Shailene Woodley opens up about ex Aaron Rodgers, 'scrutiny' around relationship

Shailene Woodley's personal life was in turmoil while filming her latest project.

The actress, 31, went through the "darkest, hardest time in my life" while shooting "Three Women," she told Net-a-Porter's digital title Porter Monday. The movie is a Showtime adaption of Lisa Taddeo's book, which studies the sex lives of women throughout the U.S.

Woodley filmed from October 2021 to May, while struggling with relationship "scrutiny" when she was engaged to former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The "Big Little Lies" star confirmed their engagement during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in February 2021, a year after Rodgers said he got engaged in 2020 during his acceptance speech for his third NFL MVP award.

The actress said she felt like she was in "a big pain bubble for eight months" as she filmed "Three Women." In February, multiple outlets reported Woodley and Rodgers called off their engagement.

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"I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character," Woodley reflected.

Woodley shared that she struggled with the public aspect of their relationship as "a very private person" and didn't realize how many "people around the world were actually watching these things and paid attention."

"Then, I dated somebody in America who was very, very famous," she said. "It was the first time that I’d had a quote-unquote 'famous' relationship, and I watched (the) scrutiny, opinions, the desire for people to know my life and his life and our life – it just felt violating in a way that, before, it was fun."

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Social media quickly became overwhelming for Woodley. "I found that any time I posted anything, I instantly felt like I was sharing too much of who I am with people I didn’t necessarily trust," she said.

Eventually, she deleted Instagram as a way to refocus.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shailene Woodley on relationship, engagement with ex Aaron Rodgers