The cast has been thriving since saying goodbye to dystopian Chicago.

Divergent cast, then and now: See what happened to Shailene Woodley and Theo James after leaving their factions behind

The cast has been thriving since saying goodbye to dystopian Chicago.

By Chris Snellgrove

and Kevin Jacobsen

March 21, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Miles Teller as Peter Hayes, Shailene Woodley as Beatrice 'Tris' Prior, Ben Lamb as Edward, Zoë Kravitz as Christina, and Jai Courtney as Eric Coulter in 'Divergent'. Credit:

Jaap Buitendijk/Lionsgate

During the YA boom of the early-2010s, *Divergent* was among the more high-profile franchises to transfer to the big screen.

Based on Veronica Roth's best-selling book series, the first film follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior (Shailene Woodley), a teenager living in dystopian Chicago. Ruled by factions determined by psychological type, society largely rejects individualism, but Tris is among the select few known as Divergent who don't belong to any one faction, which makes her a threat to society but also could give her the tools she needs to save it.

Upon its 2014 release, *Divergent* helped propel the careers of Woodley and costars Theo James, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller, each of whom has gone on to further success. Now, on the 12th anniversary of its premiere, we're looking at where the cast of *Divergent* is now.**

Shailene Woodley (Beatrice “Tris” Prior)

Shailene Woodley as Beatrice 'Tris' Prior in 'Divergent'; Shailene Woodley attends the 33rd annual Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 27, 2023, in New York City.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

In *Divergent*, Shailene Woodley plays protagonist Beatrice "Tris" Prior, whose teenage dreams of starting a new life come true in an unexpected way when she discovers that she embodies the traits of multiple factions.

“I really liked the fact she was a *normal* person, put in very bizarre situations, and that she’s not a superhero and that she’s not any more brave necessarily than anyone else in the world,” Woodley said in a 2013 interview with That’s Normal. “But she had to rise to this particular occasion because the situation calls for it. And I think it’s really beautiful that we get to explore the courage, the courageous side of young adults.”

Before *Divergent*, Woodley was best known for her role on the ABC Family TV series *The Secret Life of the American Teenager*. She also notably starred alongside George Clooney in *The Descendants* (2011) — for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe — and with her *Divergent* costar, Miles Teller, in *The Spectacular Now* (2013). The same year she starred in *Divergent*, Woodley also played a leading role in the hit literary adaptation *The Fault in Our Stars* with another *Divergent* costar, Ansel Elgort, giving early proof of what a powerful mark she would go on to make in Hollywood.

After reprising her *Divergent* role in the sequels, Woodley arguably hit her creative stride on the small screen, receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her supporting performance on the HBO drama series *Big Little Lies*. Fortunately for fans of Woodley, she isn't slowing down anytime soon, joining the Hulu drama series *Paradise* in its second season.

Woodley was previously engaged to NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2021 before they called off the engagement and then split for good in 2022.

Theo James (Tobias “Four” Eaton)

Theo James as Tobias 'Four' Eaton in 'Divergent'; Theo James attends the Omega Aqua Terra Shades, International launch event at Embankment Galleries, Somerset House on March 22, 2023, in London.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

While a young Theo James appeared on influential shows like *Downton Abbey* and *Bedlam*, he didn't hit the big time until starring in *Divergent* and its sequels. In the films, he plays a hardass instructor whose antagonism towards Tris masks both his growing feelings for her and the fact that he's secretly Divergent as well.

In a 2022 *Vanity Fair* interview, James spoke of being typecast after *Divergent* was released: "You do a certain type of film and you sign contracts where you are beholden to those roles for a certain period of time and people see you in a certain light that you have to wrestle your way out of. That is a hundred percent the case with actors — and it was definitely the case with me."

In addition to voice acting for projects like Netflix’s *Castlevania*, James has delivered dynamic live-action performances on HBO's *The Time Traveler's Wife* as well as in the second season of *The White Lotus*. The latter role earned him his first Emmy nomination and helped prove that his impressive acting skills have only grown over time. He is now the lead of *The Gentlemen*, Netflix's TV spinoff of Guy Ritchie's film of the same name.

