Winona Ryder Says She Was Called a ‘Witch’ at High School After Release of First “Beetlejuice” Movie
Ryder spoke to 'Esquire UK' in a new interview, published Thursday, Aug. 29
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Winona Ryder alongside a photo of her playing the role of Lydia Deetz in 'Beetlejuice'Winona Ryder is walking down Beetlejuice memory lane.
Speaking in a new interview with EsquireUK, published Thursday, Aug. 29, Ryder, 52, spoke about the reaction she received at high school after she starred in the first Beetlejuice movie back in 1988.
“I remember thinking that it was going to, like, change my status, and it made it worse,” the actress, who played the role of Lydia Deetz, said. “They were like, ‘You’re a witch! You’re a freak!’ It amplified it. I was like, ‘But I’m in a movie!’ ”
Ryder, who was 15 during filming and 16 when the movie was released, also said that she was “very much” like her character Lydia at the time.
“They didn’t have to do much with me,” she said. “My brother found a picture of me taken like a month before that audition. I’d dyed my hair blue-black, I had these crazy short bangs, and I dressed in black.”
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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Winona Ryder as Lydia and Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in 1988's 'Beetlejuice'Currently starring in the upcoming sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ryder also revealed what it was like to work with costars Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and director Tim Burton in the original movie.
"Michael [Keaton] was so gentle with me. And Catherine [O’Hara, who plays her mother],” Ryder told the outlet. “They always included me. They were so kind and so thoughtful. It was unique because as a kid actor you don’t always get that. It’s about the adults.”
She added, “It truly was the first time I ever felt like I collaborated on a movie. And I really had a connection with Tim. I remember going on to other movies and it was not like that. People weren’t so kind. It was much rougher.”
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Winona Ryder playing Lydia alongside Justin Theroux's Rory in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Beetlejuice tells the story of a deceased couple named Barbara and Adam who try to haunt the new inhabitants of their home (the Deetz family) by calling on the help of bio-exorcist ghost Beetlejuice.
The sequel follows three generations of the Deetz family as they reunite and move back to Winter River where Beetlejuice is reawakened again.
Along with Ryder, Keaton and O’Hara are also reprising their roles, alongside new cast members Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters Sept. 6. The Autumn issue of EsquireUK is on sale now.
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