Shailene Woodley: ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ A ‘Small’ But ‘Important’ Story

“The Fault In Our Stars” is poised to be a box office smash, with tickets already in high demand, but film star Shailene Woodley isn’t surprised.

“It is a small story, but… I keep using this word, but it’s an important story,” Shailene told Access Hollywood at the film’s New York City premiere on Monday night. “It’s also a very relatable story. The themes that are addressed in this movie are very rarely addressed in cinema.”

Based on John Green’s best-selling novel, the movie focuses on the story of Hazel (Shailene), a 16 –year-old with terminal cancer. She meets Augustus (Ansel Elgort), another teen with cancer, in her support group. The film follows the pair as they fall in love for the first time, while also dealing with their unique circumstances as cancer patients.

PHOTOS: ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ NYC Premiere

Addressing the themes of the film, Shailene said it ultimately provides an inspiring message.

“Loss is inevitable and grief is inevitable and as human beings we’re always going to experience those, but it’s the way in which you look at those two tragedies and the way that you live your life afterwards that I think really defines who we are,” Shailene told Access. “And so this movie, you leave celebrating life versus like, feeling remorseful.”

WATCH: ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ NYC Premiere

“The Fault in Our Stars” opens Friday in theaters.

— Jolie Lash