Winona Ryder's Tragic, Real-Life Story

The following article contains mentions of drug use, sexual harassment, and mental health issues.

If you weren't around in the '80s and '90s, you might know Winona Ryder best as Joyce Byers in Netflix's supernatural horror series "Stranger Things." Long before she starred in this show, however, she made a name for herself playing quirky characters in movies like "Beetlejuice," "Heathers," and "Edward Scissorhands." Ryder became a Gen X icon, and though she seemed to have it all, the stunning actor actually endured tragedy throughout her life.

Ryder has come a long way since her early years, evolving from a bullied kid to a '90s film queen, then fading into obscurity amid a series of unfortunate circumstances, only to return to the spotlight better than ever. Despite the many misfortunes the star has faced, she is still grateful for the many opportunities she's had.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to live this life — however intense and overwhelming it got, it's NOTHING compared to what it is now with the internet and social media. I just find myself feeling tremendous empathy toward people who have sacrificed so much," Ryder told Harper's Bazaar in a July 2024 interview.

Although Winona Ryder didn't grow up in the spotlight alongside other child actors of the time, she didn't have a conventional upbringing either. Growing up, she lived on a huge expanse of land in Northern California with her author parents, younger brother, and two older half-siblings. As privileged as Ryder's childhood was, she was haunted by the atrocities her family endured during the Holocaust and would sometimes sleep in her parents' doorway, afraid that history would somehow repeat itself.

In speaking with the Mirror in July 2020, the actor remarked, "I think it came from overhearing stories of what happened in the camps. I was terrified of being separated from them. In World War II, my mom's father died fighting the Nazis in the Pacific and, on my father's side, family members died in the camps. I am grateful my parents told me the truth, though they had to pick the right age to tell me because it is so horrific." Ryder became engrossed in the tragic history of her ancestors and would spend her time in the library, flicking through books about the Holocaust. "I realized maybe I was looking for my family, for someone I recognized," she explained.

When she was only 12 years old, Winona Ryder had a terrifying near-death experience when she almost drowned in the ocean. "When they pulled me out of the water, I didn't have a pulse," she told the Hartford Courant. The trauma from the ordeal left its mark on the actor, but it was something she had to eventually overcome when she was cast in 1997's "Alien Resurrection."

Ryder and her fellow castmates had to film several scenes in a giant tank of water for the film, requiring them to undergo vigorous training. For months, she trained in a pool to get comfortable with swimming underwater, but even after preparing for the role, the actor struggled to film scenes 30 feet deep, without a mask or goggles.

"I was pretty close to wishing I were on a different planet then — I mean that was really hard. That tank stuff was some of the hardest stuff I've ever had to do in my life. I mean [there] was a couple of near-death experiences, definitely, for many of us," she explained in an interview with Bobbie Wygant at the time.

From the peak of her career through today, Winona Ryder seems effortlessly cool. She was the "it" girl of the '90s and dated some of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, but tragically, this was far from the case when she was growing up. Ryder has always been individualistic with her fashion choices, but at school, this made her the unfortunate target for bullies. The "Square Dance" star spoke with New York Magazine in November 2017 about one particular incident when she was walking down the hall wearing a boy's Salvation Army shop suit.

"I heard people saying, 'Hey, f***ot.' They slammed my head into a locker. I fell to the ground and they started to kick the s*** out of me. I had to have stitches. The school kicked me out, not the bullies," the actor explained. Thankfully, this bully got her comeuppance many years later, after Ryder had become a big star. Ryder recounted to the publication: "I ran into one of the girls who'd kicked me, and she said, 'Winona, Winona, can I have your autograph?' and I said, 'Do you remember me? ... Remember how, in seventh grade, you beat up that kid?' and she said, 'Kind of,' and I said, 'That was me. Go f*** yourself!'"

After working on Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" at just 15 years old, Winona Ryder caught wind of a new teen flick and was eager to get involved. "Heathers," which could also be referred to as the OG "Mean Girls," was a black comedy about the popular clique at a high school, made up of three girls named Heather as well as Veronica (played by Ryder). While she clearly had the acting chops for the role, she was initially turned away, as she explained to Harper's Bazaar in July 2024.

