Winona Ryder: How the outsider became a sought-after Hollywood star

Winona Ryder
How the outsider became a sought-after Hollywood star

Winona Ryder can look back on a long career.

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Winona Ryder celebrates her 50th birthday on October 29th. How did she go from teen star to respected character actress? A review.

Winona Ryder’s (50) life can be compared to a rollercoaster ride. In the late 80s, the actress became an overnight star as a teenager. In the 90s she celebrated numerous successes. At the beginning of the 2000s it was the case: A theft put her career on hold for the time being, Ryder largely withdrew from showbiz. A look back at the exciting and moving life of the Hollywood actress and her way back into the limelight.

Between bullying at school and filming with Michael Keaton

In 1986, Winona Laura Horowitz, her native name, landed her first leading role in the independent film “Lucas”. In the course of this she gave herself the stage name “Ryder”, inspired by rock musician Mitch Ryder (76). The American with Jewish roots landed her first big hit with “Beetlejuice” (1988). In the horror comedy by director Tim Burton (63), she played Goth teen Lydia Deetz on the side of Michael Keaton (70) and Alec Baldwin (63).

During her school days, Ryder struggled with severe bullying and marginalization because of her roots and appearance. Her parents were part of the hippie movement. Her first cinema hits shouldn’t change that either. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in a number one movie. School is going to be great now.’ But it only made things worse. They called me a witch, “she recalled in one voice Interview with “Marie Claire UK”.

The dream couple Winona and Johnny

The desired enthusiasm of her classmates did not appear after “Beetlejuice” – but she aroused the interest in Tim Burton. The horror director hired her two years later for “Edward Scissorhands”. In the fantasy drama, she played the popular high school student Kim. Her love story with the artificially created Edward (Johnny Depp, 58) touched millions of moviegoers around the world.

It is no wonder, however, that Ryder and Depp played the love story credibly. In 1989 the two met at the premiere of “Great Balls of Fire”. A short time later, the then 17-year-old confirmed her relationship with the actor, who was around eight years older. The two got engaged in July 1990, and they separated three years later. “Nothing in the 27 years of my life is comparable to what I feel for Winona,” said the actor in 1990 told the “People” magazine to have. He even had the words “Winona Forever” tattooed on him, which later supposedly became “Vino Forever”.

Still, Ryder remained successful both professionally and in love. Her leading role in “The Age of Innocence” earned her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination in 1993. Another Oscar nomination followed in 1994 for her performance in the film adaptation of the novel “Little Women”. From 1993 to 1996 she was in a relationship with the front man of the band Soul Asylum (“Runaway Train”), Dave Pirner (57). From 1998 to 2000 she dated her fellow actor Matt Damon, 51.

Scandal: Hollywood star caught stealing

In the 90s, Ryder was arguably one of the most sought-after actresses. In the early 2000s, too, she faced major projects. But then an incident changed her career and her life overnight. On December 12, 2001, the actress was arrested in Beverly Hills: She was caught stealing designer goods worth around 4,700 euros in a well-known department store.

A year later, a court sentenced her to 480 hours of community service, around 3,200 euros in fines and 5,500 euros in compensation to the damaged department store. In addition, she got three years probation and was obliged to attend psychotherapy and drug counseling. The background: During the trial, she was accused of being drugged.

In one Interview with the “People” magazine she confessed in 2007 that she was taking pain relievers such as oxycodone at the time of the theft. Her doctor’s license was later revoked. The incident damaged Ryder’s image immensely. With the exception of a few smaller projects, she largely withdrew from show business in the following years. Her second career high would not follow until a few years later …

“Stranger Things” or the Netflix renaissance

With the Netflix surprise hit “Stranger Things”. Since 2016 she has been acting in the sci-fi series Joyce Byers, whose son suddenly disappears. Her acting performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Together with the cast, she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for best performance by an ensemble. “Stranger Things” is one of Netflix’s most successful productions, and the fourth season is due to appear in spring 2022.

Meanwhile, Winona Ryder seems to have “arrived”. She has been in a relationship with businessman Scott MacKinlay Hahn since 2011. Unlike back then with Johnny Depp or Matt Damon, she lives with Hahn rather withdrawn and rarely takes him with her on the red carpet. She has also freed herself from her image as a teen actress. Today she plays roles that correspond to her real age. “I love to age,” she says an issue of “The Edit” magazine cited from 2016.

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