SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER notepad Shailene Woodley Molly Ringwald

This is an original promo-only wirebound notepad sent out by ABC Family to promote the 2008 premiere of its series The Secret Life of the American Teenager starring Shailene Woodley and Molly Ringwald.It measures about 5x2.5 inches and is about 1/2-inch thick. Lots of pages . . . and no writing inside.BACKGROUND

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (often shortened to Secret Life) is an American teen drama television series created by Brenda Hampton. It aired on ABC Family from July 1, 2008, to June 3, 2013.[1]

The series received mixed reviews from critics when it began broadcasting, but was nonetheless generally well received among female and teenage viewers. The pilot episode broke the record for the highest rated debut on ABC Family with 2.82 million viewers, a record previously held by Kyle XY. The season one finale brought in 4.50 million viewers, beating that night's episode of Gossip Girl, which had less than half its usual number of viewers. Premiering with mixed to somewhat positive reviews from critics, and mostly well received among viewers, the second season of Secret Life opened with the largest audience for the series, posting a series high in total viewers with 4.68 million viewers; in adults 18–34, it was the number one scripted original premiere of summer 2009. Furthermore, the mid-season premiere became ABC Family's most watched telecast of all time with viewers ages 12–34, with more than three million viewers watching.[2]

The show spawned a book entitled The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens.[3]

Series overviewSeason 1

In season one, fifteen-year-old Amy Juergens finds out that she is pregnant after having sex at band camp with a handsome and popular boy, Ricky Underwood. Amy first confides in her two best friends Lauren and Madison about it. Amy also tells Ben Boykewich (the boy she started dating after becoming pregnant) the truth, but he is surprisingly supportive and offers to marry her anyway, despite the protests of his friends, Henry and Alice. When Ricky finds out he is the father, he is willing to be a part of his future child's life, causing Adrian Lee, Ricky's fling, to become jealous. In addition to Adrian, Ricky also has his sights on the sweet and virginal Grace Bowman, who was going out with Jack Pappas until he kissed Adrian in front of their school. Much to Adrian's surprise, Grace quickly gets over her anger and the two girls become friends despite being romantic rivals. Ricky and Ben also compete with each other for Amy's attention and at the end of the season, Amy gives birth to a son, whom her sister, Ashley, names John. Amy decides to keep John after struggling with the decision over the course of the season. Ricky is determined to be a good father to John.

Season 2

In season two, Amy's parents Anne and George are getting divorced. Anne begins dating again, but when she becomes pregnant, it is revealed that the baby is George's. At the same time, Ashley begins her freshman year at Grant High and resents Amy's legacy as a teenage mother. She befriends a gay classmate named Griffin and they both pledge to remain abstinent throughout high school. Ben returns from his summer trip to Italy. Meanwhile, Amy struggles to raise John and frequently argues with Ricky over custodial arrangements, especially since Ben is becoming jealous of Ricky's constant presence. Eventually, Ben and Amy break up while Ricky and Adrian have agreed to date officially, but Ricky struggles to remain faithful. Grace loses her virginity to Jack on the same night her father dies in a plane crash and is wracked with guilt. She blames Jack and herself for her father's death, which causes Jack to be so upset that he begins drinking heavily. Grace refuses to get out of the car to attend her father's funeral, so Ricky forces her. Grace's brother Tom has trouble adjusting when their mother decides to remarry. Adrian begins to reach out to Amy in order to make peace, so Amy, John, and Ricky can be a family. The season's events culminate with Adrian cheating on Ricky with Ben on the night of the Mother/Daughter dance in an attempt to get back at Ricky for kissing Amy. Ricky is angry at both of them, breaking up with Adrian and refusing to forgive Ben, thus crushing their already-fragile friendship.

Season 3

In season three, everyone finds out Adrian is pregnant with Ben's baby, except for Amy. Ben and Amy continue to date and start considering taking their relationship to the next level, while Ben struggles to tell Amy about Adrian. George and Anne Juergens have officially divorced and Anne lives closer to her mother while George stays at the house with Amy and Ashley. Ashley drops out of school and begins homeschooling herself. Kathleen Bowman's husband goes to Zimbabwe for a medical mission to bring aid to people in developing countries and returns in the season finale with a proposal that he and Kathleen return to live there and explore the world. Kathleen is hesitant to accept, not wanting to leave Grace and Tom behind by themselves. Towards the middle of the season, Amy and Ricky begin to date, but everyone is doubtful that Ricky will be faithful. Adrian and Ben decide to get married and the ceremony occurs near the end of the season. In the two-part season finale, Ben and Adrian are living together in their condo and Adrian begins to sense that something might be wrong with their baby. They decide to call the doctor, who has them meet her at the hospital as soon as possible. Adrian gives birth to their stillborn daughter. They named her Mercy. Amy and Ricky have sex after getting home from the hospital.