James has been married to Irish actress Ruth Kearney since 2018. They share two children, a boy and a girl.**

Ansel Elgort (Caleb Prior)

Ansel Elgort as Caleb Prior in 'Divergent'; Ansel Elgort attends Disney Studios' Los Angeles premiere of 'West Side Story' at El Capitan Theatre on Dec. 7, 2021, in Los Angeles.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Fans of *The Fault in Our Stars* already know that Ansel Elgort has great chemistry with his costar, Shailene Woodley, and this helped him portray her onscreen brother convincingly in *Divergent*. The series also showcases his acting chops because he plays a character whose naive curiosity is at odds with his growing horror at the world around him.

Elgort spent time between *Divergent *movies by appearing in a couple of music videos, and we imagine that was good practice for *Baby Driver* (2017), director Edgar Wright's stylish and over-the-top action flick where the soundtrack (curated by Elgort's Baby) is a character in its own right. Elgort received a Golden Globe nomination for the role, and, afterward, he starred in *Billionaire Boys Club* (2018) and *The Goldfinch *(2019) in addition to more music videos.

Just when folks thought they had Elgort's career pegged, though, he turned in a song-and-dance performance as Tony in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of *West Side Story* (2021) before headlining the fish-out-of-water TV crime thriller *Tokyo Vice* from 2022 to 2024.

In 2020, a woman accused Elgort of sexual assault stemming from an alleged 2014 incident when she was 17, and the actor was in his early 20s. He has denied the allegations, stating their relationship was consensual.

Miles Teller (Peter Hayes)

Miles Teller as Peter Hayes in 'Divergent'; Miles Teller attends Paramount+'s 'The Offer' Los Angeles premiere at Paramount Studios on April 20, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

From his first appearance in *Divergent*, Miles Teller knew how to make our skin crawl every time he was onscreen. His Peter Hayes is brutal and needlessly cruel, never wasting a chance to hurt our favorite characters physically and emotionally.

In 2014 — the same year *Divergent* came out — Teller notably starred in *Whiplash*. His first major film afterward was Sony's *Fantastic Four* (2015), in which he played the team's leader, Reed Richards. That movie was basically dead on arrival, but he went on to appear in *War Dogs* (2016), *Thank You for Your Service *(2017), and the miniseries *Too Old to Die Young*.

Teller had many successes in 2022, starring in the Paramount+ miniseries *The Offer* and flying alongside Tom Cruise in the highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S., *Top Gun: Maverick*. He later starred in such sci-fi/fantasy films as 2025's *The Gorge* and *Eternity*. He is set to play manager John Branca in the Michael Jackson biopic, *Michael *(2026).

Teller has been married to model Keleigh Sperry since 2019.

Kate Winslet (Jeanine Matthews)

Kate Winslet as Jeanine Matthews in 'Divergent'; Kate Winslet attends the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 19, 2021.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Unlike her younger colleagues, Kate Winslet was already Hollywood royalty by the time she starred in *Divergent*. She wowed audiences in *Sense and Sensibility* (1995) and became a full-blown star as Rose in the James Cameron epic *Titanic *(1997). She helped bring out the best in Jim Carrey in *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind *(2004) — earning an Oscar nomination in the process — and won an Oscar for the World War II drama *The Reader* (2008).

The accolades kept rolling in for Winslet thanks to her performance in the 2011 TV adaptation of *Mildred Pierce*, which won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe. So by the time she was in *Divergent*, the actress had great fun kicking back and twirling her metaphorical mustache as Jeanine Matthews, a kind of fascist when it came to the supremacy of her particular faction.

"It just seemed like such an exciting challenge to me to play my first real baddie in a futuristic piece," Winslet told *TODAY* in a March 2014 interview. "I loved it. I really did.”

After *Divergent*, Winslet continued to take more of the kinds of creative risks that made her a household name, which included snagging an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for her supporting role in the biopic *Steve Jobs *(2015). She returned to television and found great success there, producing and starring in the HBO limited series *Mare of Easttown*, winning another Emmy, among numerous other accolades, in the process.

Even though she has already achieved more than most actors do in a lifetime, Winslet never rests on her laurels, notably reuniting with *Titanic* director James Cameron for the second and third *Avatar* movies. She even made her directorial debut in 2025 with the family drama *Goodbye June*.

