The role Winona Ryder will always regret not getting: “I completely blew it”
Every actor has regrets, whether it be starring in something they shouldn’t have or turning down a role that was practically meant for them. All you can do is move forward – there’s no point dwelling on what could’ve been – but that doesn’t stop certain stars from voicing their disappointments, like Winona Ryder.
The actor, who rose to prominence in the 1980s with roles in moody classics like Beetlejuice and Heathers, has had a pretty impressive career spanning Academy Award-nominated performances and TV success. There was a time when it seemed like Ryder was capable of anything, with the 1990s giving her one of Hollywood’s most packed schedules. She appeared in period dramas and sci-fi films, intense dramas and charming comedies, establishing herself as an icon.
From the very beginning, she just seemed to possess a magnetic quality perfectly suited for the big screen, and it wasn’t hard to predict the success that would come in the ‘90s. Still, that didn’t make her immune to missing out on roles, and during this fruitful decade ,she desperately auditioned for The Hudsucker Proxy, but she was ultimately unsuccessful, admitting that she bombed it.
“I auditioned a few times,” she told Josh Horowitz, adding that she “wanted to work with them so badly” because she “worshipped the Coen brothers.” Ryder continued, “It was like the ultimate Barbara Stanwyck, and I can do that, and I wanted that opportunity to just show them.”
When she got her final callback for the Coen brothers’ film, she was in the middle of shooting The Age of Innocence, leading her to rush over to her audition in her corset, having to quickly change out of her period costume and into something a little more appropriate. “By the time that all that happened and Tim Robbins was cast, I was so discombobulated, and circulation started happening, and I completely blew it. I did. And they were so nice about it, and they gave me – and I still have this, because I framed it – they gave me Barton Fink’s stationary from the hotel.”
So, Ryder was gutted that she didn’t get the part of Amy Archer, which Jennifer Jason Leigh played instead. Still, Ryder could hardly be sad once she saw the movie, because Leigh was so perfect for the role. She even sent her flowers to congratulate her on winning the part.
That’s the thing with Hollywood; you can be a well-known star, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be right for the part. In this case, Ryder just wasn’t what the Coens were looking for, but it’s not too late for the iconic directors to team up with the actor in the future. There’s surely a role in one of their upcoming films that would be perfect for Ryder, although with the failures of Ethan’s recent movies, Drive Away Dolls and Honey, Don’t!, it makes you wonder if Ryder still idolises the directors like she once did.
Perhaps it was for the best that Ryder didn’t get the part in the end, because The Hudsucker Proxy didn’t perform that well. Meanwhile, that same year saw Ryder earn an Academy Award nomination for Little Women, so I guess it all worked out for her.
