Winona Ryder’s best movies and TV shows highlight an iconic career that features a number of beloved projects going back over several decades. The American actor started working professionally in the mid-1980s and quickly found success with her breakout role in Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice. She continued to score some other iconic teen roles before moving on to young adult roles in the 1990s, which earned her more acclaim and a couple of Oscar nominations.
While Ryder’s career slowed down in the 2000s, she made a successful comeback on the hit Netflix seriesStranger Things. Ryder has shown stunning versatility as an actress, with hilarious comedic roles, intense dramatic roles, and even the chance to play the hero now and then. Looking back on her amazing career, it is not hard to see how Ryder still has so many fans given the many wonderful projects she has been a part of.
Alien Resurrection
Cast
Alien Resurrection is the fourth installment in the Alien franchise, featuring Sigourney Weaver as a cloned version of Ellen Ripley. Set 200 years after her death, the film follows a team of scientists who resurrect Ripley, leading to unforeseen consequences and a battle to prevent aliens from reaching Earth.
While Winona Ryder has largely avoided blockbuster movies in her career, she joinedtheAlienfranchisein the fourth movie,Alien Resurrection. The movie brings back Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley even after her death inAlien 3. This time, Ripley is a clone, developed by the Wyland-Yutani corporation to reproduce the xenomorph embryo inside of her. While being held on a scientific space station, Ripley teams up with a band of mercenaries when the bred Xenomorphs predictably break loose.
Ryder gets in on the action as Call, a member of the mercenary team, who has secrets of her own. The movie was seen as a letdown in the franchise and served as a disappointing farewell to Weaver in this iconic role. However, looking back onAlien Resurrection, it is a flawed but entertaining sci-fi horror ride that doesn’t take itself as seriously as the other movies and features a fun ensemble.
The Age of Innocence
Set in 1870s New York, The Age of Innocence follows Newland Archer, an up-and-coming lawyer engaged to the innocent May Welland. Archer’s world is turned upside down when he meets Countess Ellen Olenska, May’s cousin, who has returned from Europe seeking a divorce. Torn between his duty and his desire, Archer struggles between following his heart and preserving his social status.
Winona Ryder scored her first Oscar nomination while working alongside one of thegreatest actors of all timeand one of the greatest directors of all time. Martin Scorsese’sThe Age of Innocenceis based on the novel by Edith Wharton and is set in the wealthy New York society of the 1870s. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as an attorney engaged to a lovely yet conventional May Welland (Ryder). However, when May’s scandalous cousin Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) arrives, he finds himself transfixed by her.
Ryder seems pushed to the side for much of the movie as Day-Lewis and Pfeiffer share much of the screen time with their relationship building. However,Ryder steals the show in a climactic and heartbreaking moment that makes May a much more interesting character than she initially seemed.The Age of Innocenceis a quieter Scorsese movie than some are used to, but it makes for an impactful and emotional story of unfulfilled love.
Little Women
Little Women is a 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, directed by Gillian Armstrong. The film follows the lives of the March sisters—Meg (Trini Alvarado), Jo (Winona Ryder), Beth (Claire Danes), and Amy (Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis)—as they navigate the challenges and joys of growing up during the American Civil War. The film also stars Susan Sarandon as their loving mother, Marmee.
One year afterThe Age of Innocence, Winona Ryder scored her second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actress, in another adaptation of a classic novel.Little Womenhas been adapted many times, but there are countless fans who point to this version as their favorite, which uses an all-star cast to bring this beautiful story of a household of four sisters and their loving mother making their way in life during the American Civil War.
Ryder steps into the iconic lead role of Jo March, wonderfully playing the strong and determined young woman who struggles with societal expectations and her desire to be independent. Ryder gives a powerful performance while sharing the screen with Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, and Christian Bale. It is a warm and comforting adaption with heartbreak as well as uplifting moments.
Reality Bites
Reality Bites, directed by Ben Stiller, explores the lives of four recent college graduates as they navigate the challenges of adulthood. Stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo portray friends struggling with employment, relationships, and personal identity in an early 1990s cultural landscape. The film captures the angst and disorientation of Generation X while providing a candid look at youth in transition.
Winona Ryder came out of the ’80s as a teen icon, which set her up perfectly to take on the young adult role in the ’90s comedyReality Bites. Directed by Ben Stiller,Reality Bitesstars Ryder as a young aspiring filmmaker who is trying to find a direction in life while documenting the lives of herself and her equally aimless friends. She is also torn in her love life between a successful professional (Stiller) and her moody counter-culture friend (Ethan Hawke).
Ryder is completely alluring in the lead role, bringing layers to this coming-of-age tale as Lelaina.She is funny but also grounded in her insecurities, creating a character who might feel quintessentially ’90s in many ways, but also has a universal quality to her that many audiences will be able to relate to.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, set in 19th century England, follows Count Dracula as he journeys to London. There, he encounters Mina Harker, who bears a striking resemblance to his long-lost love.
