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‘Insurgent’ star Shailene Woodley continues her divergent ways

Shailene Woodley at the German premiere of "The Divergent Series: Insurgent."
(Markus Schreiber / AP)
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In the young-adult action franchise “The Divergent Series,” tough-willed teen heroine Beatrice “Tris” Prior leads a revolution against a rigid dystopian society. As the series prepares to unleash its second installment, “Insurgent,” star Shailene Woodley is similarly leading the movie’s marketing blitz with red carpet appearances, TV interviews and glossy magazine spreads.

Like her on-screen counterpart Tris, Woodley is something of a divergent individual — a burgeoning box office star who has so far remained refreshingly eccentric and free-spirited, especially when she’s doling out New Agey health tips and philosophical musings. From bone broth benefits to Lindsay Lohan appreciation, here’s a look at the latest round of Woodley wisdom.

Clay is here to stay

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Woodley disciples will recall that the 23-year-old actress is a proponent of eating clay, a health tip she picked up from a cabdriver from Africa. During a recent appearance on “The Late Show With David Letterman,” the host asked Woodley if she still partakes.

“Yeah, it’s not like I have a ball of Play-Doh,” she said, mimicking biting into one like an apple. “Like, a teaspoon of clay. It binds to heavy metals … and helps your body excrete them.”

Not that heavy metals are something to lose sleep over, though. “I don’t think it’s something to worry about,” Woodley added. “You just adapt to this world that we live in.”

Bad to the bone

An intrigued Letterman then asked Woodley if she had any other health tips, and she obliged by extolling the virtues of bone broth, the trendy, paleo-friendly beverage/soup made by simmering animal bones for many hours. The concoction, Woodley said, helps with leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome.

“Five, six years ago, there wasn’t a lot of talk revolving around meat — at least in Los Angeles, where I’m from. It was more around being a vegan, or plant-based diets,” she said. “Which is wonderful, but some bodies work with certain diets, some don’t. And so now this paleo diet, I guess, is exposing some of the benefits of animal protein.”

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Told that Woodley sips the broth in the morning, Letterman suggested she try spooning it over some clay.

Diplomatic about immunity

Alas, even the dual benefits of clay and bone broth can’t guarantee good health. To keep from getting sick, Woodley — a notorious hugger of co-stars, journalists and just about anyone she meets — recently told ABC she’s been cutting back on the embraces during the “Insurgent” press tour.

“I’ve just been trying to keep my immune system up,” she said.

Lessons from Lindsay

Sometimes fighting for the future gives you a newfound appreciation of Lindsay Lohan, you know? That was the case for Woodley, at least.

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Recalling a key “Insurgent” scene in which Tris faces herself in hand-to-hand combat, Woodley told MTV, “I had so much empathy for Lindsay Lohan in her ‘Parent Trap’ situation, because filming with yourself, you’re not filming with yourself, that’s the hard part.”

Expounding on the existential theme, she said: “I think that we’re always sort of our toughest opponents, right? Because we know the deepest, darkest secrets of our souls and we also know the greatest light of our beings. So when your cluttered self, your dark self, your angered, pessimistic, cynical self comes to surface itself in a physical manifestation, I would think that would be quite terrifying.”

Unbroken

Another challenge in shooting an action-heavy movie like “Insurgent” is avoiding bodily harm, which Woodley managed to do — for the most part. The key is having fun and staying positive.

“There [were] no injuries [this time],” she told E News. “There was one time where I had a little nose bump and it cracked really loud … and my eyes were watering and I was like … I just broke my nose, but it wasn’t broken so we’re fine!” She added that she has “a resilient nose.”

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