Season 4

In season four, Amy and Ricky begin to get closer when Amy and John move in with Ricky in his apartment, which is above the butcher shop. Ashley decides to leave LA to go on a road trip with her friend, Toby. Grace goes to Didiju and meets someone new. Jack and Madison break up after learning Jack still has feelings for someone else. Adrian and Ben deal with the stillbirth, which makes Ben want to leave her. Adrian finds out his plan and tries everything to prevent him from leaving her. While still in mourning, Ben meets someone who immediately has a bad influence on him. Ricky proposes to Amy. Jesse has a graduation party and everyone is invited. The party ends with 2 broken friendships and 1 broken relationship. George and Nora grow closer, now as roommates and friends. Anne has an adventure that sparks rumors, realizations, and unexpected journeys.

Season 5

In season five, Amy and Ricky continue to live together and are thinking about getting married. Ashley broke up with her boyfriend Toby and has moved in with her mother. Ashley eventually moves to Italy for culinary school. Ben still continues to chase after Amy but in the meantime meets and begins dating Dylan. Adrian is living with her boyfriend Omar, who has proposed to her. Amy gets accepted to a college in New York and so does Ben, conveniently. Amy and Ricky elope, but at the last minute decide not to actually get married. When they return home, they tell everyone they are married anyway. Eventually, they let everyone know the truth and plan for a real wedding. Anne reveals that she is a lesbian, which takes a toll on Amy. George starts seeing Kathleen again once he realizes he and Anne will never be. The season ends with Amy breaking up with Ricky, saying that when they both get married it should be because they are in love, not just because they love each other and are comfortable. She leaves to go to college in New York. Ben attends the same college, and he and Amy both live in the same apartment building provided by Ben's father, Leo. Amy leaves John with Ricky, so Ricky will take care of him throughout Amy's college career.

EpisodesMain article: List of The Secret Life of the American Teenager episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedU.S. viewers (millions)First airedLast aired123July 1, 2008March 23, 20093.51224June 22, 2009March 22, 20103.24326June 7, 2010June 6, 20112.74424June 13, 2011June 4, 20122.14524June 11, 2012June 3, 20131.22[4] Cast and charactersMain article: List of The Secret Life of the American Teenager characters Shailene Woodley as Amy JuergensKenny Baumann as Ben BoykewichMark Derwin as George JuergensIndia Eisley as Ashley Juergens (seasons 1–4; special guest season 5)Greg Finley as Jack PappasDaren Kagasoff as Ricky UnderwoodJorge-Luis Pallo as Marc Molina (season 1; guest season 2)Megan Park as Grace BowmanFrancia Raisa as Adrian LeeMolly Ringwald as Anne Juergens (seasons 1–4; special guest star season 5)Steve Schirripa as Leo Boykewich (seasons 3–5; recurring seasons 1–2) SoundtrackMusic

The series theme, sung by Molly Ringwald, is an upbeat version of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)". Other noteworthy music featured in the installments includes:

Both the first and last episodes of the first season feature the song "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne. It was also featured in the second-season episode 22. A piano version of the song was played during mid-4th-season finale.In the fifteenth episode of the second season, Jack plays "She Don't Wanna Man" by Asher Roth while he and Madison dance.At the Mother-Daughter Dance (Season 2, Episode 19), "Love Story" by Taylor Swift is played in the background while Amy, her mother, and Ashley sit on the bleachers.In the fourth episode of the third season, when Adrian sits sadly on the stairs in front of her house, Tom plays "You Are So Beautiful" performed by Joe Cocker on his cell phone before they dance. (Season 3, episode 4).The song "Kids" by MGMT appears in the fifth episode of the third season when a slide show of Amy lost in New York is played.At a party in the Bowmans' guesthouse, the song "New Day" performed by Tamar Kaprelian is played.Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" plays in the final moments of the first half of the third-season finale, including during Ben and Adrian's wedding.Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" plays after Ben and Adrian find out the baby is dead, and the montage is played to close the season."Daughters" by John Mayer was featured in the season's first episode during Amy's visit to the clinic.In the fifth episode of the fourth season, "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele is played in the beginning during Adrian's walk and at the end of the episode when she is sitting in the empty nursery after punching numerous holes in the wall.In the thirteenth episode of the fourth season "S&M" by Rihanna, "Memories" by David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi and "Til ya make it" by "Jamie Lynn Noon" are played at the end of the episode during the dance party.At the beginning of first episode of fifth season, when Amy and Ricky went from chapel, is played Bruno Mars' song "Marry You".In the last episode when Adrian recollects her school years and relationships is played "Try with Me" by Nicole Scherzinger.In the last episode during Ricky's flashback, the song "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd is played. Broadcasting

The Secret Life of the American Teenager first aired on ABC Family on July 1, 2008.[1] Season 1 began with 11 episodes broadcast from July 1, 2008, to September 9, 2008. After a hiatus, 12 first-season episodes aired January 5, 2009, through March 23, 2009, despite being marketed as season 2, for a total of 23 episodes.[5] The first season was aired on Canadian broadcaster City starting on September 3, 2008.[6] In early 2009, City removed Secret Life from its schedule.[7] Therefore, MuchMusic started to air the first season in Canada on November 30, 2009, followed by the second season on December 7, 2009.[8] In the United Kingdom Secret Life is available on ABC Studios via sky on demand. It is however broken up into eight seasons in contrast to the original five.

