Why Shailene Woodley & Aaron Rodgers “Jumped In Headfirst” Into Their Engagement

After months of enjoying each other’s company away from the spotlight, Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers are more than ready to invite the public into their relationship. It started with a Disney trip, then a dramatic Hawaiian getaway with Woodley’s former co-star Miles Teller, and now a revealing interview about just how much the sports guy is the actress’ unexpected soul mate.

In her recent cover story for Shape.com, the actress explained the couple’s pandemic love story. “We jumped in headfirst and got some of the sticky bits out of the way early,” she said without details on the “sticky bits.” After forcing herself to be comfortable alone with her dog during the lockdown, Woodley’s relationship with the American football star added to her learning curve. “Starting a relationship where you immediately move in with someone — because it's a pandemic and you can't just get on a plane and go back and forth on weekends — taught us a lot about each other very quickly,” she added.

Even though the two lead very different lives — her latest is Netflix movie The Last Letter From Your Lover coming July 23 and his a recent stint as a guest host of Jeopardy — Woodley has no doubt in her mind that the stars would’ve aligned for them to meet because, as she tells it, “[they] were meant to be together.” The two have bonded over their love for Star Wars and sat down with Walt Disney World Resort to discuss their lightsaber colour preferences, favourite Disney World theme parks, and what makes the other smile — hint: it’s each other. 

To some of us, jumping into a relationship this head-on is enough to make us cringe, but these two have taken it a step further by announcing their engagement in February, ironically a month that falls in line with cuffing season and Valentine’s Day. 

"Partnership should not take away from your life, it should add to your life, right?" Woodley said in her 2015 interview with The Telegraph. So maybe there is hope for anyone else who found love in a hopeless place during the pandemic.