“Divergent” cast: See where the actors are 10 years later

Find out the latest on Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, and more stars of the 2014 sci-fi blockbuster.

Back in 2014, movie lovers were treated to Divergent, a cinematic adaptation of a dystopian book series written by Veronica Roth for young adults. This tale of fractious factions (Dauntless, Amity, Erudite, Abnegation, and Candor) and the girl who can bring them together proved to be a major hit that swiftly received two sequels, Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016).

Of course, a major part of these films' appeal is the star-studded cast — including Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, and more — that helps bring these characters straight from the printed page and into vivid, three-dimensional life. In turn, many of these actors went on to have transformational Hollywood careers while others quietly faded into the background.

Just what have your favorite factions — er, actors been up to lately? Keep reading to discover where the Divergent cast is now.

Shailene Woodley (Beatrice "Tris" Prior)

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.

"What I like about Tris is that she isn't perfect," Woodley told EW in 2013. "She's not a superhero — she's not Katniss. She doesn't know how to shoot a bow and arrow, she's not a badass by nature."

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 a SAG award — 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. After season 2 wrapped, she jumped right back into film, starring in an eclectic collection of movies in 2021, including The Mauritanian, The Fallout, and The Last Letter From Your Lover.

Fortunately for fans of Woodley, she isn't slowing down anytime soon. She had another great year in 2023, starring in such films as To Catch a Killer, Robots, Dumb Money, and Ferrari.

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)

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."

After the film, he appeared in several exciting shows and films while exploring the world of voice acting. He continued the Underworld franchise with 2014's Blood Wars (following Awakening in 2012). You could say that his career continued to be marked by vampires: James appeared in films such as 2018's How It Ends and Backstabbing for Beginners, but he is perhaps best known to animation fans for voicing Hector on the popular Netflix animated adaptation of Castlevania, on which his character reports directly to Dracula himself.

Rather than settling fully into voice acting, James has delivered dynamic live-action performances on 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 will next be seen on The Gentlemen, a 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)

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 his biggest film yet: Baby Driver (2017), director Edgar Wright's stylish and over-the-top film 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.

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)

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. Teller's performance resonated with audiences, too, helping this BAFTA-nominated actor to start headlining even bigger roles.

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 leader of the team, 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 also appeared in the 2021 music video for Taylor Swift's "I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version)" alongside his wife, Keleigh Sperry.

Teller had many successes in 2022, starring in the Netflix sci-fi drama Spiderhead, 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.

Kate Winslet (Jeanine Matthews)

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 yet an Oscar nomination in the process — and then reunited with her Titanic costar Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road (2008). That same year, she won her first Oscar for the World War II drama The Reader.

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. "Frankly, I wanted to play a baddie!" Winslet told EW in 2014. "It's something I have never done."

After Divergent, Winslet continued to take more of the kinds of creative risks that made her a household name. This included snagging an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for her supporting role in the biopic Steve Jobs (2015), as well as starring in the philosophical drama Collateral Beauty (2016). She returned to television and found great success there: She both produced and acted in the limited series Mare of Easttown, winning another Emmy and Golden Globe, 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 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water. She also stars in the 2024 HBO miniseries The Regime as an unstable chancellor of a made-up European autocracy.

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 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 — with the former also snagging her a Golden Globe nomination. She soon 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. (They share a mother, Grammy-winner Naomi Judd, who died by suicide in 2022.)

Zoë Kravitz (Christina)

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). While details on the sequel film are as underground as the Batcave, we're confident we'll see her return to Gotham City as a feline foil for the Caped Crusader.

Kravitz was previously married to actor Karl Glusman from 2019 to 2021. She is currently engaged to Channing Tatum.

Jai Courtney (Eric Coulter)

In Divergent, Aussie 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: Genesys. 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. Only time will tell whether Courtney stays in the televised groove or returns to blockbuster filmmaking.

Tony Goldwyn (Andrew Prior)

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 still best 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 show Scandal, and he also served as the narrator of the miniseries Blue Sky Metropolis followed by a memorable appearance on Lovecraft Country. 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). He also popped up in Oppenheimer (2023) and the meaty Gerard Butler–Mike Colter film Plane (2023), effectively demonstrating his range as an accomplished character actor at any altitude. He will soon join Law & Order as a new district attorney in season 23 after Sam Waterson'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 is Will in Divergent, and his acting brought that character's arc (one that involved him coming to grips with his feelings for Christine) 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)

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.

Madsen was nearly evicted from his apartment before being cast in Divergent. As he told the Chicago Sun-Times, "I was at a time in my acting life that I was like, 'I don't know if I want to do this anymore.' I was auditioning every day and getting, 'No, he’s too tall,' or 'No, he’s too short.' It was killing me... When I got the movie, it was a last resort for me."

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 shined in King Jack (2015) and Red Handed (2019), but his most consistent role has been in the television series The Family Business.

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

Amy Newbold (Molly Atwood)

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 in casting for Contagion (2011) and Zack Snyder's DCEU debut, Man of Steel (2013).

Mekhi Phifer (Max)

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 by the time 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 and Love, Victor, 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)

In Divergent, Maggie Q played Tori Wu, a tattoo artist amid 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.

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

Ray Stevenson (Marcus Eaton)

Veteran actor 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.

Related content:

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• Honest Trailer confuses Divergent for The Hunger Games

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.