Following the success of its first season, ABC Family announced on January 31, 2009, plans to renew Secret Life.[9] The official press release was released on February 9 and was added to ABC Family's line up on April 7, 2009.[10] The show was renewed for a 24-episode second season, which began airing on June 22, 2009.[11][12][13] Season 2 began with 12 episodes broadcast starting June 22, 2009, through September 7, 2009. After a four-month hiatus, the second half of the season returned on January 4, 2010,[14] and concluded on March 22, 2010.[15]

Following their record-breaking, mid-season returns, Make It or Break It, and Secret Life were both picked up for an additional season.[16] The third-season premiere of Secret Life was aired on June 7, 2010, at 8 pm.[17] On January 10, 2011, it was reported that Secret Life was picked up for a fourth season to be shown in Summer 2011 and season three would resume on March 28, 2011, after an extended season break.[18] The second half of the fourth season aired on March 26, 2012.

On February 2, 2012, it was announced ABC Family renewed The Secret Life of the American Teenager for a fifth season.[19]

Shailene Diann Woodley (born November 15, 1991)[1] is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Film Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Born in San Bernardino, California, she was raised in Simi Valley, and started modeling at the age of five and began acting professionally in minor television roles. She first gained prominence for her starring role as Amy Juergens in the ABC Family teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013). She subsequently starred in the films The Descendants (2011) and The Spectacular Now (2013), receiving a nomination for her first Golden Globe Award for the former.

Woodley achieved wider recognition for her starring role as a teenaged cancer patient in the romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and as Beatrice Prior in the science-fiction trilogy The Divergent Series (2014–2016). She played a sexual assault survivor in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019), for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. She has since played supporting roles in the films Snowden (2016), The Mauritanian (2021) and Ferrari (2023), and starred in Adrift (2018) and The Last Letter from Your Lover (2021).

Woodley is also an environmental activist. She is a Greenpeace Oceans Ambassador and has helped the organization lobby for certain environmental policy proposals, notably the High Seas Treaty and the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty. She is a member of the Conservation International's Leadership Council and GoodLeap's Advisory Council. She also serves as a board member of the political action committee, Our Revolution and a co-founder of the nonprofit organization All it Takes, which focuses on youth development.

Early life

Woodley was raised in Simi Valley, California. Both her parents are psychologists. Her mother, Lori (née Victor),[citation needed] is a middle school counselor, and her father, Lonnie, is a former school principal and a family therapist. Woodley has a younger brother, Tanner.[2][3] Her parents separated when she was fourteen.[4]

Woodley was discovered by an agent while she was taking a local theater class,[5] which was part of a $700 program she begged her parents to enroll her in after accompanying her cousin to a theater class in her hometown.[4] At the age of five, she began working in commercials, including advertisements for Leapfrog, Hertz and a Honda minivan, appearing in more than sixty TV spots before she turned eleven years old. She told The Hollywood Reporter that her parents only agreed to allow her to work professionally if she promised to adhere to three rules: "I had to stay the person they knew I was; have fun; and do good in school". Woodley was a 4.0 student, who took AP classes and graduated at Simi Valley High School. In order to graduate with her class while starring in an ABC Family TV show, which she booked in the middle of her junior year, a teacher would go to her house once a week and bring all the work she missed at school, which she would do at home or in her trailer on set, in-between takes.[6][7][8] She considered studying Interior Design at New York University (NYU) but never had the chance to, as her acting career became more demanding since she signed on to star in The Secret Life of the American Teenager.[9] During a hiatus from her TV show, Woodley took a job at American Apparel in New York City. Two days into the new job, she got a call to meet with director Alexander Payne and after two months, she had to quit the job after joining the film The Descendants.[10][11] She also took acting classes from Anthony Meindl.[12]

At fifteen, she was diagnosed with scoliosis and was put in a chest-to-hips plastic brace for two years. Woodley told Us Weekly that "It's like wearing a tacky, disgusting, plastic corset for 18 hours a day. In the beginning, it was hard to eat or breathe. And I had to give up cross-country running. But I needed to have it to realign my spine".[13] Her condition did not affect her work on set as she "would [just] take the brace off during filming and put it back on during breaks".[8]

Career1999–2010: Career beginnings and Secret LifeWoodley at KIIS-FM's Wango Tango in 2009

Woodley began her acting career in 1999 with a minor role in the television film Replacing Dad. She went on to feature in minor television roles in The District and Crossing Jordan (in the latter, she portrayed the 10-year-old version of Jill Hennessy's title character). She followed with a leading role in the television film A Place Called Home (2004) as California Ford, which earned her a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special.[14] She also originally played the young Kaitlin Cooper in The O.C.[15] She appeared as the titular character Felicity Merriman in the television film Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005). Her performance received another Young Artist Award nomination, this time for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, or Special (Comedy or Drama). Following this, Woodley appeared in numerous guest roles in other television series, including Everybody Loves Raymond, My Name is Earl, CSI: NY, Close to Home, and Cold Case.

