Winona Ryder on Ageing: 'Women Get Weird Stuff Done' in Hollywood

Winona Ryder Spills the Tea on Hollywood Pressure, Ageism, and Sexual Harassment

In a shocking interview with ELLE UK, 53-year-old Winona Ryder revealed she was pressured by female directors to slow down signs of aging in her early days as a rising star. The Beetlejuice alum also dished about the strange feeling of working with women who get "weird s* done" - alluding to cosmetic surgery and fillers.

When asked how she feels about aging, Winona candidly shared: "I don't mind it. But what's weird is when you're surrounded by young women getting weird s* done." She added that she always knew she looked young, but also knew that when she started aging, it would happen fast. The actress even joked about her desire to be older in the past, saying: "I always wanted to be older. I always knew I looked young."

But Winona's revelations didn't stop there. She opened up about feeling pressure from female directors to slow down signs of aging, sharing that they would often tell her to relax her forehead or smooth out wrinkles. The actress confessed that it was nice that people are talking about how it's okay to age, but admitted that there is still enormous pressure to conform to societal beauty standards.

In a separate bombshell revelation, Winona shared her own experience with sexual harassment in the 1990s. She recounted an incident where a director made a disturbing comment, telling her: "If we just try it like – you fcking cnt, I’m gonna destroy your f*cking life." Winona revealed that she had to act as if nothing was wrong and pretended it was all just a funny story. It wasn't until talking to her Beetlejuice co-star Jenna Ortega that she realized the severity of what happened.

The actress didn't disclose the director's identity, but shared that she felt a sense of trauma after the incident. She said: "I was almost telling it like it was this funny story. Then I'm looking at Jenna [Ortega]'s face and imagining it happening to her. It wasn’t until that moment that I was like, 'Oh my God, this is bad.'"

Winona's career has been marked by highs and lows, including her big break in 1988 with Beetlejuice, followed by cult classics Heathers and Great Balls Of Fire. However, the 90s were a pivotal time for her, starring in Little Women, The Crucible, and Girl, Interrupted - which won Angelina Jolie an Oscar.

But Winona's personal life took a drastic turn in 2001 when she was arrested for shoplifting. She was charged with grand theft and vandalism, but was acquitted on a burglary charge and ended up facing three years of probation, 480 hours of community service, $3,700 in fines, and $6,355 in restitution to Saks along with mandatory psychological and drug counseling.

After taking a break from her career, Winona began her return to the spotlight with an unlikely cameo in the 2009 Star Trek reboot as Mr. Spock's mother. She then starred in the racy thriller Black Swan, followed by Stranger Things - which catapulted her back into the limelight.

As she looks back on her journey, Winona offered words of wisdom to the younger cast of Stranger Things, telling them: "I was like, 'This doesn’t happen. This is weird – the phenomenon. The work is the gift. That is why you’re doing it.' Which was what was instilled in me. And I think I was successful with some of them."

The September issue of ELLE UK is on sale from 31 July at thescholarlynote.com.

Sources:

• ELLE UK
• The Scholarly Note