiny, opinions, the desire for people to know my life and his life and our life – it just felt violating in a way that, before, it was fun. I’m a very private person, and so I found that any time I posted anything, I instantly felt like I was sharing too much of who I am with people I didn’t necessarily trust.”
Woodley confirmed her engagement to Rodgers in February 2021 during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” By the following year, reports surfaced that the two split.
Woodley and Rodgers appeared to rekindle their romance in March 2022 when the pair was spotted attending a wedding together. However, the two split for good a few months later.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
