Hollywood star Winona Ryder became an iconic star of the 1990s with movies like Edward Scissorhands and Reality Bites. However, the actress faced a downturn in her Hollywood journey as the early 2000s unfolded and her radiant career began to lose its luster. Despite these setbacks, her career took a dramatic turn as she landed the role of Joyce Byers in the Netflix series Stranger Things.
However, long before the sci-fi horror drama, Ryder’s career took a surprising turn after she starred alongside Natalie Portman in the dark ballet drama Black Swan, the movie that solidified her triumphant return to the spotlight.
Black Swan Marked a New Start For Winona Ryder
The 2010 psychological thriller, Black Swan, follows a ballerina, Nina, as she spirals into the dark and obsessive world of professional ballet, blurring the lines between reality and hallucination. Starring alongside Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder played an aging ballet star who gets replaced by Nina.
The film was a huge box-office success and earned Portman her first Oscar for Best Actress. And it also went on to be very significant for the Beetlejuice star, reigniting interest in her talent and paving the way for a remarkable comeback.
The film is believed to set the stage for Ryder’s impactful role in the cultural phenomenon that is Netflix’s Stranger Things. The sci-fi horror drama not only allowed her to showcase her versatile acting prowess but also catapulted her back into the spotlight and solidified her status as a sought-after talent in the industry.
Winona Ryder Found Her Black Swan Character Relatable
Winona Ryder played the role of Elizabeth MacIntyre, aka Beth, a ballet star who is forced into retirement due to her age and is replaced by Natalie Portman’s Nina Sayers. The actress has shared that she can’t give her best if she can’t relate to the story.
“I’m the type who’d rather not work than work on something I’m not into,” she said, as per The Hollywood Reporter. It was also the case for her role in the 2010 film Black Swan, as she shared a personal connection to Beth’s narrative in Black Swan.
“I did relate to Beth on a certain level. Just the thing of, you know, when I’m told I’m not the ingenue anymore,” she said, reflecting on ageism in the film industry. The issue has been raised by several Hollywood stars, who have called out how ageist the business can be, especially for women.
Black Swan is available on Netflix.
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