Line #3 Creator/WinonaRyder


1	[[quoteright:308:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Winona_Ryder_651_7070.jpg]]
2	->''"When I'm acting well, it's the most exhilarating experience. When I'm bad, it's miserable."''
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4	Winona Ryder (born Winona Laura Horowitz; October 29, 1971 in Winona, Minnesota) is an American actress.
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6	She became famous for playing kooky, slightly awkward characters from the late 1980s through the 1990s. A few of these roles have been Lydia Deetz in ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' (1988), Veronica Sawyer in ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' (1989), Kim Boggs in ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'' (1990), Jo March in ''Film/LittleWomen1994'', Abigail Williams in ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' (1996), and Susanna Kaysen in ''Film/GirlInterrupted'' (1999).
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8	In the 2000s, her career saw a downturn and she took a sabbatical from films before eventually returning to the screen towards the end of the decade, appearing in high-profile works in roles such as Spock's mother in ''Film/StarTrek2009'', Sandra Dulles in ''The Private Lives of Pippa Lee'' (2009), a supporting role in ''Film/BlackSwan'' (2010) and Joyce Byers in ''Series/StrangerThings'' (2016-).
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10	She was romantically involved with the actor Creator/JohnnyDepp after meeting him in 1989, later being engaged to him from 1990 to 1993, dated Creator/MattDamon from 1998 to 2000, and also dated Music/SoulAsylum member Dave Pirner. She has been in a relationship with fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn since 2011.
11	----
12	!!Filmography includes:
13	[[AC:Films]]
14	* ''Film/{{Lucas}}'' (1986) as Rina
15	* ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' (1988) as Lydia Deetz
16	** ''Film/BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice'' (2024)
17	* ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' (1989) as Veronica
18	* ''Film/GreatBallsOfFire'' (1989) as Myra Gale Lewis
19	* ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'' (1990) as Kim Boggs
20	* ''Film/{{Mermaids\|1990}}'' (1990) as Charlotte Flax
21	* ''Film/WelcomeHomeRoxyCarmichael'' (1990) as Dinky Bossetti
22	* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' (1992) as Wilhelmina 'Mina' Murray/Harker, Elisabeta
23	* ''Film/TheAgeOfInnocence'' (1993) as May Welland
24	* ''Film/RealityBites'' (1994) as Lelaina Pierce
25	* ''Film/{{Little Women\|1994}}'' (1994) as Josephine 'Jo' March
26	* ''Film/HowToMakeAnAmericanQuilt'' (1995) as Finn Dodd
27	* ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' (1996) as Abigail Williams
28	* ''Film/AlienResurrection'' (1997) as Annalee Call
29	* ''Film/GirlInterrupted'' (1999) as Susanna Kaysen
30	* ''Film/{{Lost Souls\|2000}}'' (2000) as Maya Larkin
31	* ''Film/MrDeeds'' (2002) as Babe Bennett
32	* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' (2006) as Donna Hawthorne
33	* ''Film/{{Star Trek\|2009}}'' (2009) as Amanda Grayson
34	* ''Film/BlackSwan'' (2010) as Beth [=MacIntyre=]
35	* ''Film/{{Haunted Mansion\|2023}}'' (2023) as Pat
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37	[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
38	* ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'' (2000) as Fran
39	* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' (2001) as Melissa Warburton
40	* ''Series/StrangerThings'' (2016 – ) as Joyce Byers
41	* ''Series/ThePlotAgainstAmerica'' (2020) as Evelyn Finkel
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43	[[AC:Voice Acting]]
44	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' (1994) as Allison Taylor
45	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}}'' (2012) as Elsa Van Helsing
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47
48	!!Ryder's roles provide examples of:
49	* AbilityOverAppearance: She is, by all rights, far too petite and pretty to have played the coltish, gangly Jo March in the 1994 adaptation of ''Literature/LittleWomen'' -- but so perfectly captures Jo's spunkiness and spirit that it's near impossible to imagine another actor of her generation doing the role better.
