How Laura Dern became Winona Ryder’s mentor: “I don’t think I’d be here without her”
Hollywood isn’t the best environment for a child. It’s no secret that countless young actors have entered the film industry and found themselves unable to cope with the pressures of fame.
Paired with the innately corrupt nature of the industry, where young girls are sexualised and taken advantage of, it’s certainly not the easiest place to come of age, and Winona Ryder is forever grateful that during the early years of her career, she found Laura Dern.
Ryder entered the industry when she was a teenager, having grown up surrounded by creative people, such as poets and writers, who evidently inspired a love for the arts in her. A quiet child, Ryder wasn’t the best equipped for an industry based on extreme competition and harsh criticism, but she persevered regardless, learning how to navigate the bright lights of Hollywood from Dern, who is four years her senior.
Dern, the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, had grown up well-accustomed to the unique experience of Hollywood, making her first on-screen appearances with uncredited roles in movies like 1973’s White Lightning and 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore when she was just a child. By the early 1980s, she had landed more prominent roles, such as playing a band member in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, when she was just 13.
She proved her talents as a leading star in the psychological drama Smooth Talk in 1985, playing a teenager whose desire to explore her budding sexuality resulted in a terrifying and life-changing encounter with an older man. Around this time, she auditioned for the same movie as Ryder, and the two crossed paths for the first time. It was here that they forged a connection that would significantly help Ryder navigate the coming years as her star power rose.
Talking to Elle, Ryder said, “I don’t think I’d be here without her. I met her on my first screen test for Lucas – I didn’t know what a screen test was. I remember walking in, and River Phoenix held the door open for me. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s so nice.’ I recognised him from Stand By Me, and he had broken his leg.”
Adding, “Laura was there to read for the older girl, and she talked me through it, ‘cause I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. She befriended me. I was literally 12, and nobody knows this – she took me under her wing into my 20s.”
Dern didn’t get the role in Lucas alongside Ryder, but that year she ended up appearing in David Lynch’s highly acclaimed Blue Velvet, which was a major turning point in her career. Meanwhile, Lucas was Ryder’s first ever role, kickstarting a career that would soon see her nominated for her first Oscar when she was just 22 years old following her performance in The Age of Innocence.
Clearly, having a mentor figure in the form of Dern, someone who had years of experience despite only being a few years older, was key to Ryder maintaining a clear head as she navigated the murky waters of Hollywood as a teenager.
