Hollywood star Winona Ryder has been known to play quirky characters throughout her career. With films like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands in the late 80s and early 90s, Ryder continued her eclectic choices in roles and cemented her place as one of the industry’s popular stars of her generation.
The actor has also shared screen space with many A-list stars. At one point, Ryder was considered to play Renée Zellweger‘s role in Jerry Maguire opposite Tom Cruise. Despite auditioning for the film, the Stranger Things actor could not bag the role, owing to her very sisterly chemistry with the Mission Impossible actor.
Why Winona Ryder Lost Out On Jerry Maguire
Winona Ryder is a star who has managed to find a balance between commercial blockbusters and off-beat films. Having shared screen space with a bunch of top Hollywood actors, the Little Women star was in line to co-star with one of the industry’s biggest celebrities, Tom Cruise, in Jerry Maguire. The film was originally envisioned with Ryder and Tom Hanks in the lead, but with the Oscar winner having already committed to That Thing You Do, Cruise was then brought on board.
Unfortunately, this change in casting ended up denying Winona Ryder the opportunity to tackle an interesting role. During the screentests that took place for both actors, the general consensus was that Cruise and the Mr Deeds star did not share chemistry as a romantic pairing, but instead looked like they could be brother and sister. According to trivia from the film that appeared in IMDb, this led to Ryder being rejected for the role that ultimately went to Renée Zellweger.
Winona Ryder Stood By Ex-Boyfriend Johnny Depp During His Divorce Trial
Talking about failed relationships can be complicated and even painful. But Winona Ryder proved that all break-ups need not be so acrimonious. The Bram Stoker’s Dracula star dated Johnny Depp between 1989 and 1993. Despite confessing that she faced a lot of emotional turmoil following their split, Ryder was one of the people who came forward to support Depp during his highly publicized divorce trial with Amber Heard.
Apart from an official statement that was read out in court as part of Depp’s defense, the actor, in an interview with Time Magazine, elaborated on her past with her former boyfriend and co-star, and why she was surprised to hear what Amber Heard had to say against him.
“I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said. He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he
Ryder, who first met the Pirates of the Caribbean star when she was just 17 years old, added that her long association with Depp and her memorable times with him gave her the assurance that he was intrinsically a good man.
