At the height of her career, Winona Ryder’s overwhelming fame began to work against her, limiting her opportunities for roles she truly desired. The Oscar-nominated actress discussed this challenge in a recent interview with Esquire UK ahead of the release of her upcoming film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She reflected on the impact her early fame had on her career, the bullying she faced after the original Beetlejuice, and her experience with Stranger Things.
Ryder revealed that there was a point in her career when she was being steered towards big-budget blockbusters that didn’t align with her interests. The industry started to pigeonhole her, associating her with films she wasn’t passionate about. Ironically, when she pursued projects she was excited about, her fame often became a barrier. “There was an obsession with my personal life, particularly my relationships, and it was difficult to convince people to see past that noise,” Ryder shared. “I could see the doubt in their eyes, and I lost a lot of roles because of it.”
Despite these challenges, Ryder expressed that she wasn’t complaining. “I understood what was happening. Especially in the 1990s, I became more aware of the situation. As I aged, I noticed a shift in the industry—a new generation of younger actresses emerged, and the idea that actresses have a ‘shelf life’ was something you heard constantly.”
Ryder’s breakthrough role came at just 16 years old when she played Lydia Deetz in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, starring alongside Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Alec Baldwin, and Geena Davis. Although the film was a success, it didn’t translate into acceptance from her high school peers. “I thought it would change how people saw me, but it only made things worse,” she recalled. “Instead of admiration, I got labeled as a ‘witch’ and a ‘freak.’ It amplified the bullying. I kept thinking, ‘But I’m in a movie!’”
In the early 2000s, Ryder stepped back from the spotlight, choosing smaller roles over high-profile projects. Her career reignited when she landed the role of Joyce Byers in Stranger Things. The hit Netflix series, now filming its fifth and final season in Atlanta, brought Ryder back into the cultural conversation in a way she hadn’t experienced in years.
Ryder acknowledged that part of the reason she was cast in Stranger Things was due to the nostalgia she brought, having first risen to fame in the 1980s. “I’ve gone from being the youngest person on set to being the oldest,” she remarked, noting that it’s been a decade since they began filming the show. “I never imagined I’d still be doing this in my fifties! It’s surreal, especially at my age. But I adore the boys and love working with Sadie [Sink] and Maya [Hawke]. It’s been an amazing experience.”
She also discussed her approach to portraying Joyce Byers, emphasizing the importance of her character’s flaws. “I fought hard for Joyce to have imperfections. I didn’t want her to be a supermom. I wanted her to reflect the kind of women I grew up watching in the films of the ’70s and ’80s—women who were just doing their best.”
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