Theo James and Shailene Woodley had a great relationship as friends and co-stars while casting in the Divergent films. They shared wonderful moments during the time.
However, the internet is always rife with shippers and speculators. And the duo has fallen victim to a few rumors.
The most searched thing about them is their chemistry and whether they had something going on in real life.
Theo James and Shailene Woodley's Relationship during Divergent Films
James and Woodley began their journey on the Divergent series almost six months apart.
It was Woodley who got the cast first in October 2012. Then, James was chosen to be Four in March 2013.
The duo had instant chemistry, as James recalled it.
Veronica Roth, the author of the Divergent book series, was thrilled at the main character castings. She also immediately noticed the chemistry between the two.
James, too, has talked about this chemistry. During an interview with Culture Calling in 2017, he recalled how he and Woodley instantly connected.
"Shai and I had good chemistry from the first moment we met," The Witcher actor said.
He mentioned how he had the chance to see Woodley, and their friendship, grow during their time together on sets and promotional activities.
Woodley had similar feelings as Roth about James being the right actor to play Four.
But, contrary to Roth and James, she did not see their chemistry immediately.
It took her a bit of time to realize that. But once she watched the movies, she agreed with the others.
Kissing Shailene Woodley Was the Toughest Stunt for Theo James
During the filming of the movies, James and Woodley performed many stunts, for instance, climbing a Ferris wheel in Chicago.
But for the actor, none were as difficult as kissing his co-star.
Both of them wanted the kiss scene to be as good as possible. Therefore, they put in a lot of effort to get the scene right. They even re-took the scene as it didn't feel right for them the first time around.
During the Divergent series' filming, Theo James and Shailene Woodley's great relationship started their dating rumors. (Photo: Divergent/Instagram)
The scene also showcases the intricacies of their characters' relationship.
So, it probably wouldn't be too wrong to speculate that the two had a great understanding of each other to agree on the details and redo an intimate scene.
But it wasn't difficult kissing her for the first time. The actor told Dazed in 2014:
It was easy, to be honest. I’ve said this before: I think sometimes you have to make stuff happen chemistry-wise. You have to force it. But when you don’t and it’s very real and natural, that makes for the best scenes and also the most fun because if you have natural chemistry you can have fun and you can build on that.
Theo James and Shailene Woodley Developed a Great Friendship
The co-stars bonded a lot over their time together in the movies.
During an interview with Buzzfeed in 2016, they shared thoughts about one another.
While discussing a hypothetical question about going beyond the wall (a reference from the movies), they both picked each other as their ideal pick among the cast members.
They even agreed on their fondest memories from filming. The two spent their off days together out on the lake in Atlanta.
In response to a fan's question about what he would miss about Woodley and working with her, James said, "Every single thing. Having a partner in crime, yo. It's good to have someone having your back."
Speculations about Shailene Woodley and Theo James's Romantic Ties
This amazing on-screen chemistry and off-screen friendship led people to ask questions about whether they had something going on romantically in real life.
At one point in 2017, there were rumors about them dating.
An article from Inquisitr reports speculations about Woodley causing a delay in James's wedding with longtime girlfriend, Ruth Kearney.
The piece reported that another site claimed they had been dating before becoming a part of the Divergent franchise.
Further, they stated that the duo had been very close to one another at the time.
These were all just speculations, though. James and his now-wife never split.
Instead, they actually got married in 2018 and have a small family now, having welcomed a baby in 2021.
As for Woodley, she is in a relationship with fiance Aaron Rodgers.
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