Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder first met at the premiere of Great Balls of Fire!. A year after that, when Depp was 26 and Ryder was 18, they fell in love on the set of Tim Burton’s romance film Edward Scissorhands.
The movie was released in 1990, where Depp starred as Edward, and Ryder played his love interest, Kim.
The (now-estranged) couple got lucky to play together in Burton’s film because that’s where their love started to bloom.
Burton believed that Depp was the right choice for the role, and Ryder, who was engaged to Depp at the time, also wanted him to play the part where they play each other’s romantic interests. But, the director was a little skeptical about casting the pair together in the movie.
Tim Burton Was “Afraid” to Cast Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp Together in Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton was scared of Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder working together. It’s because he was concerned that their romantic relationship could hinder their work. In Ryder’s biography, Burton said (via Google Books):
“They could have split up in mid-shoot. But it never happened. And in retrospect, their relationship helped the core romance more than it hindered.”
Not only Burton but even Ryder also felt “nervous” and “afraid” about starring in a film with her then-fiance Depp. According to the Heathers actress, she was genuinely nervous because she wanted to make a good impression on him. The actress admitted in her autobiography (Google Books):
“Working with Johnny turned out to be great, but I was scared and nervous about it.”
She continued:
“I mean, if there’s one person that I want to impress with my acting, it’s him. So there was a lot of insecurity for the first couple of days, but it turned out to be a motivating situation.”
Even Depp too agreed that their genuine love for each other enhanced his on-screen performance with Ryder in the movie.
Johnny Depp is Winona Ryder’s “first real love,” and She was a “pure virgin” When She Met Him
Winona Ryder considers Depp as her “first real love” and her “first real heartbreak.” Ryder and Depp were engaged for four years before their breakup. They were so in love that Depp even got a tattoo on his upper right arm that reads, ‘Winona Forever.’
Despite their breakup in 1993, Ryder has spoken about how meaningful her relationship with the Pirates of the Caribbean star was and how he will always hold a special place in her heart. The Hollywood actress told Cinema.com:
“When I met Johnny, I was a pure virgin. He changed that. He was my first everything. My first real kiss. First real boyfriend. My first fiance. The first guy I had sex with. So he’ll always be in my heart. Forever. Kind of funny, that word.”
But Ryder ended her relationship with Depp due to the constant backlash they received. It was primarily because of their (8-year) age difference, and the scrutiny became too much for her to handle.
Source: Google Books, Cinema.com