Winslet is married to Richard Branson's nephew, Edward Abel Smith, and they share a son, Bear. She has two other children — daughter Mia and son Joe — from previous marriages.

Ashley Judd (Natalie Prior)

Ashley Judd as Natalie Prior in 'Divergent'; Ashley Judd at a luncheon at National Press Club on May 9, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Ashley Judd is another *Divergent* star who had already made her mark on Hollywood long before this film came out. By this point, Judd had already earned Emmy nominations for *Norma Jean & Marilyn* and *Missing*. She had turned in iconic performances in equally iconic films such as *Heat* (1995), *Kiss the Girls *(1997), and *Double Jeopardy* (1999). All of this helped lend her the wise and mature demeanor to so convincingly play mother to Tris and Caleb in *Divergent*.

After *Divergent*, Judd appeared in movies like the coming-of-age film *Good Kids* (2016) and the Barack Obama biopic *Barry* (2016). She also provided one of the standout performances in David Lynch's *Twin Peaks: The Return*.

Between these powerful turns, she also helped put Harvey Weinstein behind bars with her testimony about experiencing sexual harassment. She memorably appeared as herself in 2022's* She Said*, a dramatization of *The New York Times* investigation into the Weinstein scandal.

In 2021, she had a serious fall in the Congo that some fans worried would spell the end of her career. However, she was hiking a whopping 25 miles in the Great Smoky Mountains less than a year later, proving that nothing can keep her down.

Judd was married to motor racing driver Dario Franchitti from 2001 to 2013. She is also a half-sister to Wynonna Judd, the Grammy-nominated country superstar.

Zoë Kravitz (Christina)

Zoë Kravitz as Christina in 'Divergent'; Zoë Kravitz attends the 94th annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Zoë Kravitz has rapidly become the kind of actor who needs no introduction. She had already made a serious impression with her performance in *X-Men: First Class* (2011) and several episodes of the David Duchovny series *Californication* before playing Christina, a friend to Tris, in *Divergent*. While she has certainly appeared in smaller roles since then, her post-*Divergent* career has been filled with one major project after another.

For instance, she was as captivating as she was radiant in *Mad Max: Fury Road* (2015), and she appeared in *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* (2016) as well as its sequel *The Crimes of Grindelwald *(2018). Meanwhile, she reunited with Woodley on the small screen for both seasons of *Big Little Lies*. She also demonstrated serious skills as a voice actor, playing Mary Jane in *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* (2018) and Catwoman in the hilariously irreverent *The LEGO Batman Movie *(2017).

That latter role may have been somewhat prophetic: After voicing Catwoman, she portrayed the character in live-action opposite Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves' *The Batman* (2022). She made her directorial debut with the 2024 psychological thriller *Blink Twice*, which she also co-wrote.

Kravitz was previously married to actor Karl Glusman from 2019 to 2021. She then started dating Channing Tatum before splitting up in 2024.

Jai Courtney (Eric Coulter)

Jai Courtney as Eric Coulter in 'Divergent'; Jai Courtney attends Warner Bros. premiere of 'The Suicide Squad' at the Landmark Westwood on Aug. 2, 2021, in Los Angeles.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

In *Divergent*, Australian actor Jai Courtney plays the kind of villain you love to hate. Eric Coulter is brutal and petty, especially toward his rival Four, and he constantly proves that he is unable to work and play well with others. Fortunately, the real-life Courtney has no problem being a team player, which has helped him achieve a long-running Hollywood career.

Unfortunately, both before and after *Divergent*, Courtney (or, more likely, Courtney's agent) had an uncanny skill for landing roles in major franchises that ended up fizzling. For example, he played John McClane's son in the failed* Die Hard* sequel *A Good Day to Die Hard* a year before *Divergent*, and the year after, he played Kyle Reese in the failed franchise reboot *Terminator: Genisys*. He also starred as Captain Boomerang in *Suicide Squad* (2016) and returned for a cameo in its standalone sequel, *The Suicide Squad* (2021).

Courtney went on to appear on multiple television series. In addition to providing his voice to an episode of *Love, Death & Robots*,* *he served as a narrator on *For the Love of Pets*. Between these roles, he appeared on *The Terminal List* and on the miniseries *Kaleidoscope* and *American Primeval*.

