Laura Dern told Shailene Woodley not to turn down Big Little Lies

Shailene Woodley received her first Emmy nomination for her role as Jane Chapman in the hit HBO series Big Little Lies. However, according to Woodley, she almost turned down the role.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Woodley expressed her excitement at the opportunity to work with Jean-Marc Vallée, calling him an “incredible artist and filmmaker.” However, as Woodley was already planning to travel to India on a journey of self-exploration, her involvement in the project was initially delayed.

Until Laura Dern stepped in. Woodley recalled how Dern, who played Renata Klein on “Big Little Lies,” eventually convinced her to take the role of Jane.

“She just said, ‘Listen, I know where you are in your life, I’ve been there before. It’s a lot, this world is an illusion, but what is not an illusion is what you like to do. And what I see in you, Shai, is your goal, at least at this moment in your life, is to be a storyteller,” Woodley recalls. “‘And I think it’s a huge mistake for you to pass up this opportunity that you really should take advantage of.’ Because of that call, I decided to leave India and return to the United States, and it changed my life forever.”

Before working together on Big Little Lies, Woodley and Dern starred together in the 2014 coming-of-age romance film The Fault in Our Stars. Dern played Woodley’s character’s mother, Hazel Grace Lancaster.

In addition to Dern and Woodley, the star cast of “Big Little Lies” also included Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Zoe Kravitz. The series has been praised as one of the most successful television shows in HBO history; In addition to her Emmy nomination, Woodley also received acting nominations for the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“I’m grateful to Laura,” Woodley said. “It was a huge moment of courageous friendship to say, ‘I think you’re making a mistake, and I’m going to be brave enough to tell you why, because I see you and I see something you can’t see.’ .’ your own life right now.’”

The hit drama series ran for two seasons from 2017 to 2019. In June, Kidman and Witherspoon updated on the progress of another season, with Kidman saying Season 3 was in “good shape.”

“The beauty of ‘Big Little Lies’ is that we’re all actually friends in real life,” Woodley told Vanity Fair, sharing that the cast has an active text chain. “There’s a constant check-in every few weeks – ‘Hey, what’s up!’ It’s still happening!’ I keep being told there will be a third season, but I haven’t read anything yet.”