50	* ActorAllusion: Winona's characters keep a diary in the following films - ''Literature/LittleWomen'', ''Film/BramStokersDracula'', ''Film/GirlInterrupted'', ''{{Film/Heathers}}'' and ''Film/RealityBites'' (if a video diary counts).
51	* AdvertisedExtra: Despite prominent billing in ''Film/BlackSwan'', she has only four minutes of screen time.
52	* AwesomeDearBoy: She has said that she took the role in ''Film/AlienResurrection'' before even reading the script, because she had always wanted to be in an ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' movie and could brag about it to her brothers.
53	* CareerResurrection: A case that took time to gradually build. After taking a few years off from acting while she was on probation for [[NeverLiveItDown shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue]], she starred in a film rendition of Creator/PhilipKDick's ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'', which was critically acclaimed. From there, she would manage to pop up in acclaimed independent projects (''Film/BlackSwan'', ''Experimenter'', ''Series/ShowMeAHero'') and occasionally have small parts in more high-budget features (''Film/{{Star Trek\|2009}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Frankenweenie}}''). However, it really seemed to take hold in a higher profile when she decided to star as single mother Joyce Byers in the Netflix drama series ''Series/StrangerThings'', earning much press and support upon the show's release and even earning nominations for a Golden Globe and a SAG.
54	* ContractualPurity: By the end of the 80s, she had a family-friendly image for roles such as ''{{Film/Beetlejuice}}'', and her agent begged her not to star in ''{{Film/Heathers}}'' out of fear of ruining that. She ended up doing the film anyway and, although it flopped at the Box Office, she had no problem getting roles in the likes of ''Film/EdwardScissorhands''. It has since become a cult classic and she considers it one of her best roles.
55	* DawsonCasting: Averted early in her career, when she was close in age to most of her teenaged characters. She was sometimes criticized for playing teen roles ("I'm like, 19. What do they want me to play, a judge?"). She became a straighter example of the trope as she grew older. She was 28 in ''Film/GirlInterrupted'' whilst her character was 18. Her petite frame and wide eyes contribute to looking much younger.
56	* DyeHard: Her hair is naturally blonde. She was required to dye it brown for her first film ''Lucas'' - and has alternated between that and blonde over the years.
57	* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Often, but [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} Lydia Deetz]] is the best example.
58	* EnforcedMethodActing:
59	** In ''Film/BramStokersDracula'', when Mina is caught drinking Dracula's blood, Francis Ford Coppola was shouting "slut!" and "whore!" at Winona to get a genuine ashamed reaction out of her.
60	** She and Creator/AngelinaJolie avoided each other on the set of ''Film/GirlInterrupted'', with Jolie saying if she saw anything human about Winona then she'd be unable to act out the sociopath character of Lisa Rowe as effectively.
61	* FakeBrit: As the Victorian lady Mina Harker in ''Film/BramStokersDracula''.
62	* FatalMethodActing: A near miss--she nearly drowned during the shooting of the underwater scene in ''Film/AlienResurrection''.
63	* FormerChildStar: Aversion. She began acting at 13 but enjoyed far more success in adulthood.
64	* HollywoodHypeMachine: She was soon recognized as a talented actress and earned lots of prestige roles, even getting Academy Award nominations for two straight years. But her box office success was variable, and getting arrested for shoplifting downright prevented her from working for a while. She eventually got a CareerResurrection, but mostly in secondary roles.
65	* HostilityOnTheSet: She and Gary Oldman seemingly got on fine during rehearsals for ''Bram Stoker's Dracula'' but then suddenly just didn't get along during filming. Supposedly it was a combination of him being distant due to going through a divorce and a clash of acting styles - him being an intense method actor whose approach unnerved her, and her needing a coach to bring out the necessary emotions. Years later, she dismissed it as "teenage drama" and says they became friends.
66	* IAmVeryBritish: Adopts this type of accent for ''Film/BramStokersDracula''.
