Winona Ryder opens up about the dark side of rise to fame

Winona Ryder's rapid rise to fame early in her career ultimately hindered her from landing desired roles due to the "baggage" that came with casting her.

In an interview with Esquire UK, Ryder discussed how she was typecast and pressured into starring in mainstream blockbusters that didn't align with her interests.

As a result, her fame became an obstacle when pursuing projects she truly wanted to be a part of. Ryder opens up about her experiences with fame, bullying, and her upcoming film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Ryder revealed that the intense scrutiny of her personal life and relationships made it challenging to convince directors to cast her. She felt that the constant attention and gossip surrounding her private life led to her losing out on roles, as she could see the hesitation in people's eyes.

“I’m not in any way complaining,” she added, “but there was this whole time when I felt like I would be a distraction, as well. I got it. Certainly, in the 1990s, I became aware of that. And there was a switching-of-the-guard feeling, too. As you get older there are these new, younger actresses. It’s so drilled into you how disposable actresses can be, our shelf life. You hear it all the time.”

The actress's career took off at 16 with her iconic role as Lydia Deetz in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, alongside a talented cast including Michael Keaton and Geena Davis.

However, her newfound fame didn't impress her high school peers, who didn't seem to care about her success.

“I remember thinking that it was going to, like, change my status, and it made it worse,” she said. “They were like, ‘You’re a witch! You’re a freak!’ It amplified it. I was like, ‘But I’m in a movie!’”

After taking a step back from acting in the early 2000s, Winona Ryder's career was revitalised when she landed the role of Joyce Byers in Stranger Things.

She admits she's "not oblivious" to the fact that her casting was partly due to the "element of nostalgia" she brought to the 1980s-set show, given her rise to fame during that era.

Ryder's involvement helped launch the series, which is now filming its fifth and final season.