Entertainment

Shailene Woodley on 'FIOS's Unique Fandom

by Anna Klassen

With young adult film adaptations like Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, an onslaught of screaming young fans and enthusiasm is normal — nay — expected. And with the latest beloved book-to-screen adaptation, The Fault in Our Stars , hitting theatres June 6, the fans of the popular John Green novel are out in full force. The trailer for The Fault in Our Stars is already the most "liked" in YouTube history, and author John Green has become a face as followed as the celebrities who star in the film. But unlike other franchises whose fans are focused on the lives of the actors who take on the iconic roles, the Fault in Our Stars fans, according to the film's star Shailene Woodley, are different.

Bustle was lucky to catch an early screening of the film presented by BuzzFeed, where Woodley talked to her experience:

"We were in Dallas two days ago, and there was something profound that effected all of us. We were at a fan event, and there was — four thousand, five thousand people — and it was a fan Q&A. I never felt like they were there to see us, I felt like we were all there together celebrating a story, which is very rare especially with a young adult crowd. One girl got up to the stage, her name was Caroline... she said how the story was helpful to her... struggling with lymphoma... and she also said to [John]: How do you hope this book will help people like me, who are struggling see the beauty in life again? She started crying and the crowd completely focused their attention on her...and the entire audience of young adults started chanting her name together in uniform."

Shailene was joined by producer Wyck Godfrey, director Josh Boone, fellow actor Ansel Elgort and author John Green, who added: "We were [in the middle of] talking, but to hear thousands of people chanting that young woman's name I think reminded all of us that it really truly isn't about us."

"It's so much bigger, what this movie was doing," Shailene added.

The Fault in Our Stars, for the uninitiated, is about: "Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group."

While we can't say much about the film yet, we will say that you'll definitely want to see it — and it would be wise to bring a box of Kleenex or two with you.