Woodley was cast as the main character, Amy Juergens, in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), about a 15-year-old girl who learns she is pregnant. The show explores the effects of her pregnancy on her family, friends and herself, as well as life at Grant High School. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praised her performance, stating, "[It] lifts a well-meaning, rather brave, but ramshackle show a notch."[16] Popular among viewers, the show became one of ABC Family's most-watched telecasts throughout its five-season run, spanning over 121 episodes.

2011–2014: Film debut and breakthrough

In 2011, Woodley made her feature film debut in Alexander Payne's The Descendants, where she played Alex, the troubled elder daughter of Matt King (played by George Clooney). Her performance received positive reviews from critics. A. O. Scott from The New York Times said, "Ms. Woodley [gives] one of the toughest, smartest, most credible adolescent performances in recent memory."[17] Peter Debruge from Variety said that her performance is a "revelation" and that "in the role of Alex, [she is] displaying both the edge and depth the role demands."[18] Following accolades for her performance, Woodley received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture,[19] and won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.[20] Consequently, she was awarded the Trophée Chopard at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival[21] and the 2012 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award.[5] People named her one of 2012's "Most Beautiful at Every Age."[22] Woodley was also considered one of the 55 faces of the future by Nylon's "Young Hollywood Issue".[20] She also received the Emerging Star Spotlight Award at Elle's 20th Annual "Women In Hollywood".[23]

Woodley starred in the film adaptation of Tim Tharp's novel, The Spectacular Now, as Aimee Finecky, an innocent, bookish teenager who begins dating the charming, freewheeling high-school senior Sutter Keely (Miles Teller).[24] The film premiered at Sundance on January 18, 2013.[25] Her portrayal of Aimee garnered much praise; Los Angeles Times' critic Betsy Sharkey said that Woodley and Teller "bring such an authentic face of confidence and questioning, indifference and need, pain and denial, friendship and first love",[26] while another critic from The Guardian said that they gave "remarkably strong performances" that "display a depth of feeling that's breathtaking in its simplicity and honest[y]."[27] Additionally, Woodley won the Special Jury Award for Acting, alongside Teller, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.

Woodley at the 19th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival in 2011

In October 2012, Woodley was offered the role of Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.[28] On June 19, 2013, she was cut from the film. Director Marc Webb told The Hollywood Reporter that the cut was "a creative decision to streamline the story and focus on Peter and Gwen and their relationship," and that everyone loved working with Woodley.[29] She had also signed on to star in White Bird in a Blizzard, directed by Gregg Araki. Although filming took place in October 2012, the film was not released until January 20, 2014, at the Sundance Film Festival[30] and then on October 24, 2014, to wider audiences, where it received mixed reviews. In the film, she plays teenager Katrina "Kat" Connors, whose life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears. Critic Moira MacDonald commended her by saying, "Woodley's depiction of Kat is low-key, natural, and utterly unaffected; as she has in every role, she makes the character her own, with her scratchy little voice and level gaze."[31]

In 2014, Woodley starred as Beatrice "Tris" Prior in the film Divergent, an adaptation of Veronica Roth's best-selling young-adult novel of the same name, and the first installment in The Divergent Series.[32] Woodley was the first and only actress considered for the role of Tris.[33][34] To prepare for the role, Woodley trained three to five days a week for four weeks in Chicago before shooting for the film began. She had sessions of fight training, gun training, and knife training with stunt coordinator Garrett Warren.[35] Set in a dystopian and postapocalyptic Chicago, the film received mixed reviews, but Woodley's performance as Tris received a positive reception; Sam Allard from Orlando Weekly said, "with her performance as Tris Prior in Divergent, Woodley rescues and then raises up a film that could have been an utter disaster."[36] Divergent reached the number-one spot at the box office during its opening weekend, and was a financial success.[37] Woodley received the 2014 CinemaCon's Female Star of Tomorrow Award.[38]

Also in 2014, Woodley starred as Hazel Grace Lancaster in The Fault in Our Stars, the film adaptation of John Green's novel of the same name. She portrayed a 16-year-old cancer patient who meets and falls in love with Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort, who also played her brother in the Divergent series), a similarly affected teen from her cancer support group. Green said via Twitter about Woodley; "There were so many amazing auditions for the role of Hazel, but Shailene's love for the book and her understanding of Hazel blew me away."[39] The film was a blockbuster success, grossing over $307 million worldwide.[40] Woodley's performance received critical acclaim; Peter Travers in Rolling Stone called her a "sublime actress with a résumé that pretty much proves she's incapable of making a false move on camera",[41] and Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times called her performance as Hazel Oscar-worthy, adding, "she's that memorable".[42] On November 14, 2014, she received The Hollywood Film Award for Hollywood Breakout Performance – Actress for her depiction of Hazel.

