Shailene Woodley was on The Tonight Show to promote season two of Big Little Lies. I didn’t watch the first season but Kaiser did and we talked about it on the podcast this week. (That’s about at 23 minutes in, when we discussed Meryl Streep.) I enjoy watching Shailene’s interviews because she’s so wacky. She’s a hippie and she’ll tell you about it. The last time we covered her she admitted that she doesn’t floss. She tamped it down for this interview and mostly talked about the show, particularly since Fallon is a fan. He enthused so much about the set design and all the actors, particularly the kids and how talented the child actors are. I’m going to focus on what Shailene said since I’m not watching this yet, but Fallon convinced me to give it a try.
She loves playing games but hates cutthroat competition
I’m not really into Monopoly that takes forever. Those can be fun if you’re stuck in a cabin or something… it takes forever. I’m competitive but I don’t hold resentment. If somebody is being an a-hole while we’re playing a game, I walk away. People can get cold, really mean.
On the lessons from Big Little Lies
You understand their psychology and you go, ‘You know what? No matter how much money someone has, no matter what they own, no matter what their family looks like, we’re all broken, we’re all suffering, we’re all in desperate need of healing. We’re trying to do the best we can and it gets messy.’
[From The Tonight Show]
I’m like that about Monopoly, it takes too long and I usually get beaten anyway, either by my brother when we were growing up or my son now. As for what she said about how we’re all broken, that’s true to an extent of course, but there’s also something to be said for how insulated rich people are from the everyday problems of the poor and the working poor. We all have our issues and we’re not perfect, but people of means don’t have to worry about getting their basic needs met, and they don’t have to worry about choosing between medication or food. There are different types of suffering, and I’m not faulting Shailene for how she phrased it, I’m just trying to put it into perspective.
Here’s the part of Shailene’s interview I quoted above. The second part of her interview is here. She talks about Meryl Streep and how awesome she is to work with. Shailene also did a skit with Jimmy where she taught him how to scream like Meryl Streep.
Shailene’s Woodley’s stylist has said that Shailene “doesn’t care what people think about what she wears” and that is obvious. There’s some humor in this though.
photos credit: Avalon.red and Getty. In the photo at the top of the page she’s in Jonathan Simkhai at CFDA fashion awards
People of means are often better protected from social ills and have access to resources to help them through trauma. Obviously, there is no truly safe world, but that’s a strawman’s argument to suggest otherwise. Nobody is arguing that. A disturbing amount of people cannot make the distinction between socioeconomic privilege and individual tragedy. You can be a victim of a crime and still have substantial privileges over others. Pretending the former undoes the impact of the latter is a reflection of privileged ignorance, and that’s why comments like hers tend to irk people.
I grew up in an emotionally abusive home between two bitterly divorced parents, but the fact that as an adult I was 1.) white, 2.) working to middle class, 3.) had health insurance and mental health resources gave me a huge advantage to overcoming that compared to others less privileged.
When I read something like “people have to choose between medicine and food” I am again reminded how truly messed up the US health care system is.
I’m from an ex communist country that’s objectively worse off than the US, yet with our universal health care system something like that would never happen.
Yeah…… I’m not saying money can buy happiness, but money solves problems and having not to worry about my bills, the cost of my kids tuition, cost of food or having to choose between tampons and gas to get to work contributes significantly to my overall happiness.
I live in a higher tax bracket, have my whole life. No, the wealthy are not immune to mental illness or circumstances like that beyond anyone’s control. HOWEVER, a lot if rich people problems are self inflicted because of boredom or as a byproduct of living in an isolated part of society insulated by money.
Imagine motivating that section of society to help those in need and make constructive use of their time and money.
Pain is pain, pain is valid… but no not all pain is equal.
What you say about rich people is spot on, and I admit I find it hard to empathize with them. I like to think that if I ever win the lottery (because it’s the only way I’d be rich) I’d avoid rich people’s as much as I can.
@Naddie Honestly, the proportion of assholes to non-assholes is about the same between social classes, in my experience. I’ve known a lot of lovely rich people and a lot of really non-lovely not-rich people, and vice versa.
One thing I’ll say about rich people, though, most of them have no f*cking idea what it’s like to not have a massive safety net. Like, they can’t even really imagine it. I grew up working class, and when I explain to a wealthy person that I’m putting a sibling through college, they just look kind of confused.
Yeah, I work for a public hospital in my husbands old neighborhood. They desperately need not just monetary resources, but also people. In my view after 5 years here, I have no real problems. I have seen things and circumstances that haunt me.
Worst part is I have had friends and family members who won’t drive into the area I work in because its the “bad part of town” i.e. the black neighborhood. Its impossible to economically boost ‘and I can only speak on black neighborhoods’ these areas because the wealthy won’t even drive through them let alone spend money in there.
There was a blackish episode on it last year that was pretty on the nose about the whole situation.
Annabel, yeah, I admit the recent elections of my country messed me up a little. We are as polarized as ever, and the extreme right president was mostly supported by our elite. Even the cousins I kinda liked campaigned for him, and my family’s always been the poor part of the relatives. It was a huge let down because I was starting to warm up to them.
I can’t comment on the lower classes and those struggling to get by (there your comment makes a lot of sense), but of all the middle class and upper and super upper-class folks I know, the richest are often the unhappiest and most screwed up.
TRY Monopoly Deal. My kids and I love it!!!! Same fun of Monopoly and cut throat…..BUT MUCH QUICKER!!!
It’s easier to be rich and broken. I got out of an abusive relationship and when I was watching BLL season 1, I envied Celeste for having money to just rent a new flat, furnish it and stock the fridge. I didn’t have that luxury.
“we’re all broken” GRR I hate this saying. We’re not broken – we are HUMAN. Life is hard for everyone. We all have to go through stuff. Some more than others I admit. So be kind folks you never know what anyone is going through just by looking at them.