Although she plays a pregnant 15-year-old on ABC Family’s hit Brenda Hampton (7th Heaven) drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 17-year-old actress Shailene Woodley couldn’t have a much more different life in the real world.

Obviously not knocked up and enjoying the most recognition ever in her relatively lengthy career — her first small-screen role was in the 1999 television movie Replacing Dad — Woodley has quickly become a standout presence in the crowded realm of young-adult and teen celebrities.

Read on to learn more about the well-grounded actress who has helped make Secret Life and her character Amy Juergens an instant success.

As the first season went along, was there anything that happened with your character that kind of surprised you how it worked out?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Let’s see. It definitely surprised me the way Amy handled [learning she is pregnant]. She kept it definitely more to herself; she was very introverted about it. It also surprised me how she kind of did this 360 and began gaining confidence all of a sudden and realized that she is going to have a baby and that she has to keep in mind that she has to be strong about it and can’t let people push her.

So, I was surprised kind of by that personality charge, that difference in the beginning of the season, where she was definitely an introverted shy girl, didn’t want to talk to anybody about it, freaking out, keeping it to herself, to this semi-confident girl who stands up to Ricky and tells him what she believes in, and stands up to her parents and stands up to her sister.

So, I thought it was kind of an awesome thing to see this character do that because I know, as a teenager and all my friends, that it’s hard to change your confidence level, especially when you have all these things going on, like a first boyfriend. And obviously me and my friends have never been pregnant, but I can only imagine. I thought it was amazing how she did that change, but I didn’t see it coming.

Have you been able to learn anything from all the cast members on the show, such as Molly Ringwald and John Schneider?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Definitely. I don’t get to work with John that often, but Molly I get to work with almost daily and she’s such an inspiring woman. I mean just to see how much she got done as a child and even in her, like, early 20s, 30s, everything. And she’s still so humble and down to earth and she has a family.

I love just to see people like that who have accomplished a lot but still remain normal and sane and down to earth. She’s taught me so many things. Just in the beginning I was confused about interviews, and she helped me with those. And then it turned into personal issues I talk to her about, and she’d help me with things like that. She’s an amazing woman.

What’s been your most memorable moment you’ve had from filming the show?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: I guess any scene with Molly. Any crying scene with Molly— Let me rephrase that. We just connect, and every time we have a crying scene, whether it says to cry in the script or not, we both start bawling. It’s just one of those weird things you have with other people. But, we definitely have it and that’s really neat.

And just, I guess, behind the scenes with the cast. Everyone is so great and everyone gets along so well. We’re all so close and we have kinds of things, like, parties and dinners for each other for our birthdays, and we all kind of play guitar. So, we’re always jamming in the trailers. It’s a fun environment.

If you had to pick a character on the show that you’re most like, who would it be?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: I guess a little bit of every character. I’m definitely not, like, a provocative person who walks around wearing bras at school or whatever. But, I’m definitely not Amy, who is quiet and introverted. And I’m not Grace, who goes around preaching the gospel and everything. So, I’m a little bit of everyone, I feel like, kind of combined together.

The show has kind of been established and the characters are pretty established. Why should someone start watching it now if they haven’t seen it before?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Again, I feel like everything that the show goes through and everything that it explores happens in everyday life, in normal teenagers’ lives: divorce, the whole Christian family, the girl is debating whether she has to follow her faith or not, boyfriends and cheating, and everything that the show goes through happens.

So, I would definitely tell someone if you’re a teenager and you’re lost or you want comedic release or you need help with something or you’re going through something and you feel alone, check out our show because I feel like it definitely defines each situation and gives it a solution. Whether or not it’s the solution that the viewer might choose for themselves in their own lives, who knows, but it’s one aspect of how to solve a problem emotionally and keep up the faith.

I’m sure you had a break from filming. I was wondering if you were just taking some time for yourself or if you were working on some different projects.

SHAILENE WOODLEY: The last break that I had, it was still during summer, so I was actually able to go— My family, we’re big, like, campers and stuff, so we camped once and we went on a house boating trip with all of our friends. Relaxing to me is doing something, but not something that requires a lot of brain work. So, like painting or being with friends or making something, I don’t know, just something that’s inexpensive, cheap, and easy to do.