Shailene Woodley recalls 'Divergent' costar Kate Winslet's life-changing advice

'Divergent' author says film series 'feels complete' despite scrapped ending

Tony Goldwyn (Andrew Prior)

Tony Goldwyn as Andrew Prior in 'Divergent'; Tony Goldwyn attends the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild awards at Barker Hangar on Feb. 27, 2022, in Santa Monica, Calif.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Tony Goldwyn plays the father of Tris and Caleb in *Divergent*, and the actor arrived with a long (if slightly eclectic) history of Hollywood roles. He is known for his memorable performance in *Ghost* (1990), and he added some much-needed personality to the Tom Cruise film *The Last Samurai* (2003). His other notable projects include voicing the titular character in Disney's *Tarzan *(1999) and appearing in *The Last House on the Left* (2009). He later brought just the right balance of warmth and gravitas to his paternal role in *Divergent*.

"*Divergent* was really fun," Goldwyn told PeopleTV in 2020, noting that while action movies of this sort are enjoyable, they're also "really, really hard, 'cause they're quite tedious. Every little bit of that stuff just takes an incredibly long amount of time to shoot."

Since those movies ended, Goldwyn has alternated between TV and film. His longest-running television work was on the hit seven-season show *Scandal. *After appearing in 2021's *King Richard*, he went from starring in a few episodes of *The Hot Zone* to appearing in comedic films such as *The People We Hate at the Wedding* (2022) and *Murder Mystery 2 *(2023).

Goldwyn has also popped up in such Oscar-winning favorites as *Oppenheimer* (2023) and *One Battle After Another* (2025). He joined *Law & Order *as the new district attorney in season 23 after Sam Waterston's exit.

Goldwyn — who also directs when he's not acting — has two daughters with his wife, Jane Musky.

Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Will)

Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Will in 'Divergent'; Ben Lloyd-Hughes attends day three of Frightfest 2019 at the Cineworld, Leicester Square in London.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Ben Lloyd-Hughes is Will in *Divergent*, and his acting brought that character's arc (one that involved him coming to grips with his feelings for Christina) to life in a captivating way. But we weren't surprised to see his talent on display, especially after his appearance in the film adaptation of *Great Expectations* two years prior.

Post-*Divergent*, Lloyd-Hughes appeared in movies like *Me Before You* (2016), *Breathe *(2017), *Malevolent *(2018), and *A Serial Killer's Guide to Life *(2019). However, he seemed particularly drawn to television, such as the TV movie *The Importance of Being Oscar*, the miniseries *National Treasure*, and shows like *Industry* and *Sanditon*. He appeared in the 2022 films *The King's Daughter* and *The Stranger in Our Bed*, but his true standout role has been playing Mark Bolland (who was once Deputy Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales to then-Prince Charles) on the hit royal drama *The Crown* during its final two seasons.

Lloyd-Hughes has been married to actress Emily Berrington since 2019.

Christian Madsen (Al)

Christian Madsen as Al in 'Divergent'; Christian Madsen arrives at the 3rd annual Mammoth Film Festival red carpet on Feb. 28, 2020, in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

While all the stars in *Divergent* were wisely cast, we always had a soft spot for the gentle performance of Christian Madsen. His character, Albert (Al for short), is simply too sweet and too fragile for the brutal world into which he was thrust. Some viewers might consider him an audience surrogate, answering the question of how we would survive (or not) in this particular dystopia.

“ I connected a lot to Al,” Madsen said in a March 2014 conversation with *Interview*. “Sometimes you hear your own voice in your head reading the dialogue — it’s your voice, it’s not like you’re reading this character.”

Compared to some of his costars, Madsen hasn't appeared in that many shows or films after *Divergent*, but he still managed to rack up a varied list of credits. For example, the film *Mr. Church* (2016) brought out a side of the actor that we hadn't seen since his earlier film *Palo Alto* (2013). His performances shone in *King Jack* (2015) and *Red Handed *(2019), but his most consistent role was on the television series *The Family Business*, which aired from 2018 to 2022.

