Why Winona Ryder found Gary Oldman a “danger” to work with
Since the 1980s, Winona Ryder has graced the silver screen with an unforgettable presence, often appearing in acerbic roles that have carved her out as one of Hollywood’s most unique figures.
Ryder began acting when she was just a teenager, starring in classics such as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, marking her fruitful working relationship with Tim Burton. The actor also appeared in the cult comedy Heathers, impressing critics with her humorously dark performance as Veronica.
Since then, Ryder has appeared in countless productions, ranging from Martin Scorsese’s period drama The Age of Innocence to the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. However, the ‘90s truly allowed Ryder to flourish, appearing in an eclectic mix of movies like Night on Earth, Little Women, Reality Bites, and Girl, Interrupted.
However, in 1990, Ryder dropped out of one of the biggest franchises of all time: The Godfather series. The actor exited The Godfather Part III due to exhaustion, leading Francis Ford Coppola to replace the actor with his daughter, Sofia. While Coppola and Ryder’s collaboration wasn’t a success, she ended up suggesting he take a look at James V. Hart’s script for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, leading Coppola to his next project.
They reunited for the movie, which also featured Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins and Richard E. Grant. Yet, there was one co-star that Ryder clashed with, citing their dramatically different acting methods as part of the reason for their on-set tension. Gary Oldman, who plays the leading titular role, was much more attuned to method acting than Ryder, who found his constant embodiment of the lecherous character hard to be around.
In a biography about Ryder, the actor revealed that although they seemed to get on before filming began, “It wasn’t the same after we started shooting. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s his way of working, but I felt like there was a danger.” Ryder found the experience of working on Bram Stoker’s Dracula rather challenging, with the biography revealing that Oldman would remain in character all day long.
Other people on set, such as Coppola, were aware of their animosity towards each other, with Ryder finding solace in her new friendship with Reeves. She even told Vanity Fair, “I have these journals, and I just pulled one out recently. It was from around the time of Dracula. The text: ‘angst, angst, angst, angst, thank God for Keanu. Thank God I’m going to see Keanu.”
Luckily for Ryder, the difficulty of shooting Coppola’s film paid off, and the movie was a box-office and critical success, winning three Oscars, including ‘Best Costume Design’.