Now that you’ve kind of made it, has your life changed a lot? Are you able to do normal teen things, like go to movies, go to the mall?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Oh, definitely. I still actually only go back on hiatus in February. I’m going to go back to my high school and graduate because I’m a junior. It’s definitely different. When you go to a grocery store and you go anywhere, there are people staring or pointing or whispering, and every now and then you have a brave girl come up and be like, “Are you the girl from Secret Life?”

It’s neat to have that happen, but it’s also a little bit awkward because I feel like I should have a conversation with them, like, “Hello, I’m Shai. What’s your name?” versus just being like, “Oh, yes. Here’s my autograph. Bye.” I feel like I need to make it more personal. It happens.

As far as just my friends and where I can go, I still go all the places that I normally went. I might have to wear a hat or something, but other than that, it’s no different because my friends, they treat me the same. They known I’m goofy, spontaneous, weird Shai, and they accept me for that. They don’t put any pressure on me to just seem like if I’m different or my personality has changed.

Also, you were honored on Entertainment Weekly‘s Breakout Star list with people like Robert Pattinson and Demi Lovato. Were you surprised? I mean does that feel like the moment when, like, “I’ve made it”?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Yes, I was definitely shocked. I mean Entertainment Weekly — there were only ten people in that. It was— I can’t even put it into words. Acting has always been like a hobby and a passion of mine. I’ve never really thought of it as a career. I still want to go to college and get a degree in interior design and psychology, but just to have that was almost like— I can’t even explain it. It was just such a great relief, like someone else is noticing.

Where are you looking at for college?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: It’s been my dream since I was, like, I don’t know, real little to go somewhere on the East Coast, preferably like NYU or Boston. Somewhere where it’s cold and where you actually get seasons. [Woodley is from California.]

How have your real life high school experiences compared with the show?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Well, let’s see. Let me go back to freshman year. As a freshman, me and my friends— Every teenager on the show is talking about sex and talking about picking their friends and all of that, picking their boyfriends, being the next level or whatever. As a freshman, me and my friends definitely talked about that. We talked about more mature things than we did, like, in middle school.

Actually, my parents got divorced when I was a freshman. So, I can definitely relate to Amy as far as what she’s going through and how hard that is to balance. The first year in high school is just totally different than middle school, and your first boyfriend while having your parents divorce and your family life kind of crumble. So, I can definitely relate to a lot of things on the show, and there is always the Christian girl at our school who preached God and who preached happiness and purity and everything.

Then there is always the girl who is kind of thought of as the provocative one, who people were usually intimidated by, but really didn’t know that she was a nice, smart girl. I think it is right on cue with all sort of storylines as far as how they relate to normal high schools.

What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you now and of the show?

SHAILENE WOODLEY: I guess that as a supporter of the show, thank you, first of all, because the ratings and the amount of response that we got from the show, I could never have imagined, nobody in the cast could have ever imagined. So, thank you for putting in the time and watching the show.

Then, I guess, fans of Amy and her character and everything, thank you for responding the way that you’ve responded. Stay strong. Life is hard and especially if you’re a teenager. There are so many emotions that you go through, whether it’s when you’re going through puberty and you have all these hormones going through your mind and you don’t even know what to think, or whether it’s a breakup with the boyfriend or divorcing parents.

Just stay strong and remain, like, who you are because the only thing that will keep you in check and keep you the person that everybody knows and loves is if you stay true to yourself. Just follow your gut instinct and keep your confidence up and know that you’re super special.

Will I Stay or Will I Go?

I know, I know — ABC Family’s new teen- and supposedly family-oriented drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager broke ratings records during its debut last week, landing the basic-cable network its highest viewer numbers ever for a series premiere. If the people who tuned in for the first episode are anything like me, however, they’ll probably agree the thrill is gone after watching episode two.

Not Just Another Teen Drama

Basic cable’s ABC Family has really been knocking them out of the park lately when it comes to interesting crowd pleasers aimed primarily at young adults. Although it had produced original series before, I first took notice of the network when it presented the intriguing productions Fallen and Kyle XY. Coming up next for those who favor angst-filled drama is The Secret Life of the American Teenager.