Winona Ryder was warned against making ‘Heathers’: “My career was over if I took that role”
Whether you came of age in the 1980s or the 2010s, chances are you grew up watching Winona Ryder on your screen, perhaps as the moody teenager Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice or maybe the concerned mother Joyce Byers from Stranger Things. The actor has enjoyed decades of success, even scooping up two Academy Award nominations, a true testament to her skills as a performer who can adapt to any role she takes on.
In the 1980s, Ryder often opted for slightly darker or offbeat roles, collaborating with Tim Burton twice, beginning with Beetlejuice before teaming up with him again two years later for 1990’s Edward Scissorhands. During this time, she could be seen in movies like Heathers alongside Christian Slater, the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire!, and the Cher comedy Mermaids.
The 1990s continued to be a fruitful decade for the actor, who appeared in indie movies like Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth, the period dramas Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Age of Innocence, and a charming adaptation of Little Women, playing the ever-ambitious Jo March. As the years passed, Ryder only furthered her career with more diverse movies, from Girl, Interrupted and Alien Resurrection to A Scanner Darkly and Black Swan.
However, when Ryder was in the early years of her career, she was warned against taking on a certain role that her agents believed would spell the beginning of the end. They didn’t think it would be the right choice, but Ryder was convinced that the movie was going to be a hit, and she persevered with the job. The film was none other than Heathers, directed by Michael Lehmann.
Released in 1989, the film was heralded by critics and fans alike for its dark humour and commentary on social hierarchies and school popularity. Ryder played Veronica Sawyer, a high school girl who becomes tired of the seemingly perfect and popular clique she is a part of. After meeting a new boy at school, Slater’s JD, they begin a relationship which quickly sees him kill one of the Heathers from Veronica’s clique. She’s hesitant to actually kill her – just wanting to make her feel a bit ill – but JD serves Heather a cup of poisoned liquid, leading to a series of murders that backfire.
Heathers is great fun, buoyed by a fantastic script penned by Daniel Waters. Yet, when Ryder’s agents found out about the movie, they just weren’t convinced she was right for the part. “My agents at the time told me flat-out that my career was over if I took that role. They are no longer my agents. I feel a sense of pride whenever that film comes on TV. It’s a classic,” she admitted to the Tampa Bay Times.
She continued, “I feel pride whenever most of my films come on TV. I’m proud of the choices I’ve made. I wanted a career that had integrity. Of course, all young actors want that. But along the way, they start to see that films with integrity are not where the money lies. The money lies in doing lousier work. I’m in this for the long haul, and I can’t do those kinds of films. I’ve been offered them, but that’s not the career I want.”
Thus, Ryder’s choice to do Heathers was an authentic one. She knew it was a great script that would connect with a lot of people, and she was right. It has since been turned into an incredibly popular musical, while the original movie is still beloved by many due to its timeless humour and incredible performances.