67	* TheOtherMarty: Emily Lloyd was originally cast in ''Film/{{Mermaids\|1990}}''. But {{Music/Cher}} complained that there was no way they could play mother and daughter, and so she was recast. She got $435,000 and 2.5% of the net profits for her troubles after she sued the filmmakers.
68	* PlayingAgainstType:
69	** In ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'' and ''Literature/LittleWomen'' she played a GirlNextDoor and a SpiritedYoungLady, respectively, in contrast to her other moody, slightly awkward characters.
70	** ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' is one of her most evil roles. While Abigail has some sympathetic qualities, it's very surprising to see her as someone so villainous.
71	** In ''Series/StrangerThings'', she plays a MamaBear of kids who seems to be close to Ryder's age at the time. Many reviews pointed out that it was the virtually the first time she played such a role, as her petite frame and young looks made her prone to DawsonCasting and play characters younger than 30.
72	* RomanceOnTheSet:
73	** Briefly dated Creator/ChristianSlater during the filming of ''Film/{{Heathers}}''.
74	** Averted with Creator/JohnnyDepp, her co-star in ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'', as they were already dating when they were cast in the film, having met at the premiere for her earlier movie ''Film/GreatBallsOfFire''.
75	* ThoseTwoActors: With Creator/KeanuReeves, with whom she appears in ''Film/BramStokersDracula'', ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'', ''The Private Lives of Pippa Lee'', and ''Film/DestinationWedding''.
76	* StuntCasting:
77	** Columbia only agreed to finance ''Film/LittleWomen1994'' if Winona played Jo, since they feared a female-oriented film would flop if they didn't have a bankable star in there. Luckily, she was a big fan of the book and eager to play the role.
78	** ''Film/RealityBites'' was likewise only greenlit because she was attached to it.
79	* TypeCasting: Early in her career, she found herself playing a lot of moody adolescents - ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Film/{{Heathers}}'', ''Film/{{Mermaids\|1990}}'' and ''Film/RealityBites''. She also found herself playing a lot of InnocenceLost characters - ''Film/BramStokersDracula'', ''Film/GirlInterrupted'', ''Film/AlienResurrection'', ''Theatre/TheCrucible''.
80	* VacationDearBoy: A variation. She did ''Film/RealityBites'' because she had been doing so many period pieces, and needed a vacation from GorgeousPeriodDress for a while.
81	* WagTheDirector:
82	** She said she would only do ''Film/RealityBites'' if Creator/EthanHawke starred alongside her. She also insisted on Creator/JaneaneGarofalo being rehired after she was fired early in production.
83	** She agreed to appear in ''Series/ThePlotAgainstAmerica'' on the condition that her 1940s Jewish character would say "Gay kocken offen yom" at someone. It's Yiddish for "Go shit in the ocean" and basically means "Go fuck yourself." The showrunners were only too happy to agree. She ultimately says it to the rabidly antisemitic Henry Ford.
84	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
85	** She was cast as Mary Corleone in ''Film/TheGodfather: Part III'', but withdrew. The part went to Creator/SofiaCoppola, the daughter of Creator/FrancisFordCoppola, leading to all the accusations of {{Nepotism}} and criticisms for Sofia's acting the film would later get.
86	** Creator/WoodyAllen wanted Ryder to star in ''Film/MelindaAndMelinda'', with Creator/RobertDowneyJr to co-star, but after her shoplifting arrest and his drug problems, no one would insure them, so Allen couldn't get a bond to complete the movie.
87	** ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' was originally just going to be a MadeForTVMovie directed by Michael Apted. When Winona saw the script, she brought it to the attention of Francis Ford Coppola, and it got turned into a theatrical feature. Michael Apted remained on as producer.
88	** She was jokingly told a pitch for a ''{{Film/Heathers}}'' sequel featuring Veronica trying to assassinate a senator to be played by Meryl Streep, and excitedly said she'd do it.

Context Creator / WinonaRyder