Given her career breakthrough and continuing success since her film debut, she earned a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2015.[43][44]

2015–2019: Hiatus and mature rolesWoodley in 2014

In 2015, Woodley reprised her role as Tris in The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the second installment in The Divergent Series. Her performance once again received critical acclaim, with Daniel M. Kimmel of New England Movies Weekly writing, "Woodley does solid work here as she's done elsewhere, and continues to be someone to watch." Despite a more negative critical reception than the previous film, Insurgent was commercially successful, making nearly $100 million in its worldwide debut and grossed $295.2 million worldwide.[45] She reprised her role again in the penultimate film of the series Allegiant (2016). The film, however, was poorly reviewed by critics[46] and a box-office bomb.[47] Lionsgate had planned for the final film in the series, named Ascendant, to be made for television, but Woodley announced that she would not be a part of it.[48] In an interview with MTV, Woodley clarified that she had every intention of doing the final Divergent installment but she wanted to see its rightful end, and to her, that meant finishing what she, the cast and crew set out to do from the beginning and that is making Ascendant a full-length feature film. She added, "I want to do justice to everybody who believes in the character of Tris as much as I believe in the character of Tris".[49]

She next starred opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Oliver Stone's biographical thriller Snowden (2016),[50] in which Gordon-Levitt portrayed Edward Snowden and Woodley portrayed Lindsay Mills, Snowden's girlfriend. The film made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.[51] Owen Gleiberman's review said that Woodley "gives a performance of breathtaking dimension: As the movie goes on, she makes Lindsay supportive and selfish, loving and stricken."[52]

Starting in 2015,[53] Woodley took a break from filming for nearly a year and considered quitting as an actor, stating in a later interview that she "had hit a wall with acting" and "felt it was time to do something different". But she eventually "fell in love" with acting again through Big Little Lies.[54] In 2017, Woodley starred as a sexual assault survivor, alongside Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, in the HBO critically acclaimed drama series Big Little Lies directed by Jean-Marc Vallée.[55] Sarah Rense of Esquire called Woodley's performance "underrated" and "brought a quiet complexity", adding that "she was the most realistic character" and her "cool demeanor interrupted by sudden, short outbursts - just seemed so real to anyone who thinks more than they talk".[56] She was nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television respectively for her role.[57][58] She reprised her role as Jane Chapman for the second season in 2019.[59][60]

She also starred in and produced the biographical film Adrift (2018), with Baltasar Kormákur as director.[61] Woodley learned sailing and did her own stunts on the film, ninety percent of which was shot on the open ocean off Fiji.[62] Daniel Feingold from WSVN called her performance as Tami Oldham Ashcraft, a real-life sailor who was stranded at sea after a storm, "Oscar-worthy".[63] Owen Gleiberman of Variety called her "a sensual actress", stating that she "has the gift of making sensuality dramatic; there's a beautiful severity to her features that allows you to feel the things she's showing you. That's a talent, but it's also an instinct".[64] Woodley was awarded the Rising Star Award during the 2018 Deauville Film Festival.[65]

In 2019, Woodley starred in the romantic drama Endings, Beginnings alongside Sebastian Stan, Jamie Dornan, and Matthew Gray Gubler.[66] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was introduced as semi-improvised, relying on an 80-page outline. Woodley played Daphne, a contemporary character attempting to get her life on track through self-realization.[67][68] The film was poorly received with a critical consensus that reads, "Endings, Beginnings smothers its talented ensemble cast's committed work in a carelessly constructed, aimlessly dawdling story".[69] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said that "it's the performances that carry the day with Woodley raising the bar in every scene".[70]

2021–present: Further film and television workWoodley in 2016

In 2021, Woodley had a supporting role in Kevin Macdonald's real-life Guantanamo Bay drama film The Mauritanian alongside Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim and Benedict Cumberbatch. She portrayed Teri Duncan, the junior associate of defense lawyer Nancy Hollander (played by Foster).[71] David Ehrlich of IndieWire described Woodley as "overqualified for a role that requires her to do little more than smile and sweat".[72] She had a small role in the critically acclaimed film The Fallout.[73] The appearance was a dedication to her longtime friendship with the film's director Megan Park, her co-star in The Secret Life of the American Teenager.[74] She next starred in and executive produced the romantic drama The Last Letter from Your Lover alongside Felicity Jones, based on the bestselling book by Jojo Moyes.[75] She played Jennifer Stirling, a 1960s married woman caught in an illicit love affair, leading her to discover her place in the society and who she truly loves.[76] Sophie Kaufman of Time Out said, "Woodley has such raw intensity as a performer that she shows up any tired elements of a film production, just as silk shows up polyester".[77]

