Winona Ryder names the greatest actor of all time: “The best there is”
John Cassavetes is largely seen as one of the greatest directors of all time, creating often bleak and unforgiving worlds that are never easy to spend time in. In films like Woman Under the Influence, Husbands and Opening Night, we are exposed to the painful minutiae of everyday interactions within various relationships, often with characters who are unable to accept the truth of their circumstances and don’t see themselves as they really are. They are deeply uncomfortable and vulnerable, with unfiltered performances that push the idea of acting to the very extreme, something that Cassavetes often did with his wife and long-time collaborator, Gena Rowlands. Countless actors over the years have lauded Rowlands as the greatest actor of all time, a sentiment that Winona Ryder very much mirrors.
While Winona Ryder is most known for her gothic and angsty characters in Tim Burton’s world and the subversive teen comedies of the 1990s, she has recently become recognized for her obsessive love for film and intense movie-watching habits.
After completing the infamous criterion closet tour, the actor showcased her wide and diverse taste in film, highlighting unknown hidden gems and classics worldwide. When discussing her taste and the performances that have most impacted her, she was quick to mention Gena Rowlands and her work in two particular films.
Woman Under the Influence is a devastating story about denial and loneliness, showing a severely mentally unwell woman whose husband tries to ignore it and pretend everything is fine, unable to confront the truth. Given the time that it was made, it is incredibly brave and forward-thinking in its idea about mental health, something that we know was hardly ever discussed. Cassavetes makes us feel deeply sad for Mabel (played by Rowlands) while also making us empathise with her husband’s inability to provide proper care for her, rooting us in the class between her need for help and his inability to do so due to the stigma around mental illness.
When asked about Rowlands, Ryder said, “The films she made with John Cassavetes were revolutionary. I vividly remember seeing A Woman Under the Influence and Opening Night, and even though I didn’t understand the grown-up stuff, I felt like I was in the room with these people. Gena is the best there is.”
Rowlands performance in the film is truly harrowing and realistic, with a commitment to truth that leaves no stone unturned. It is both brutal and tender, showing the clash between the love this couple have for each other but the inherent cruelty of forcing her to live untreated and carry on with her normal life when she isn’t capable of doing so.
Opening Night is similar, showing an actor who is a functioning alcoholic a few days before the opening night of her play, becoming increasingly fragile after a car accident that makes it less likely that the show will go on, with Rowlands also starring in the lead role. After watching any piece of work by Cassavetes you need at least a few months to recover before attempting to watch another, but when you do muster the strength, it is incredibly rewarding.
