Winona Ryder was dubbed as the ultimate poster girl in the ’90s with doe-eyed look who lit up the screen in iconic movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers and Reality Bites. In the 2000s, the actress stepped out from the limelight, still appearing in movies but none that gained much popularity.
But in 2016, Winona’s career was reborn when she starred in Netflix’ instant hit Stranger Things, her first ever TV series.
Now the 45-year-old actress, who is preparing for the second season of the show, opened up to Marie Claire’s November issue about the revival of her career, dubbed as the “Winonaissance,” and how Stranger Things affected her emotionally.
“It’s so overwhelming. I don’t know what it’s like for really famous people… I keep hearing that people are dressing up like me [her character, Joyce Byers]. I’m like, ‘What?'” Winona said referring to the attention she gets after the show’s first season.
The Girl Interrupted star admitted in the interview that she was being bullied at school in her teenage years despite being famous.
“I remember thinking, ‘Ooh, [Beetlejuice] is like the number-one movie. This is going to make things great at school.’ But it made things worse. They called me a witch.”
She also discussed her break from Hollywood, which she calls “My hiatus” or “Whatever they want to call it.” She said, “I did take time off. It was mutual, I think. I just went through a tough time.”
She got a break eventually after her role as a distressed mother in the sci-fi series. The actress found it difficult accessing the emotions required for the role so she asked her own mother to help her dig deeper into her character as Joyce Bryers, a single mother who has a 12-year-old son who went missing.
“I said, ‘Mom, if every bit of logic is telling you your kid is gone, would you still [refuse to believe it]?’ And she said, ‘Absolutely.’ I said, ‘What if they show you a body?’
She said, ‘If you don’t see it happen, you don’t believe it.’ It’s a weird, primal thing. But I may have gone too far: it seemed like every day I was crying or freaking out,” she explained.
Winona’s role in the Netflix series has gained positive reviews and more acting projects. Earlier this year, the show earned the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Ryder is set to star in Destination Wedding in 2018, opposite Keanu Reeves, according to E! News.