In 2023, Woodley starred in and produced the crime thriller film To Catch a Killer. Directed and co-written by Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron in his English-language debut, the film is centered on Woodley's character, Eleanor Falco, a talented but troubled cop who is recruited by the FBI to help profile and track down a mass murderer.[78] Rex Reed of Observer said, "Woodley plays it on the verge of mental and physical exhaustion, rubbing the pain from her eye, giving every scene a little something extra" and further stated that she "adds another laurel to her already impressive resume".[79] She next starred opposite Jack Whitehall in the sci-fi comedy Robots, which is a film directorial debut of the screenwriting duo Anthony Hines and Casper Christensen. Based on Robert Sheckley's 1973 short story The Robot Who Looked Like Me, the film follows a womanizer, Charles (Whitehall), and a gold digger, Elaine (Woodley), who learn humanity when forced to team up and pursue their robot doubles, who have fallen in love and run away together.[80] Woodley told Collider that what made her accept the role of Elaine was "having the opportunity to do a comedy for the first time. But underneath all of the comedy, was this really beautiful message of love".[81] She next appeared in Craig Gillespie's Dumb Money.[82] She portrayed Lina Lardi, mistress of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, in Michael Mann's biopic Ferrari.[83] Woodley starred as a fictionalized version of author Lisa Taddeo in the drama series Three Women, based on Taddeo's non-fiction book of the same name.[84][85]

Woodley will next star in Philippe Lacôte's mystery thriller Killer Heat alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Richard Madden, which is set in Crete, Greece.[86]

Artistry and public image

Earlier in her career, she admitted to being uneducated about the film and TV industry, particularly in terms of directors, producers, actors and good films.[87][88] According to her, she is drawn to "human scripts" which "are raw, and real, and risky" with her playing "vulnerable scary" characters.[89] She stated, "I'm such a happy, optimistic person in real life for some reason, I have a great time taking out my alter-ego, dark side on screen".[90]

Acting since the age of five, Woodley is not a method[91] nor a classically trained actor.[92] She insisted, "I'm not a good actor, just a professional listener".[93] Over the years, Woodley has altered her acting style[94] by incorporating the method of whoever she's working with.[95]

Personal life

In 2018, Woodley confirmed she was dating Australian-Fijian rugby union player Ben Volavola.[96][97] In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: "I fall in love with human beings based on who they are, not based on what they do or what sex they are".[98] In April 2020, the relationship with Volavola reportedly ended.[99]

Woodley was reported to be in a relationship with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2020.[100][101] In February 2021, Rodgers referred to his "fiancée" during his acceptance speech for the league's MVP award at the NFL Honors ceremony, confirming that he was engaged, but not to whom.[102] Woodley confirmed she was engaged to Rodgers in a February 22, 2021 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[103] In February 2022, it was reported that Woodley and Rodgers had ended their engagement.[104]

Kenneth Robert Tuff Baumann (born August 8, 1989) is a former American actor, writer, publisher, and book designer. He is known for playing Ben Boykewich on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. He is the author of numerous novels, nonfiction stories, essays, and poems. He also owns and co-owns Sator Press. He also co-founded the iOS app Sweetspot.[1] In 2014, Baumann enrolled at St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[2]

Personal life

Baumann was born in Urbana, Illinois. He grew up in Abilene, Texas. He married actress Aviva Farber on June 16, 2012, in Malibu, California.[3]

Book designBaumann served as the series designer for the Boss Fight Books. He also designed the covers for Fuckscapes by Sean Kilpatrick,[4] and the issues of No Colony, Sator Press.

India Joy Eisley (born October 29, 1993) is an American actress.[1] On television, she is known for her roles as Ashley Juergens in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Audrina in the Lifetime film My Sweet Audrina (2016), and Fauna Hodel in the TNT series I Am the Night (2019). Her films include Underworld: Awakening (2012), Kite (2014), and Social Suicide (2015).

Early life

India Joy Eisley was born in Los Angeles on October 29, 1993,[1] the daughter of English actress Olivia Hussey and American musician David Glen Eisley.[2][3] Her paternal grandfather was American actor Anthony Eisley, while her maternal grandfather was Argentinian opera singer, Andreas Osuna.[4] She has two older maternal half-brothers from her mother's prior marriages: Alexander (born 1973), whose father was American actor Dean Paul Martin,[5] and Max (born 1983), whose father is Japanese singer Akira Fuse.

Career

Eisley and her mother appeared together in the 2005 movie Headspace. After small roles in various independent films, Eisley gained a major role in 2008 in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She played Ashley Juergens, younger sister of teen mother Amy Juergens.

In the 2012 film Underworld: Awakening, Eisley was cast as Eve, the hybrid daughter of Selene and Michael Corvin; Eisley was cast due to her strong resemblance to Selene's actress, Kate Beckinsale.

