Shailene Woodley "didn’t watch a lot of films" as a child.
The ‘Insurgent’ actress has revealed she was "inspired by strong female people in real life", such as Pocahontas and aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, rather than Hollywood stars.
She said: "Growing up, I didn’t really watch a lot of films, so I didn’t look to films for action heroines. Instead, I was always deeply inspired by strong female people who existed in real life.
"I remember studying Native Americans for a long time. There were a lot of Native American women that were really strong who fought for their tribes.
"I guess Pocahontas was a representation of that. In a way, she was the character who was the face of that movement – but there were many other women I admired, too. Amelia Earhart is another. I love interesting women like that. "
The 23-year-old star – who plays the main protagonist, Tris, in the ‘Insurgent’ franchise – said it’s "a huge triumph" to be able to represent and be a voice for strong females.
She said: "It feels great. Women in the world are strong. Women have a voice.
"Women have a lot to say and if I can be a tiny representative of that; if I can represent that voice in the smallest fashion, then that’s a huge triumph."
‘Insurgent’ is available on Blu-Ray and DVD now, courtesy of Entertainment One.
Shailene Woodley didn’t watch films as a kid
