By Kenn Gold

The Secret Life of The American Teenager returns to ABC Family tonight!  In the season opener, “The Secret Wedding of the American Teenager,” Amy and Ben make a rushed decision to get married after Anne informs Amy that she needs to get a job to support her baby. Anne also tells George she wants a divorce, but due to financial constraints, he moves in their garage. Meanwhile, bad boy Ricky pursues a relationship with good girl Grace, which ignites Adrian’s jealousy.

This season, viewers see Amy learn the gender of her baby while her relationship with Ben is put to the test as she struggles with the decision to keep the baby or give it up for adoption. Meanwhile, Ricky continues his relationship with Adrian while dating Grace, who is falling in love with him. Things get even more complicated for Ricky, however, when his abusive father comes to town. The series cast includes Shailene Woodley, Molly Ringwald, Mark Derwin, India Eisley, Ken Baumann, Daren Kagasoff, Francia Raisa, Megan Park, Greg Finley and Jorge–Luis Pallo. John Schneider, Josie Bissett, Ernie Hudson and Steve Schirripa also guest star. Created and executive produced by Brenda Hampton (“7^th Heaven”), the series is produced by Prodco, Inc. in association with Brendavision.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager is ABC Family’s #1 original series of all-time across the board, averaging 4 million total viewers per episode this summer, and ranked a dominant #1 in its time slot versus all cable in all key demos. The series’ mid-season finale on September 9, 2008, delivered 5 million total viewers, ranking as ABC Family’s #1 original series telecast of all-time. The series also won the network’s first Teen Choice Award for “Choice Summer TV Show.”

Shailene Woodley, the lead on the hit show recently spoke with MediaBlvd about playing such a unique character.

Question> The last time we talked to, I think the first episode had just premiered. We couldn’t really talk about spoilers or things back then.  I just was wondering kind of as the first season went along, was there anything that happened with your character just on the show that kind of surprised you I guess as it came up because you maybe would have - I don’t know if I should say would have done differently, but just kind of surprised you how it worked out?

Shailene> Let’s see, it definitely surprised me the way Amy handled it.  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.

Question> If there’s someone out who has maybe seen an ad for the show coming up with the second season, what would you say to them to draw them in?  I mean the show has kind of been established and the characters are pretty established, but why should someone start watching it now at season two if they haven’t seen it before?

Shailene> 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.

Question> Could you just set up for us a little bit more the plot of season two and is it picking up exactly where season one left off or if it’s skipping a little bit of time, and maybe tell us if there are any new exciting characters coming onto the show?

Shailene> All right.  So, it does skip a little bit of time between the first season and the second season.  There’s definitely a wedding that’s being talked about between Amy and Ben.  There are lots of different things happening with all of the families.  Of course, Amy’s parents are still going through a rocky time and they’re trying to figure out if the dad is going to stay or move out or what’s going on with that.  Amy is trying to decide if she needs to get a job or if she shouldn’t get a job to pay for insurance and stuff for the baby.  She’s going to find out if it’s a boy or a girl.  She’s going to find out if she’s going to give it up to adoption or if she’s going to keep the baby.  There’s like a gay couple involved who might adopt the baby, but might not depending on what Amy feels is right for the baby at the time.  There are lots of different things.  Apart from my character, Grace’s character kind of goes through; she’s debating on whether she really likes Jack or really likes Ricky or if she really likes being single.  Ben is going through still again the first love and how he should handle that and how much he should be in control of her life or not.   So, there are tons of different things that are going to happen, lots of new drama.

Question> What were you doing on the break?

Shailene> Are you talking about the hiatus in August or the one that’s coming up in January?

Question> I guess the last break that you had?

Shailene> Okay.  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 brainwork, so like painting or being with friends or making something; I don’t know, just something that’s inexpensive, cheap and easy to do.

Question> There are mixed comments about the show on the official forum.  What do you think of the people who were in there basically saying this show promotes teenage pregnancy and it glorifies it and it probably shouldn’t be on TV?