Madsen is also part of a growing show business family: He is the son of late character actor Michael Madsen and the nephew of Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen.**

Amy Newbold (Molly Atwood)

Amy Newbold as Molly Atwood in 'Divergent'; Amy Newbold attends the 'Marie Claire' & the Cinema Society screening of 'Divergent' at Hearst Tower on March 20, 2014, in New York City.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

Compared to other *Divergent* stars, Amy Newbold hasn't had that much time in front of the camera. That's because most of her Hollywood work has been in casting departments. Still, she did a fine job playing Molly Atwood, a bitter rival of Tris who will stop at nothing to see her foe taken down a few pegs.

Since that 2014 film, she appeared in one episode of the TV show *Crisis* and helped cast some big productions, including the hit TV series *Empire*. She also was involved as a casting assistant for *Contagion* (2011) and Zack Snyder's DCEU debut, *Man of Steel* (2013).

Mekhi Phifer (Max)

Mekhi Phifer as Max in 'Divergent'; Mekhi Phifer attends the 2023 GFS Fall Benefit on Oct. 12, 2023, in Santa Monica, Calif.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

In *Divergent*, Mekhi Phifer plays Max, a Dauntless leader who wants to bring out the best (and the fiercest) in those around him. Phifer is another Hollywood veteran who had a small mountain of impressive credentials when *Divergent* came out. By then, he had already had a memorable turn in *8 Mile* (2002), an appearance in *Honey* (2003), and a fierce performance in the 2004 *Dawn of the Dead* remake. He also appeared in more than 130 episodes of the medical drama *ER*.

After the *Divergent* films, Phifer appeared in the 2016 adaptation of *Roots* and on the television series *Frequency*. He also had key roles on shows like *Truth Be Told*; *Love, Victor*; and *High Potential*, and his experience of straddling the worlds of TV and film helps make each performance dynamic and engaging.

Phifer has been married to Reshelet Barnes since 2013 and has two children from a previous marriage to actress Malinda Williams.

Maggie Q (Tori Wu)

Maggie Q as Tori Wu in 'Divergent'; Maggie Q attends the world premiere of 'The Family Plan' at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Dec. 13, 2023, in Las Vegas.

Everett Collection; Getty Images

In *Divergent*, Maggie Q played Tori Wu, a tattoo artist among the Dauntless who discovers that Tris is Divergent early on. Both the character and her ink take on a special symbolic significance, reminding characters and audiences alike about the importance of overcoming the fears that hold us back.

Q kept busy after this franchise came to an end. She went on to appear in several eclectic films, including *The Con Is On *(2018), *Fantasy Island *(2020), and *The Protégé* (2021). But she especially flourished on television, as she went on to have starring roles on series like *Stalker*, *Designated Survivor*, and* Pivoting*. She also provided the voice for Wonder Woman on the animated show *Young Justice* and joined the third season of *Bosch: Legacy as *Det. Renée Ballard, leading to her own spinoff, *Ballard*, which premiered in 2025.

Q became engaged to her *Stalker* costar Dylan McDermott in 2015, though they ended their relationship in 2019.

Ray Stevenson (Marcus Eaton)

Ray Stevenson as Marcus Eaton in 'Divergent'; Ray Stevenson attends the 'Ahsoka' panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 8, 2023, in London, England.

Summit; Getty Images

Ray Stevenson played Four's abusive dad in *Divergent*, with the accomplished character actor making Marcus Eaton into the kind of guy we love to hate. Fortunately, the real Stevenson was charming and charismatic enough to keep finding himself at the center of one ambitious Hollywood production after another.

Before *Divergent*, he appeared in *Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant* (2009), *The Three Musketeers* (2011), and *Kill the Irishman* (2011). Stevenson also brought Thor's Asgardian compatriot Volstagg to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in *Thor* (2011), *Thor: The Dark World* (2013), and *Thor: Ragnarok* (2017).

After *Divergent*, he channeled his larger-than-life personality to bring the famous pirate Blackbeard to life on the television show *Black Sails*, and, from there, it was an easy pivot into his role in *Vikings*. He appeared on the TV show *Das Boot *in* *2022 as well as in the action-packed *RRR* (2022).

Stevenson was married to actress Ruth Gemmell from 1997 to 2005. He died in 2023 at age 58 and was last seen as Baylan Skoll on *Ahsoka*, posthumously.

- Celebrities & Creators

- Where Are They Now

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Where”