Winona Ryder names the first career role she was proud of: “Nothing compares”
Every few years, a new star rises to prominence and captures Hollywood’s heart. In the late 1980s, it was Winona Ryder. With her distinctively unique name, people instantly remembered the actor, who started out in a series of gothic and moody roles.
She rose to prominence with a standout performance in Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton. Playing Lydia Deetz, known for her iconic spiky fringe and miserable yet sensitive personality, Ryder impressed audiences, and it didn’t take long for her to reunite with Burton again for Edward Scissorhands. Meanwhile, she starred as the cynical high-schooler Veronica in Heathers and as the main female character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola.
While she is best known for playing roles in slightly darker, horror-inspired films, Ryder has never limited herself. The early ‘90s also saw her appear in the comedy-drama Mermaids with Cher, followed by Jim Jarmusch’s indie anthology Night on Earth—quite the contrast. Alongside Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Ryder has starred in quite a few period dramas, finding herself quite at home in pieces set decades before her time. Shortly after appearing in Coppola’s film, she appeared in The Age of Innocence, The House of the Spirits, and Little Women, all of which she excelled in.
Yet, it was The Age of Innocence, directed by Martin Scorsese, of which Ryder felt most proud. She earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance, competing in the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ category against actors like Emma Thompson and Holly Hunter, ultimately losing out to 11-year-old Anna Paquin for her role in The Piano. Still, her Oscar loss didn’t stop her from being incredibly proud of her performance in the acclaimed film.
The Age of Innocence, based on the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, was one of the finest pieces of work Scorsese made in the ‘90s, showing that he was capable of making romantic dramas just as well as he could do tougher gangster movies. Ryder starred alongside some big names, such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Miriam Margolyes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Richard E. Grant, but Ryder proved to be the luckiest in terms of award recognition. Although she missed out on the Oscar, she won a Golden Globe for her performance as May Welland.
Talking to Rolling Stone, the actor – who was just 22 when The Age of Innocence was released – expressed her love for the film. “It was the first time I ever felt proud of myself as an actress,” she said. Continuing, Ryder highlighted how she didn’t think anything else could top starring in the beautiful period drama made by an acclaimed filmmaker alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
“And it really made it hard for me because nothing compares,” she added. Scorsese also discussed his admiration for Ryder’s contribution to the film. “I think she’s reacting to being part of a labour of love. We had a very good time. Winona has a good sense of humour, and her energy is boundless”.
She concluded: “It was like having rampant youth on the set. She’d be jumping up and down, but then when you said, ‘Action,’ she froze into position. All that energy was put behind her eyes, and I found that really fascinating”.
