Shailene Woodley is opening up about a private health battle for the first time.

The actor revealed during an interview with The New York Times last week that she faced a very scary physical situation in her early 20s that had a lasting impact on her career.

I havent spoken much about this yet publicly, and I will one day, but I was very, very sick in my early 20s, Woodley, 28, told the outlet. While I was doing the Divergent movies and working hard, I also was struggling with a deeply personal, very scary physical situation.

Because of that, I said no to a lot of opportunities because I needed to get better, and those jobs ended up going to peers of mine who I love, she continued.

Woodley didnt specify exactly what illness she was battling, which she characterized as dominated by fear and anxiety and competition, but said at points she questioned whether shed even survive.