Shailene Woodley Describes 'Really Deep' Bond with Ansel Elgort After Playing Both Siblings and Lovers

Mar. 15, 2025

From L: Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley inThe Fault in Our Stars(2014) andThe Divergent Series: Allegiant(2016).Photo:James Bridges/Temple Hill/Kobal/Shutterstock, AlamyShailene Woodley’s affection forAnsel Elgortcontinues to this day.In anew interviewforBustle, theThree Womenactress said she “love(s)” her formerDivergentandThe Fault in Our Starscostar “with all of my heart and soul,” adding, “I think that he is one of the brightest lights on this planet.“Woodley, 32, went on to recall that when she heard Elgort, 30, was cast as her love interest in 2014’sThe Fault in Our Stars,afterDivergent —which came out earlier the same year, and in which they played brother and sister — “I was a little like, ‘Oh, okay….’ ““We had such a good time onFaultbecause we had already established areally deep friendship and bondduring theDivergentseries, and so there was a safety and comfortability around us both,” she said.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.“I believe I bring out the best in [Ansel] and he brings out the best in me. It’s one of the things I’m the most proud of,” theBig Little Liesactress added.Woodley previously opened up about how her longtime friendship with Elgorthelped their onscreen chemistryinThe Fault in Our Stars.“There’s something really beautiful about working with someone again and again and again, because the more you get to know somebody on a personal level, the more free you feel artistically,” she said in 2014.“I think that if Ansel and I hadn’t known each other fromDivergent, our relationship in [The Fault in Our Stars] would not be what it is,” the actress added.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in Toronto on Sept. 7, 2019.George Pimentel/GettyAnd the pair’s bond goes beyond their work lives too. In September 2022, Elgort and Woodley took anItalian vacation together, which theWest Side Storyactor shared photos from on Instagram.One snapshot showed the friends and former costars cuddling up to each other while smiling for the camera as they hung out in a restaurant.“It’s the time of the season for loooovvingg,” Elgort captioned hisInstagrampost.During their reunion in Italy, the pair alsoreenacted the famous liftfrom the 1987 filmDirty Dancing. Sharing the end result on hisInstagram, Elgort wrote in the caption, “Clean dancing w Shai 💚🇮🇹❤️.”

From L: Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley inThe Fault in Our Stars(2014) andThe Divergent Series: Allegiant(2016).Photo:James Bridges/Temple Hill/Kobal/Shutterstock, Alamy

James Bridges/Temple Hill/Kobal/Shutterstock, Alamy

Shailene Woodley’s affection forAnsel Elgortcontinues to this day.In anew interviewforBustle, theThree Womenactress said she “love(s)” her formerDivergentandThe Fault in Our Starscostar “with all of my heart and soul,” adding, “I think that he is one of the brightest lights on this planet.“Woodley, 32, went on to recall that when she heard Elgort, 30, was cast as her love interest in 2014’sThe Fault in Our Stars,afterDivergent —which came out earlier the same year, and in which they played brother and sister — “I was a little like, ‘Oh, okay….’ ““We had such a good time onFaultbecause we had already established areally deep friendship and bondduring theDivergentseries, and so there was a safety and comfortability around us both,” she said.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.“I believe I bring out the best in [Ansel] and he brings out the best in me. It’s one of the things I’m the most proud of,” theBig Little Liesactress added.Woodley previously opened up about how her longtime friendship with Elgorthelped their onscreen chemistryinThe Fault in Our Stars.“There’s something really beautiful about working with someone again and again and again, because the more you get to know somebody on a personal level, the more free you feel artistically,” she said in 2014.“I think that if Ansel and I hadn’t known each other fromDivergent, our relationship in [The Fault in Our Stars] would not be what it is,” the actress added.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in Toronto on Sept. 7, 2019.George Pimentel/GettyAnd the pair’s bond goes beyond their work lives too. In September 2022, Elgort and Woodley took anItalian vacation together, which theWest Side Storyactor shared photos from on Instagram.One snapshot showed the friends and former costars cuddling up to each other while smiling for the camera as they hung out in a restaurant.“It’s the time of the season for loooovvingg,” Elgort captioned hisInstagrampost.During their reunion in Italy, the pair alsoreenacted the famous liftfrom the 1987 filmDirty Dancing. Sharing the end result on hisInstagram, Elgort wrote in the caption, “Clean dancing w Shai 💚🇮🇹❤️.”

Shailene Woodley’s affection forAnsel Elgortcontinues to this day.

In anew interviewforBustle, theThree Womenactress said she “love(s)” her formerDivergentandThe Fault in Our Starscostar “with all of my heart and soul,” adding, “I think that he is one of the brightest lights on this planet.”

Woodley, 32, went on to recall that when she heard Elgort, 30, was cast as her love interest in 2014’sThe Fault in Our Stars,afterDivergent —which came out earlier the same year, and in which they played brother and sister — “I was a little like, ‘Oh, okay….’ "

“We had such a good time onFaultbecause we had already established areally deep friendship and bondduring theDivergentseries, and so there was a safety and comfortability around us both,” she said.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

“I believe I bring out the best in [Ansel] and he brings out the best in me. It’s one of the things I’m the most proud of,” theBig Little Liesactress added.

Woodley previously opened up about how her longtime friendship with Elgorthelped their onscreen chemistryinThe Fault in Our Stars.

“There’s something really beautiful about working with someone again and again and again, because the more you get to know somebody on a personal level, the more free you feel artistically,” she said in 2014.

“I think that if Ansel and I hadn’t known each other fromDivergent, our relationship in [The Fault in Our Stars] would not be what it is,” the actress added.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in Toronto on Sept. 7, 2019.George Pimentel/Getty

And the pair’s bond goes beyond their work lives too. In September 2022, Elgort and Woodley took anItalian vacation together, which theWest Side Storyactor shared photos from on Instagram.

One snapshot showed the friends and former costars cuddling up to each other while smiling for the camera as they hung out in a restaurant.

“It’s the time of the season for loooovvingg,” Elgort captioned hisInstagrampost.

During their reunion in Italy, the pair alsoreenacted the famous liftfrom the 1987 filmDirty Dancing. Sharing the end result on hisInstagram, Elgort wrote in the caption, “Clean dancing w Shai 💚🇮🇹❤️.”

source: people.com