Winona Ryder admitted she felt “lucky” to be considered “weird” growing up in the film industry, reflecting on the Me Too movement in a new interview.
The 52-year-old actress was just 15 years old when she landed her first major film role in the film Lucas. At 16, she became a star with her leading role in 1988’s Beetlejuice. She recently reprised the role in the film’s highly anticipated sequel.
And speaking in a new interview with Another onein which she stars in gothic, black ensembles, Winona shared that she believed her identity somehow “protected” her from unwanted attention in the industry.
She said, “With everything that’s happened in the last six years, you have to remember and think about how it happened to someone your age, like Jenna [Ortega] or Sadie [Sink]and then it’s like, ‘Fire alarm five, not OK!’
‘Because back then everything was always, ‘You’re so sensitive, he’s just joking. Get a sense of humor.’ I always felt fortunate that I was considered kind of a weirdo for long enough… I still faced really inappropriate behavior. But I felt like my identity protected me in some way.
Winona Ryder has admitted she felt ‘lucky’ to be considered ‘weird’ growing up in the film industry, as she reflected on the Me Too movement in a new interview
![The actress, 52, was just 15 when she landed her first major film role in the movie Lucas, before becoming a star at 16 after starring in 1988's Beetlejuice. [pictured with Michael Keaton] - a role she recently reprised for the film's highly anticipated sequel](https://i0.wp.com/nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Beetlejuice-star-Winona-Ryder-admits-she-felt-lucky-that-she.jpeg?resize=634%2C446&ssl=1 "Beetlejuice star Winona Ryder admits she felt 'lucky that she was considered a weirdo' growing up in the film industry as she alludes to Me Too movement and says her identity 'protected her' 22")
The actress, 52, was just 15 when she landed her first major film role in the movie Lucas, before becoming a star at 16 after starring in 1988’s Beetlejuice. [pictured with Michael Keaton] – a role she recently reprised for the film’s highly anticipated sequel
In a new interview with AnOther, in which she stars in gothic black ensembles, Winona revealed that she believed her identity somehow “protected” her from unwanted attention in the industry.
Winona appeared to be referring to the Me Too movement, a social movement and awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, sparked by the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, which first came to light in 2017.
During the interview, Winona recounted staying with three young actresses in their 20s while filming the 1988 film Heathers. She said she witnessed “really humiliating things” that were “not okay at all.” She also said that “the lines were so blurred in the ’80s.”
The Stranger Things star added that when she was navigating the industry in the ’80s, working with kids his age, she realized how “unregulated it was.” The actress noted that she “never had an HR meeting until #MeToo!”
The star went on to say that her “heart breaks” for the “children who are not protected” in the industry, noting that her parents somehow shielded her from potential harm because they didn’t want her to move to Hollywood.
She explained how her parents were ‘wary’ of Hollywood and wanted her to continue her education alongside her film career, adding: ‘They associated it with the Judy Garland tragedy and we never moved there.
“That turned out to be a great gift, because I knew a lot of kids who had that. They moved and had to support their whole family, and that didn’t work out so well. I knew a lot of kids who got burned out.”
![With everything that has happened in the past six years, it is necessary to remember and think about what happened to someone your age, like Jenna [Ortega] or Sadie [Sink]and then it's like,](https://i0.wp.com/nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725554692_296_Beetlejuice-star-Winona-Ryder-admits-she-felt-lucky-that-she.jpg?resize=634%2C833&ssl=1 "Beetlejuice star Winona Ryder admits she felt 'lucky that she was considered a weirdo' growing up in the film industry as she alludes to Me Too movement and says her identity 'protected her' 26")
With everything that has happened in the past six years, it is necessary to remember and think about how it happened to someone your age, like Jenna [Ortega] or Sadie [Sink]and then it’s like, ‘Fire alarm five, not OK!’
!['Everything was always then, "You're so sensitive, he's just joking. Get a sense of humor." I've always been lucky enough to be considered a bit of a weirdo for long enough that I was still confronted with really inappropriate behavior. [Winona pictured in her first big film role in 1986's Lucas, aged 15]](https://i0.wp.com/nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725554695_871_Beetlejuice-star-Winona-Ryder-admits-she-felt-lucky-that-she.jpg?resize=634%2C480&ssl=1 "Beetlejuice star Winona Ryder admits she felt 'lucky that she was considered a weirdo' growing up in the film industry as she alludes to Me Too movement and says her identity 'protected her' 28")
‘Everything back then was always, “You’re so sensitive, he’s just joking. Get a sense of humor.” I was always lucky that I was considered a kind of weirdo for long enough… I was still confronted with really inappropriate behavior’ [Winona pictured in her first big film role in 1986’s Lucas, aged 15]
The star went on to say that her “heart breaks” for the “children who were not protected” in the industry, noting that her parents’ reluctance to let her move to Hollywood somehow protected her from any potential danger.
She explained how her parents were “wary” of Hollywood and wanted her to continue her education alongside her film career, adding: “They associated it with the Judy Garland tragedy, and we never moved there.”
“That turned out to be such a gift, because I knew a lot of kids who had that. They moved and supported their whole family, and it didn’t work out so well. I knew a lot of kids who got burned out.”
Winona began her acting career as a teenager in the mid-80s, but she’s not too happy with the current generation of teenage counterparts.
The 52-year-old actress was just 15 when she made her feature film debut in the 1986 film Lucas, and 17 when she played Lydia Deetz in 1988’s Beetlejuice.
While promoting the long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel, Ryder revealed in an interview with The Los Angeles Times that she’s been frustrated with some of her younger costars lately.
“I don’t want to sound hopeless. There are some people who just aren’t interested in movies. The first thing they say is, ‘How long is it?’” Ryder revealed.
She wouldn’t name any specific cast members who shared this sentiment, but she did mention a younger kindred spirit.
Her Stranger Things co-star Finn Wolfhard is reportedly ‘obsessed with Elliot Gould’, though it seems many other younger co-stars don’t share the same passion for film.
Winona began her acting career as a teenager in the mid-80s, although she’s not too happy with the current generation of her teenage co-stars (pictured with Jenna Ortega)
Ryder also spoke to Esquire, where she admitted, “I went from being the youngest person on set to the oldest.”
“I just think social media has changed everything, and I know I sound old. I’m very aware of that,” Ryder admitted.
“And part of me is like, ‘Gosh, am I a vaudeville performer now?’ Like (older lady’s voice): ‘Hey, guys, turn the music down!’” she joked.
“But I just think there was such an abundance: the history of film, the history of photography, it’s so rich and there’s so much. I don’t mean we should go back, but I wish and hope that the younger generation will study that,” she added.
