‘This Business is Brutal’: Winona Ryder Reveals Young Stars Have it the Worst in Hollywood
Winona Ryder was one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. She disappeared from the scene but is gaining attention once again thanks to her role in Netflix’s Stranger Things. She recently opened up about a lot of things about her life including her breakup with Johnny Depp, and how young actors have it worst in Hollywood.
Winona Ryder talked about the pressure on young actors
Winona Ryder’s first movie role was in the 1986’s Lucas at the age of 13 and by the time she was 18, she was already a household name. She went through a lot of scrutiny as a young actor in the early ’90s. She talked about the pressure on young movie stars, especially young women.
They have to work hard to cement their place in the industry and compete in an era when leading men were cast with love interests two decades younger. She said, “This business is brutal. You’re working constantly, but if you want to take a break, they tell you, ‘If you slow down, it’s going to stop.”” Then after a pause, she continued, “And then it did slow down. So then you’re hearing, ‘It’s going to be impossible to come back.’ And then that changes to ‘You’re not even part of the conversation.’ Like, it was brutal.”
She also talked about her relationship with Johnny Depp
The two were in news back in the day, they were engaged for around 3 years. Fans were in shock when they announced their split. She told Harper’s Bazaar, that it was really hard for her to move on and how it affected her mental health. She said,
“I remember, I was playing this character who ends up getting tortured in a Chilean prison [in the 1994 drama The House of the Spirits]. I would look at these fake bruises and cuts on my face [from the shoot], and I would struggle to see myself as this little girl. ‘Would you be treating this girl like you’re treating yourself?’ I remember looking at myself and saying, ‘This is what I’m doing to myself inside.’ Because I just wasn’t taking care of myself” adding, “I’ve never talked about it. There’s this part of me that’s very private. I have such, like, a place in my heart for those days. But for someone younger who grew up with social media, it’s hard to describe.”
Winona Ryder helped young co-stars on the sets of Stranger Things
Winona Ryder uses her experience with fame to mentor the younger cast members. She wants them to understand how fortunate any actor is to be on a hit show. She said, “I want the kids to understand, this does not happen. This is really unusual. And I’m always telling them, ‘The work is the reward!’ Because when I was that age, it was so hard to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
Source: Harper’s Bazaar
You may also like: “So Full of Dread”- Stephen King Reveals He Is Afraid to Watch Stranger Things 4 Vol 2 Finale.
