Winona Ryder Says She Was Called a ‘Witch’ at High School After Release of FirstBeetlejuiceMovie

Mar. 15, 2025

Winona Ryder alongside a photo of her playing the role of Lydia Deetz in ‘Beetlejuice’.Photo:Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock; Geffen/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock; Geffen/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Winona Ryderis walking downBeetlejuicememory lane.

Speaking in a new interview withEsquireUK, published Thursday, Aug. 29, Ryder, 52, spoke about the reaction she received at high school after she starred in the firstBeetlejuicemovie 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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Winona Ryder as Lydia and Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in 1988’s ‘Beetlejuice’.Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Currently starring in the upcoming sequel,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ryder also revealed what it was like to work with costarsMichael Keaton,Catherine O’Haraand directorTim Burtonin 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.”

Winona Ryder playing Lydia alongside Justin Theroux’s Rory in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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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 membersJenna Ortega,Justin Theroux,Monica BellucciandWillem Dafoe.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis in theaters Sept. 6. The Autumn issue ofEsquireUKis on sale now.

source: people.com