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Winona Ryder attends a photocall for the movie "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at  on August 28, 2024 in Venice, Italy.© Elisabetta A. Villa

The real reason Winona Ryder disappeared from Hollywood for 15 years

Viva la Winonaissance!

Bryony Gooch
US Writer
August 28, 2024
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Winona Ryder is returning to the silver screen as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. It was the role that made her famous in many ways, back in 1988 as she starred alongside Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara. 

PMMCW0 Prod DB A© Warner Bros / DR BEETLEJUICE (BEETLEJUICE) de Tim Burton 1988 USA avec Winona Ryder
PMMCW0 Prod DB A© Warner Bros / DR BEETLEJUICE (BEETLEJUICE) de Tim Burton 1988 USA avec Winona Ryder

After starring in the Tim Burton film, she went on to be one of the most in demand actresses of the 90s thanks to Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Age of Innocence, Little Women and Girl, Interrupted. 

As well as starring in a number of iconic films of that time period, her love life was highly publicized, from her relationship with Johnny Depp, to her two-years dating Matt Damon. There was a time when Winona was the ultimate it girl.

Johnny Depp with Winona Ryder© Getty
Johnny Depp with Winona Ryder

However, the star took a hiatus in the early noughties after she came into some controversy that left her blacklisted from Hollywood.

But what happened? Here's all you need to know.

Her shoplifting charges

Winona Ryder listens to arguments during the sentencing phase of her shoplifting trial.© Steve Grayson
Winona Ryder listens to arguments during the sentencing phase of her shoplifting trial.

Winona was arrested on shoplifting charges on December 12, 2001 in Beverly Hills. The star was accused of stealing $5,500 worth of designer clothing and accessories from a Saks Fifth Avenue department store.

While Winona aimed to negotiate a plea bargain, the prosecution insisted on charging the actress with a felony instead of a misdemeanor.

Actress Winona Ryder is seen through a tinted glass as she arrives at the Beverly Hills Municipal Court House in her trial on charges of alleged grand theft, commercial burglary and vandalism in connection with her arrest December 12, 2001 outside Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills.© Steve Grayson
Actress Winona Ryder is seen through a tinted glass as she arrives at the Beverly Hills Municipal Court House in her trial on charges of alleged grand theft, commercial burglary and vandalism in connection with her arrest December 12, 2001 outside Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills.

During the trial, she was accused of using drugs - including oxycodone, diazepam and Vicodin - without a valid prescription. Prosecutors soon dropped the drug charges when the actress proved a doctor had provided it with her as a medical treatment.

Winona was then convicted of grand theft and shoplifting, although she was acquitted on the charge of burglary. As part of it, she was sentenced to three years of probation, 480 hours of community service, and $3,700 in fines, as well as $6,355 in restitution to the Saks Fifth Avenue store. She was ordered to attend psychological counseling and drug counseling.

Winona Ryder & her attorney Mark Geragos arrive at Beverly Hills Superior Court for a court hearing on her shoplifting trial. The judge went along with a prosecution motion to dismiss the charge that Ryder illegally possessed painkillers when she was arrested for alleged shoplifting last December. © Nick Ut
Winona Ryder & her attorney Mark Geragos arrive at Beverly Hills Superior Court for a court hearing on her shoplifting trial. The judge went along with a prosecution motion to dismiss the charge that Ryder illegally possessed painkillers when she was arrested for alleged shoplifting.

Reflecting on the dark period of her life, Winona said: "Psychologically, I must have been at a place where I just wanted to stop." 

She told Porter: "But it allowed me time that I really needed, where I went back to San Francisco and got back into things that I just had other interests in, frankly.”

Why she couldn't work in film

Winona Ryder kept a low profile after her arrest, here she is seen in 2003© Bauer-Griffin
Winona Ryder kept a low profile after her arrest, here she is seen in 2003

Following her conviction, it was hard for Winona to star in further film projects. Woody Allen had wanted to cast Robert Downey Jr. and Winona in his 2003 film Melinda and Melinda, but could not "Get insurance on them ... We couldn't get bonded. The completion bonding companies would not bond the picture unless we could insure them."

"We were heartbroken because I had worked with Winona before [on Celebrity] and thought she was perfect for this and wanted to work with her again."

Resurgence

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29:  The cast of Stranger Things accepts the award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series onstage during the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Expo Hall on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/WireImage)© Kevork Djansezian
Winona Ryder looked amazed by the cast's success

In the late noughties, Winona began to reappear on screen, taking on a number of small roles in the likes of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek and Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. But it was only when she starred as Joyce Byers in the Netflix hit series Stranger Things that the Winonaissance began. 

"I'm very much aware [of[ what that did for me," she told the Los Angeles Times of her role in the show. The series is set to conclude after five seasons, with the final one slated for release in 2025.

With her eyes on the future, Winona no doubt hopes to star in more movies soon, reflecting back on her role in Jim Jarmusch's 1991 film Night on Earth

She said of cinema: "I'm not a religious person, I'm not anti-religion, but I feel like the closest is film and it’s to me a very sacred thing. I feel so protective, but I'm not in any place to be in control. It's not up to me."

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