Actress Shailene Woodley is glad her upbringing was far from conventional.

The Divergent star insists her open, liberal parents allowed her to soak up culture and politics at home, which helped her form her own solid opinions about societal issues, including women's rights.

The 24-year-old, who was an ardent supporter of former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, reveals her parents were happy to talk to her about anything when she was growing up, and they did not shy away from difficult subjects. And they also welcomed people from different backgrounds into their home.

"I came home to things that weren't great," she tells Net-A-Porter's The Edit. "My family is super (messed) up in many ways, but they are also my everything.

"They would do anything for me, and I would do anything for them," she continues. "That's a lot more than most people can say about their families. I'm grateful for (everything) that happened."

Shailene does not go into great detail about what went on in her home, but she credits her parents for giving her a "broader outlook" on what's going on in the world.

"There were times in school, when someone said something really mean, it would hurt my feelings, and my parents weren't on my side," she says. "They would be like, 'I'm so sorry you're feeling this way, but what do you think that person was feeling?' Oh, I hated it. Now, of course, I understand; it enabled me to recognise that no one's evil, they're probably hurting and can't express themselves, get no love at home, so it's repeated.

"It gave me a broader outlook - just put yourself in another person's shoes."