Winona Ryder stepped into one of the most iconic horror tales of all time while also working with one of themost acclaimed directors of all time. Francis Ford Coppola brings Bram Stoker’sDraculato life with this faithful adaptation of the novel, starring Gary Oldman as the legendary vampire. Ryder plays Mina Murray, the fiancée as Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), who unwittingly becomes the obsession of Dracula himself.
In a movie filled with acclaimed actors, Ryder gives one of the best performances as Mina.Ryder succeeds in making her more than simply a damsel in distress, mixing terror with a sense of allure as she falls under Dracula’s spelland shares a wonderful chemistry with Oldman. Coppola creates an engrossing world of this horror epic, delivering haunting visuals that have become synonymous with Dracula as a pop culture icon.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
It took nearly three decades, but Winona Ryder eventually returned to one of her most iconic roles withBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. The long-awaited sequel finds Lydia Deetz (Ryder), now a widowed mother, looking after her equally dark and rebellious teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). However, when Astrid finds herself mixed up with some danger in the afterlife, Lydia reluctantly turns to the reckless demon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) for help.
While Keaton is brilliant in reprising his role as Beetlejuice, the sequel wisely sticks to the formula that worked in the first movie, keeping him in more of a supporting role.Ryder is the true lead of the story, bringing humor and vulnerability to the role, showing how Lydia has changed over the yearswhile also maintaining the elements of the character that worked so well. Tim Burton miraculously delivers a hilarious, fun, and inventive sequel that was actually worth the wait.
Edward Scissorhands
From director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands follows the titular character, an artificial human created by an inventor, who has scissor blades instead of fingers. After his creator’s death, Edward is taken in by a normal suburban family and becomes attracted to the family’s teenage daughter, Kim Boggs. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder star as Edward and Kim.
Winona Ryder’s second collaboration with director Tim Burton proved that she was a perfect player in his world of strange tales.Edward Scissorhandsalso marksBurton’s first movie with Johnny Depp, who stars as the titular character, a young man created by an inventor but left unfinished when the old man passed away. The quiet and shy Edward is taken in by a kind saleswoman who invites her into her family and suburban community.
Ryder adds to the movie’s fairy-tale feeling as Kim Boggs, the daughter of the family that takes Edward in. While she is initially disturbed by his presence in their home, she is gradually drawn to Edward’s kindness and gentleness, forming a beautiful bond with him. The movie is regarded by some as Burton’s masterpiece, perfectly displaying his unique visuals with a beautifully haunting story.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
Stranger Thingsserved as a comeback role for Winona Ryder while also playing on her iconic status as a star of the 1980s. Set distinctly in that decade,Stranger Thingsfollows a group of young friends in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where they discover that some local government experiments have opened a doorway to another dimension and allowed dark forces to threaten their world. However, they are also introduced to a weapon against those forces in the form of young superpowered Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
Ryder has starred in the series from season 1 as Joyce Byers, a single mother in Hawkinswho, in the first season, seeks to find her missing son who has been dragged into the other dimension. Ryder plays the protective and strong mother role effectively, but Joyce also evolves as a character over the course of the series, becoming a hero in her own right and also allowing Ryder to show off her comedic talents.
Heathers
Heathers is a dark comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, featuring Winona Ryder as Veronica Sawyer and Christian Slater as J.D. Released in 1989, the story delves into high school social hierarchies and the consequences of rebelling against popular cliques. The film addresses themes of teen angst, peer pressure, and the impact of destructive behavior within a satirical framework.
Winona Ryder’s early roles seemed to be geared towards her talent for playing dark yet comedic roles andHeathersis a perfect example of this. Ryder stars in the iconic teen movie as Veronica Sawyer, a rebellious teenager who finds herself put off by the group of meanspirited popular girls in school. After she and fellow rebel J.D. (Christian Slater) accidentally cause the death of one of the popular girls, they make a plan to take out the rest of the clique and save the school from the mean girls' torment.
It is hard to imagine a teen movie likeHeathersbeing made today, but it still holds up as a bold and effective dark comedy with some winning performances.Ryder walks a fine line between showing Veronica as a flawed protagonist while also giving her some heroic qualitiesas she becomes concerned with how far J.D. wants to take things.
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
Winona Ryder found her breakout role, which feels like it was tailor-made for her specific talents.Beetlejuiceis the inventive and hilarious supernatural comedy from Tim Burton starring Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin as a newly deceased couple who find that a new family has moved into their home. Wanting to scare them out, the couple seeks help from a troublemaking demon known as Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton).
Similar to the sequel,Ryder becomes the protagonist of the story as Lydia, the dark and serious daughter of the couple who has moved into the home. She forms a bond with the couple while also being targeted by the antics of Beetlejuice himself. Despite it being an early role in the movie, Ryder fits the strange tone of the movie with a funny, nuanced, and charming performance.