Eisley starred as Sawa in the 2014 action film Kite, opposite Samuel L. Jackson. In late 2014, she filmed Social Suicide (2015), a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, appearing with her real-life mother Olivia Hussey, who played Mrs. Coulson, with Eisley playing her daughter, Julia.[6]

In 2015, Eisley starred in the horror-thriller film The Curse of Sleeping Beauty as Briar Rose.[7] The same year, she was cast in the title role in the television film adaptation of the V. C. Andrews' book My Sweet Audrina for Lifetime,[8] which aired in 2016. In 2017, she starred in the Netflix original film Clinical.[9] In 2018, Eisley played the lead role of Maria in the psychological thriller film Look Away.[10][11]

Author Jessica Brody has expressed a desire for Eisley to portray her character Seraphina in the film adaptation of her novel Unremembered. Hollywood casting director Michelle Levy was first to recommend Eisley for the role.[12][13]

In 2019, Eisley starred as Fauna Hodel in the six-part limited series I Am the Night,[14] which is based on Hodel's memoir One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel. The series premiered on January 27, 2019, on TNT. In 2020, she played Tillie Gardner in the film Dead Reckoning.[15][16] In 2021, she played Lucy in the film Every Breath You Take.[17][18]

Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968)[1] is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life (both 1979–1980) before being nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the drama film Tempest (1982). Ringwald became a teen idol following her appearances in filmmaker John Hughes' teen films Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986). These films led to the media referring to her as a member of the "Brat Pack." Her final teen roles were in For Keeps and Fresh Horses (both in 1988).

Following leading roles in King Lear (1987), The Pick-up Artist (1987), Strike It Rich (1990), and Betsy's Wedding (1990), Ringwald moved to Paris and began acting in French films. In subsequent decades, Ringwald acted in the television shows The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Riverdale (2017–2023), Creepshow (2021), and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022). In February 2024, Ringwald made her runway modeling debut at New York Fashion Week, walking for Batsheva.[2]

Early life

Ringwald was born in Roseville, California,[1][3] the daughter of Adele Edith (née Frembd), a chef, and Robert Scott "Bob" Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist[4] of German descent. Ringwald has two siblings, Beth and Kelly, and an older brother, who died before she was born.[5] She is partly of Swedish descent.[6] She started her acting career at age five, appearing in a stage production of Alice in Wonderland as the Dormouse. The next year, she recorded Molly Sings: I Wanna Be Loved by You, a music album of Dixieland jazz with her father and his group, the Fulton Street Jazz Band.[7] Ringwald graduated from the Lycée Français de Los Angeles.[8]

Career1970s

In 1978 at the age of 10, Ringwald was chosen to play Kate in the West Coast production of Annie, performing in Los Angeles.[9] In 1979, Ringwald appeared on the TV series Diff'rent Strokes and was selected to become part of the large cast of that show's spin-off, The Facts of Life. She played Molly Parker, a perky, feminist student at Eastland Girls School. At the beginning of the second season, the show underwent a major revamp, and most of the cast, including Ringwald, were cut from the show. Ringwald later said that Nancy McKeon replaced her to play a new character named Jo.[10]

1980s

In 1980, Ringwald performed as a lead vocalist on two Disney albums. On the patriotic album Yankee Doodle Mickey, Ringwald sang "This Is My Country", "The Star-Spangled Banner", and "God Bless America". She later performed one track, "The First Noel", on a Disney Christmas album, Disney’s Merry Christmas Carols. Turning toward motion pictures, she got a key supporting role in the 1982 film Tempest, directed by Paul Mazursky with top casting director Juliet Taylor,[11] and was nominated for a Golden Globe award for the role.[12]

Ringwald rose to prominence with her breakout role in Sixteen Candles (1984). She was cast as Samantha Baker, a girl whose sixteenth birthday is forgotten by her family. Ringwald's performance gained critical acclaim; many called her acting engaging.[13] Ringwald later said, "It is not a good idea to do remakes of great classic films" when asked if there would be a remake to Sixteen Candles.[14] Ringwald was regarded as a member of the Brat Pack of 1980s teen actors[15] but has said she was not really part of that group.[16] Ringwald gained more success when she was cast in another John Hughes film, The Breakfast Club (1985), which was a commercial and critical success. Ringwald was cast as Claire Standish, a spoiled, wealthy beauty who is in detention for skipping class to go to the mall. Ringwald's performance gained strong reviews.

The following year, still in high school, she was cast as Andie Walsh in another successful Hughes film, Pretty In Pink (1986). When first asked to be in Pretty in Pink, Ringwald was reluctant, but after seeing how hard it was for the producers to find a replacement for her, she decided she would portray Andie in the film. Ringwald was offered a role in another John Hughes film, Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), but turned down the role as she felt it was too similar to the other films she worked on with Hughes. After Pretty In Pink, she wanted to act in more mature roles. Ringwald was featured on the cover of the May 26, 1986, issue of Time.[17]

Ringwald was set to star in another Hughes film, Oil and Vinegar, but the film was scrapped when Hughes refused to rewrite the script. The film would have been about a soon-to-be-married man and a hitchhiking girl talking about their lives during the length of a car ride.[18][19] In 1987, she was cast as Randy Jensen in The Pick-up Artist, opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in one of his first lead roles.[20] It focused on a womanizer who meets his match when he falls for a woman in debt to the Mafia. The film was met with mixed reviews while being a moderate commercial success.

