National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden might have been called a lot of things, but for Insurgent actress Shailene Woodley, he is nothing but a hero.
"I define a hero as somebody, who against the judgment of other people, if they believe something will positively impact the world and they choose to do it and honour their integrity, that's what I sort of consider a hero, no matter how big or mall a feat they create," she told E! Online. "And in that light, absolutely I think that Edward Snowden is a hero."
It's a good thing the actress already thinks highly of Snowden since she will be playing his long-term acrobat girlfriend Lindsay Mills in Oliver Stone's upcoming drama about the whistleblower, simply titled Snowden.
Woodley also said that she would love the opportunity to talk to Snowden and thank him for his sacrifice.
Should they meet in the future, the actress plans on telling him: "You are the epitome of the word selfless. You did something knowing you wouldn't be able to come home, knowing that your country would have very mixed feelings and yet your integrity on what you believe was right or wrong or should be public knowledge was more important to you than almost your own comfortability and the life that you had lived for so long."
Woodley is already used to action-packed films because of the Divergent series, but as Snowden's girlfriend, she had to take up pole dancing lessons in order to prepare for the film.
Snowden is currently seeking asylum in Moscow. He went there in 2013 after the United States government ordered his arrest for leaking classified information from the NSA to the media.
The movie about his life will be released on December 25, 2015. Inception actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be playing the lead role, while other cast members include Nicolas Cage, Scott Eastwood, and Zachary Quinto.