"I went in and I met and they didn't think I was pretty enough. I was sort of the weird girl from 'Beetlejuice.' It was very fair because on screen I'd only played very weird characters. I went across the street to the Beverly Center and I went to Macy's and I had them do a makeover on me. And then I went back and I was like, 'You don't have to pay me, I just want to say these words,'" Ryder said. On the downside, the movie was a flop at the time, and she made very little money from the project. However, "Heathers" really allowed Ryder to break onto the scene and the film went on to became a cult classic.

Given her family's history, it's no surprise that Winona Ryder's Jewish identity is important to her. As she told The Times during a June 2020 conversation, "[I'm] not religious, but I do identify." With the rise of antisemitism, many celebrities have spoken out about their experiences, including Ryder who's experienced prejudice on more than one occasion.

During her interview, the "Edward Scissorhands" star remarked, "There are times when people have said, 'Wait, you're Jewish? But you're so pretty!' There was a movie that I was up for a long time ago, it was a period piece, and the studio head, who was Jewish, said I looked 'too Jewish' to be in a blue-blooded family."

There was one celebrity in particular that Ryder called out — and he's no stranger to catching heat for his controversial remarks. "We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was [there] smoking a cigar," the actor explained. "Something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'" Ryder was taken aback, to say the least.

Winona Ryder has long been known for her pitch black hair, which starkly contrasts her pale white complexion. When she was cast in Francis Ford Coppola's movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" in 1992, it was surprising she hadn't been in a vampire movie sooner. Despite working with some of the biggest names in the industry though, Ryder didn't have the best experience on set.

During her 2020 interview with The Times, Ryder described filming a scene in which she was going to have to get upset. So, to work her up, Coppola began hurling abuse at her behind the scenes, calling the actor a "whore." As Ryder explained, "To put it in context I'm supposed to be crying. Literally, Richard E Grant, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu ... Francis was trying to get all of them to yell things that would make me cry. But Keanu wouldn't, Anthony wouldn't. ... It just didn't work." Ryder was quick to explain that she and Coppola have since buried the hatchet.

Although what she endured on set was unfair, and frankly wouldn't fly today, at least Ryder's longtime friend Reeves had her back. It's no wonder so many people consider the "John Wick" star to be such a kind person.

When you think of iconic '90s couples, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love probably come to mind. But one couple undoubtedly tops the list: Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp. They first met at a movie premiere in 1989 and began dating a few months later. Within five months, an 18-year-old Ryder and 27-year-old Depp were engaged and co-starred in Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands." The "Cry Baby" actor even famously got a tattoo on his arm that read "Winona Forever."

The Hollywood couple seemed made for one another — that is until they broke up in June 1993, partially due to the age gap and also because of the persistent media frenzy around the pair. Depp later altered his tattoo to say "Wino Forever." Ryder had remained fairly private about the break up, but in June 2022 she revealed to Harper's Bazaar that the break up was extremely difficult. "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," she explained.

Unfortunately, a frightening downside to fame that many celebrities have dealt with is some fans becoming too invested in them. Many famous celebrities have experienced stalking throughout their careers. In August 2016, the "Beetlejuice" star confirmed to New York Magazine that it's even happened to her on more than one occasion.

"I had a few [stalkers]," Winona Ryder revealed (via The Cut). "One was really nice. He kept showing up as an extra on movies, and you don't know. You have to be careful. So I told the director, because he was kinda creepy. And I got this letter in my trailer the next day that was like, 'I was just trying to get work as an extra! Just so you know, I'm not even obsessed with you anymore, I'm obsessed with Alyssa Milano now!' So he kind of left me for Alyssa Milano," Ryder remarked. Thankfully, the actor was able to look back on the incident with humor, as other stories of stalking incidents often don't end as cleanly.

Back in the '90s, Winona Ryder was ahead of the game in terms of speaking openly about her mental health struggles. She has long endured anxiety attacks and even had to drop out of "The Godfather Part III" in 1990 after she checked herself into a psychiatric hospital because of them. Ryder's role in 1999's "Girl, Interrupted," which centered around a young woman's stay in a 1960s mental institution, shined a light on the topic, as well. At the time, she told Entertainment Weekly, "I was terrified to play a character who was full of fear and anxiety knowing that I have been full of fear and anxiety. ... It's something you battle with your whole life."

