Shailene Woodley Movies and TV Shows: Full List 2024

Shailene Woodley built her career by refusing to stay in one lane—from indie breakthrough to young-adult blockbuster lead to Emmy-nominated HBO ensemble player to Broadway newcomer. Born November 15, 1991, she earned her first Golden Globe nomination before turning 21, then pivoted into franchises, prestige television, and producing. Below is a complete look at her filmography, critical reception, and what she’s got coming next.

Born: November 15, 1991 ·
Highest Rated Film: 92% The Spectacular Now (2013) ·
Notable TV Series: Big Little Lies ·
Recent Films: Ferrari (2023), To Catch a Killer (2023) ·
Upcoming: Killer Heat (2024)

The table below summarizes five key data points that anchor Woodley’s career narrative.

What is Shailene Woodley most known for?

Woodley’s career divides roughly into three acts: indie breakout, franchise lead, and prestige television. She first gained prominence for her starring role as Amy Juergens in ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), a soap opera that ran for five seasons and gave her early, consistent screen time before she moved into features. Her 2011 role in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants put her in front of a completely different audience—an adult drama earning her a Golden Globe nomination at just 19 years old. That dual foundation (teen drama to adult art house) gave her range unusual for someone who would later anchor massive franchises.

Breakout indie roles

• The Spectacular Now (2013): James Ponsoldt’s Sundance favorite earned Woodley widespread critical acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination. The film holds a 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes), making it her highest-rated film to date.
• The Fault in Our Stars (2014): Adapted from John Green’s bestselling novel, this cancer drama brought her into mainstream blockbuster territory. The film scored 81% with critics and 85% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes), demonstrating her ability to carry emotional, dialogue-heavy material.

Franchise leads

• The Divergent Series (2014–2016): Woodley starred as Beatrice Prior across three films—Divergent (2014), Insurgent (2015), and Allegiant (2016)—anchoring a franchise that grossed over $800 million worldwide. Allegiant marked the series low point critically at 11% on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes), but the Divergent franchise remains her most commercially sustained body of work.

The pattern across Woodley’s career is clear: she chooses roles that require emotional specificity over action beats. Even in franchise work, her character is defined by internal conflict rather than physical spectacle, which sets her apart from many YA leads of the same era.

What movie made Shailene Woodley famous?

The Spectacular Now (2013) is the film that put Woodley on the industry map. While The Descendants earned her a Golden Globe nomination a year earlier, that film was George Clooney’s vehicle, and Woodley’s supporting role—though critically praised—didn’t fully showcase her range. The Spectacular Now gave her the lead opposite Miles Teller in a film critics called “achingly real” and “refreshingly grounded.” The 92% Rotten Tomatoes score reflects genuine consensus rather than a small-sample rave. By the time The Fault in Our Stars arrived a year later, she had transitioned from promising talent to bankable star.

Early career films

• The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013): Five seasons on ABC Family gave Woodley sustained television experience, though the show attracted minimal critical attention. It served as a proving ground for her ability to carry long-form narrative.
• The Descendants (2011): George Clooney’s awards contender introduced Woodley to adult arthouse audiences and earned her the first Golden Globe nomination of her career (Wikipedia), at age 19.

Critical acclaim

Woodley has collected 92% and 90% Rotten Tomatoes scores (The Spectacular Now, The Fallout) alongside much lower reception for Allegiant (11%). The range reflects her willingness to take swings in independent projects even when bigger franchises underperformed. She doesn’t appear to avoid risky material.

What Netflix movie is Shailene Woodley in?

To Catch a Killer (2023), released on Netflix February 19, 2024, became the number-one film on the platform within 24 hours of its Netflix debut (PureWow entertainment news). Woodley plays Eleanor Falco alongside a primarily American cast in a thriller set on New Year’s Eve in Baltimore, where a police officer tracks a sniper across the city. Woodley also received a producer credit on the film, suggesting her interest has shifted partially behind the camera.

Thrillers

• To Catch a Killer (2023): 54% critics score, 60% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes). Despite mixed reviews, the film found its audience immediately on Netflix.
• The Fallout (2021): A high-school drama about a student navigating grief after a shooting earned 90% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes)—Woodley’s best-reviewed film outside of The Spectacular Now.

Recent streaming

• Dumb Money (2023): 84% critics score, 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes), a comedy about the GameStop short squeeze phenomenon.
• Ferrari (2023): Michael Mann’s racing drama earned 73% from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes). Woodley played Lina Lardi, Enzo Ferrari’s mistress, in her first collaboration with a major American auteur director.

What TV shows has Shailene Woodley starred in?

Woodley’s television career is notably compact but concentrated. After The Secret Life of the American Teenager (her only regular television role for nearly a decade), she returned to the small screen for HBO’s Big Little Lies—a move that positioned her alongside Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Laura Dern in one of the most decorated limited series in television history.

Prestige series

• Big Little Lies (2017–2019): Woodley played Jane Chapman, a sexual assault survivor, across both seasons of the HBO drama. The series won 16 Emmy Awards across its run, and Woodley received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Wikipedia), sharing the nomination with co-stars Kidman and Witherspoon.
• Three Women (2024): A Starz drama series based on Lisa Taddeo’s non-fiction book, with Woodley starring as a fictionalized version of the author. The show examines the lives of three women across different socioeconomic backgrounds (Wikipedia), her most recent television work to date.

Supporting roles

Woodley’s television appearances have been deliberately spaced. She hasn’t pursued a weekly series commitment since her early twenties, instead treating television as an opportunity for prestige-limited engagements with ensemble casts. This selectivity matches her filmography pattern—she appears in high-profile, short-run projects rather than serial commitments.

What are Shailene Woodley’s upcoming movies and TV shows?

Woodley is juggling an unusually wide range of projects heading into 2025–2026, from a Greek-set thriller to her first Broadway run to a high-profile Hulu limited series with two major co-stars. The common thread is variety—she’s not doubling down on any single genre or format.

2024 releases

• Killer Heat (2024): A thriller set in Crete, Greece, starring opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Richard Madden (Wikipedia). The film received poor critical reception (17% critics score, 29% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), but Woodley’s role signals continued interest in European-located thrillers.

2025–2026 projects

• Cult of Love (Broadway, 2024–2025): Woodley made her Broadway debut in this drama at the Helen Hayes Theater, running from November 20, 2024 to February 2, 2025 (Wikipedia). She received the Theater World Award’s Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in The Theater for her performance—a significant accolade for a first-stage role.
• Count My Lies (Hulu limited series): Announced August 13, 2025, Woodley will star alongside Lindsay Lohan and Kit Harington (Wikipedia), marking her first high-profile television project since Three Women and putting her on a major streaming platform alongside two recognizable co-stars.
• Motor City (2025): A film project holding a 70% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes), suggesting moderate confidence heading into its release window.

Summary

Shailene Woodley’s filmography charts a path that’s unusual in Hollywood precisely because it’s hard to categorize. She moved from teen cable drama to indie breakout to young-adult franchise lead to Emmy-nominated HBO ensemble player to Broadway newcomer without ever fitting neatly into a box. Her critical scores swing wildly (11% to 92%), but the swings themselves suggest she’s choosing projects that interest her rather than projects that are safe. For audiences following her work, the next two years look active: a Hulu limited series with Lindsay Lohan and Kit Harington, an untitled 2026 project, and continued expansion into producing. Woodley’s not slowing down—she’s diversifying.

Related reading: Nathan Fillion Movies and TV Shows

While our 2024 list highlights Shailene Woodley’s key movies and TV shows, this ranked filmography offers a complete ranked perspective on her full career spanning two decades.

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