Shailene> I personally don’t read the blogs, but I feel like people who say that the show glorifies it, I don’t believe that.  I don’t feel like this show glorifies pregnancy, because if you see my character she’s obviously not jumping up and down, she’s in the bathroom crying 24/7.  Definitely there is an emotional spin on everything.  Her best friend … they kind of grow apart because her best friend’s mom won’t let her come over and she has a boyfriend and she has the dad of the baby she can’t stand, and she has a mom that she’s dealing with and her dad that’s she’s dealing with, so I don’t feel like it glorifies it at all.  If anything, I think it makes it seem like a very hard and difficult situation to go through, especially as a teenager.  In season two, for instance, also you’ll see the other aspect of having a baby, like if she should get a job or not.  The baby is actually going to cost money and she’s actually going to have to take care of it herself.  So, I don’t feel like it glorifies it.  I feel like it handles it in a very mature and real life way as far as if a teenager got pregnant and how she would react.

Question> Do you think getting married at 15 is a good idea?

Shailene> Personally, I don’t think I would ever get married at 15.  I don’t know if I’d ever even tell a guy I loved him at 15.  But it works for Amy and Ben and they’re in a different situation.  Who knows; if I was pregnant and I was 15, if I was Amy, if I was the kind of person she is and had the same personality as her, if it was the right time and the right day, who knows?  It all depends on situations and it’s all relative. 

Question> 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> 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. 

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

Shailene> 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.  Do you know what I mean?

Question> Where are you looking at for college?

Shailene> 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.

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

Shailene> 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.

Question> How do you physically manage all of the emotional scenes in the show?

Shailene> Honestly, I don’t know.  It comes.  I guess it’s in the writing.  If you feel the words and you feel the emotion that’s evoked in the script as far as if you put yourself in the place that Amy’s going through, it’s really simple.  I feel like to just cry.  Then again, I don’t know how I do cry.  It just kind of comes.  …crying so much or if it just comes naturally.  But, Molly definitely helps.  You just look into her eyes and damn, like we’re both in tears.

Question> Isn’t that exhausting? 

Shailene> I think it’s fun.  Those are the fun scenes for me because you go through real emotions.

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

Shailene> I guess a little bit of every character.  I’m definitely not … like 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.

Question> How would you say Amy has evolved since season one?

Shailene> Since season one I feel like she’s become much stronger, personality-wise stronger.  She’s learned to accept the fact that life isn’t going to be perfect and that there are going to be many, many obstacles that she has to go through throughout her life.  She’s accepted the fact that she has this baby and she has to have the baby, and whether or not she’s going to give it up for adoption or keep it herself or whatever the ending might be she’s accepted that it’s going to happen.  I … I don’t mean to discount the fact that she’s still hurting and crying and emotionally stricken by the whole situation, but she’s just accepted that it’s going to have to happen.  I think there’s a state of acceptance and she’s become stronger.  I guess that’s how she’s changed.

Question> If you were a fan watching the show, who would you want Amy to end up with?

Shailene> That’s a hard question.  Personal feeling, I don’t like boys who are super, super, super clingy and Ben is very, very, very clingy.  But then again, I don’t like guys like Ricky who think they’re super cool and have a big ego and just know they’re like the hot guy or whatever.  So, that would be a tough call.  I guess I’d have to go with Ben just because he does love her so much, but he’s a little too clingy for my taste.  

Question> You said that the show is picking up several months later.  Can you give us an idea of the time frame and kind of where we are with the birth of the baby?  Does it happen fairly early in the season, or kind of late at the end?

Shailene> The birth of the baby doesn’t happen early, early.  It definitely waits a while because she’s definitely a lot further along than she was at the end of season one, but in the beginning of season two she’s not quite there yet.  So, there’s definitely still a while.

Question> Were there any parts that were challenging or maybe hard for you in what you’ve filmed so far to actually do?

Shailene> In what I’ve filmed so far, I guess the most challenging thing especially as we started filming later episodes was before with the belly and the whole pregnancy thing, it didn’t really affect me physically, but once the belly started getting bigger and stuff, I had to do lots of research on what contractions felt like and how you’re supposed to walk when you have a baby in your belly.  So, I asked a lot of questions to mothers who had previously been pregnant.  I did research online as to what contractions felt like.  So, I guess the hardest thing was resembling and reenacting what an actual pregnant woman would feel when I’ve never had any situation even close to what she would feel.  So, that was the hardest part - putting my mind and my body physically in the body of a pregnant person.