Winona Ryder gained prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s. Known for her unique yet charming looks, she quickly made her way among the most talented and popular young actresses of the age. Despite the fame, these were the years when she underwent extreme mental challenges and crippling anxiety which eventually led her to check herself into a mental institution.
Among the fame, glitz, and glamour we often forget celebrities are only humans. Speaking about her experiences in a resurfaced interview, the Stranger Things star revealed how she dealt with the challenge of her depreciating mental health and overcame it.
Winona Ryder On Battling With Depreciating Mental Health
Actors often need to showcase a variety of emotions ranging from extreme delight to chaotic rage. While the audience appreciates and enjoys their performance, we often tend to forget that our beloved actors might often be experiencing such emotions in real life. Winona Ryder was portraying an unstable teenager in Angelina Jolie starrer in Girl, Interrupted. Much like her character, she was experiencing crippling anxiety and panic attacks in real life,
”It was very scary because the role did [in ”Girl”] mirror a lot of stuff I’ve been through. I was terrified to play a character who was full of fear and anxiety knowing that I have been full of fear and anxiety, and it’s not something that’s just past tense for me. It’s something you battle with your whole life.”
Even after the director yelled cut, she’d still have these recurring emotions,
”To play an anxiety attack, you have to get an anxiety attack. And I didn’t know how to put a lid on that when they said ‘cut’. My heart would still be going a million miles an hour.”
Going through that terrifying experience was too much for Ryder, who backed out of the movie Godfather III and checked herself into a mental hospital.
Also Read: “I was scared”: Immense Pressure to Impress Johnny Depp Made Winona Ryder Feel Insecure
Winona Ryder’s Horrifying Mental Hospital Experience
Winona Ryder had her world crash down when she was at the height of her career. Describing herself as ‘completely beat up‘ by herself, the young Ryder had too much on her plate. After battling anxiety and depression in the dark for quite a lot of time, she finally decided to seek help after not being able to sleep for four days straight, fearing she might end up doing something terrifying to herself.
“I was scared of that I might do something stupid… I was getting thoughts like I don’t want to be here anymore.”
However, instead of getting any help at the mental hospital, things only went worse due to a lack of facilities or support.
“The only thing that they offered was a room, a bed. They put me in a psychiatric ward… There was people who you would hear screaming at night… It was very very scary, very real.”
Just after 5 days in the place, she, fortunately, checked herself out to seek help outside. While she did face some personal challenges after her breakup with Johnny Depp and legal troubles for shoplifting in the 2000s, she has been doing much better and being a solid support system for her younger cast members on the set of Stranger Things.
Stranger Things can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly and Youtube