It was in 1999 that Ryder also spoke openly about dealing with depression during an interview with Diane Sawyer on "20/20." The actor explained, "I saw myself on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and it said something like 'Winona Ryder: the luckiest girl in the world.' And it broke my heart because there I was, you know, in so much pain and feeling so confused, feeling so lost in my life."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Winona Ryder's career was still on an upward trajectory in 2001 when she made headlines for the wrong reasons. It was announced that the "Girl, Interrupted" star had been arrested after stealing nearly $6,000 worth of clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. It was a bizarre case, given that Ryder surely had enough cash in her account to cover the shopping spree. The actor was found guilty of grand theft and shoplifting, but luckily got off without any jail time, as she was sentenced to three years of probation instead.

During a July 2007 interview with Vogue, Ryder finally spoke about the ordeal, saying, "I didn't have this tremendous sense of guilt, because I hadn't hurt anyone. Had I physically harmed someone or caused harm to a human being, I think it would have been an entirely different experience," she revealed (via People). The actor continued, saying, "I never said a word. I didn't release a statement. I didn't do anything. I just waited for it to be over. ... The attention was embarrassing."

Back in the '80s and '90s, Winona Ryder was what could be considered straight edge. She didn't partake in drugs, despite them being widely available at the time, especially to elite Hollywood actors such as herself. "I sort of weirdly rebelled against all that. Honestly, I didn't do anything until I was like 28. I was just not into partying at all," she told Esquire in August 2024.

However, a couple months before Ryder was arrested for shoplifting, she broke her arm and was prescribed painkillers by "a sort of quack doctor," she explained to Vogue in July 2007. These drugs left Ryder feeling confused, and her out-of-character shoplifting debacle began to make a little more sense, as she had eight different pain management prescriptions with her at the time of her arrest. She added that her arrest "in a very weird way, was a blessing, because I couldn't do that [painkillers] anymore."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

After she was arrested, Winona Ryder seemed to disappear from Hollywood. She moved to San Francisco and worked on a handful of minor projects throughout the aughts. "There was baggage. Trying to convince someone to ignore the noise around me was tough. I saw it in their eyes. I lost a lot of parts because of that," Ryder told Esquire in August 2024. However, there were a lot of other factors at play; the actor wasn't struggling to find work just because of her shoplifting scandal.

"There was a period when I was not in season," she explained. "It was like 10, 12, 15 years, and it did coincide with everything that happened [in my life] but also, if you look at the period from 2000 to 2010: wow! It was the most degrading time to be a woman." It was around this time that she said she was blacklisted by Harvey Weinstein's production company, making booking roles even more difficult. Thankfully, Ryder was able to focus on other aspects of her life for a while before she made a slow return to the silver screen, eventually making a big splash in 2010's "Black Swan."

When Brittany Murphy was a rising star back in mid- to late-'90s, Winona Ryder had already been on the scene for quite a while. When they co-starred in "Girl, Interrupted," Ryder became something of a guide to the up-and-comer. In September 2001, Murphy spoke with the Los Angeles Times about her sweet relationship with Ryder, whom she affectionately called Noni.

"Noni has basically been through everything a zillion times over. Something as simple as dressing classy in pictures, she'll advise me on it. ... She's really there for me and my ultimate mentor," she said. Tragically, Murphy died under mysterious circumstances in 2009, and the loss weighed heavily on Ryder.

In speaking with Total Film in November 2010, the "Beetlejuice" star explained, "I can't watch the movie now because of Brittany Murphy. She kills herself in the movie. I was very close to her before she died" (via Express).

Tragically, Winona Ryder is one of the countless female actors who have experienced sexual harassment in Hollywood. With the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017, women everywhere were inspired to speak out about their experiences, and it led many industry leaders to pay the price for their abhorrent behavior.

While it took Ryder some time to reveal her experience with sexual harassment on the job, it was sadly an all too familiar tale. In speaking to Esquire, the actor said, "I had a couple of difficult experiences with a couple of people who were just blatantly sexually harassing me [in my late 20s]. And then it happened again in my thirties. It wasn't an assault. But it was incredibly inappropriate." Ryder explained that the experience made her sympathize with many of Harvey Weinstein's victims, and she acknowledged how things probably didn't escalate as far in her experience because she was so well known.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).