Shailene Woodley Reveals She Was Rejected From 'The Descendants' Before Fighting Her Way Into the Role

It took Shailene Woodley a year, a rejected tape, and one very honest cup of coffee to land the role she knew was right for her and that would later change her career.

Shailene Woodley revealed she was initially turned down for her breakout role in "The Descendants" and spent nearly a year pushing for a callback before ultimately winning the part.

Shailene Woodley at the Los Angeles premiere of "The Descendants" on November 15, 2011 | Source: Getty Images

In a conversation with SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Woodley said she was a teenager when she auditioned for the role of Alex King, a role she connected with. "I remember thinking, I was like, oh, this is me. I know this girl," she said.

Convinced she aced her audition tape, she was disappointed to learn that it didn’t go her way, and she didn’t get a callback.

Shailene Woodley attends the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations: Shailene Woodley Career Retrospective" event at The Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists on August 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

Woodley had just recently signed with her agent, who told her, "They didn't like your tape. Like, they think you're not right for the role." But she refused to accept the rejection.

So she hounded her agent for a year, asking to get her another shot. "I'll self-tape. I'll do whatever. I'll do anything," she recalled telling him.

Her persistence eventually paid off when she landed an in-person callback with director Alexander Payne in New York, but weeks of uncertainty followed.

George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, and Alexander Payne attend the premiere for "The Descendants" on October 20, 2011 in London | Source: Getty Images

Then Payne invited her for coffee and privately told her, “You're my favorite actress for this role. I would love to hire you, but I really want to hire a local girl in Hawaii,” short of telling her the part wasn’t likely going to her.

Woodley said she left that conversation with a feeling of fulfillment regardless of the outcome. Then Payne called her about a month later to offer her the part.

If there’s anything Woodley learned from that experience, it’s the value of persistence, especially in the casting process. "I'm a big believer if you're passionate about something, you got to fight for it," she said.

Released in 2011, "The Descendants" follows the story of Matt King (George Clooney), an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past after his wife suffers a boating accident off Waikiki.

Woodley played his eldest daughter, Alex, in the film, which also grapples with a decision to sell the family's Hawaiian land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

The film earned Woodley an Independent Spirit Award and a Golden Globe nomination.

hailene Woodley accepts the Best Supporting Female award for "The Descendants" at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, 2012 | Source: Getty Images