The following year, she starred in For Keeps, a commercial success that received mixed reviews from critics but was well received by audiences. It is considered Ringwald's final teen movie. Ringwald portrayed Darcy Elliot, the editor at her high school paper, who becomes pregnant by her long-term boyfriend Stan, portrayed by Randall Batinkoff. Her performance received positive reviews. The film was praised by some critics for showing the struggles of teen pregnancy. She was later cast in Fresh Horses. The film was met with generally negative reviews and underperformed at the box office. The film also starred Andrew McCarthy, who previously worked with Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.[21]

Ringwald was turned down for leading roles in Working Girl and Silence of the Lambs, later commenting that: "I didn’t really feel like darker roles were available to me. The ones that I wanted to do, I didn’t get.”[22]

1990s

In the early 1990s, Ringwald reportedly turned down the female lead roles in Pretty Woman and Ghost.[23] In the mid-1990s, Ringwald, who had been educated at the Lycée Français de Los Angeles and is fluent in French, moved to Paris and starred in several French movies.[24] She returned to the United States intermittently to appear in American movies and television. In 1990, Ringwald appeared in the James Scott-directed Strike It Rich alongside Robert Lindsay and John Gielgud. That same year she starred in Betsy's Wedding as Betsy Hopper. This film gained generally mixed reviews despite being a commercial success. Ringwald later starred in Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story (1992).

In 1994, she was cast as Frannie Goldsmith in the TV miniseries The Stand, an adaptation of Stephen King's 1978 novel of the same name. Ringwald's performance was generally well received. She next played the leading role in the film Malicious (1995) as Melissa Nelson, a disturbed woman who has an affair with a college star baseball player. She later starred in the ABC sitcom Townies. She appeared as a blind woman on the critically acclaimed cable series Remember WENN. She starred with Lara Flynn Boyle and Teri Hatcher in the 1998 made-for-television film Since You've Been Gone. In 1999, she played the starring role of "Li'l Bit" in Paula Vogel's play How I Learned to Drive at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. In 2000, she appeared in an episode of Showtime's The Outer Limits, "Judgment Day".

2000sRingwald in April 2013

In 2000, Ringwald appeared in the ensemble restaurant-themed film In the Weeds, and in 2001 she had a cameo in the commercially successful Not Another Teen Movie that earned her a MTV Movie Award nomination. In theater, she wore a "Green, Green Dress" as Susan in Jonathan Larson's Off-Broadway musical tick, tick... BOOM!,[25] and headlined as Sally Bowles in Broadway's long-running revival of Cabaret from December 18, 2001, until April 28, 2002.[26] In 2003, Ringwald appeared in Enchanted April on Broadway beginning April 8, but left after the performance of June 15 due to her pregnancy with her daughter.[27]

In late 2004, she starred in the play Modern Orthodox on Broadway, opposite Jason Biggs and Craig Bierko.[28] In 2006 she starred in the television film The Wives He Forgot, and that fall and winter starred as Charity Hope Valentine in the national tour of the Broadway revival of the musical Sweet Charity.[29] She also played a supporting role as Molly McIntire's mother Helen in Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front.[30] Ringwald starred in the ABC Family network's series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which debuted on July 1, 2008, and ran for five seasons and 121 episodes, before ending on June 3, 2013.[31] She played Anne Juergens, the title teenager's mother.

2010s

Ringwald read the audiobook edition of the 2012 novel The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg. In early 2013, Ringwald released Except Sometimes, a jazz record. It follows a tradition in jazz for the Ringwald family set by her father. "I grew up in a home filled with music and had an early appreciation of jazz since my dad was a jazz musician. Beginning at around age three I started singing with his band and jazz music has continued to be one of my three passions along with acting and writing. I like to say jazz music is my musical equivalent of comfort food. It's always where I go back to when I want to feel grounded," Ringwald said in a statement.[32]

Ringwald played Madame Frechette in the 2014 Lifetime Christmas film Wishin' and Hopin'.[33] Ringwald plays Aunt Bailey in Jem and the Holograms, raising Jerrica, her sister Kimber, and adopted daughters.[34] In September 2014, Ringwald began writing an advice column for The Guardian, answering questions about "love, family, or life in general".[35] In 2016, she was cast as Amy in the crime-drama film King Cobra. Ringwald had a recurring role as main character Archie Andrews' mother Mary Andrews on The CW television series Riverdale. After initially only appearing as a guest, Ringwald took a more prominent role in the series following the death of Luke Perry who played Archie's father.

Translations

Ringwald, who speaks French fluently, has translated two books from French to English. The first was the novel Lie with Me. The second was My Cousin Maria Schneider, a book about the French actress Maria Schneider, whose career was largely defined by a sex scene with Marlon Brando in the film Last Tango in Paris despite her many other accomplishments as an actress.[36]

Personal life

In the 1980s, Ringwald dated musician Dweezil Zappa and rapper Ad-Rock of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys.[37][38]

Ringwald married Valéry Lameignère, a French writer, in Bordeaux, France, on July 28, 1999; they divorced in 2002.[39] She married Panio Gianopoulos, a Greek-American writer and book editor, in 2007. They have a daughter, Mathilda,[40] born in 2003[27] and fraternal boy-girl twins, born in July 2009.[41] Her pregnancy was written into the storyline of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.[42] She was the subject of an episode in season 7 of the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?.