Home / Authors / Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder Quotes

Actress

Winona Ryder is an American actress born on October 29, 1971. She is renowned for her performances in films such as 'Little Women' and 'The Blues Brothers', earning widespread acclaim. Ryder's acting career began in her childhood, with roles in several television series and movies. Her performances have been well-received by audiences and have earned her numerous award nominations.

Filter quotes by topic

All Thinking People Want Ifs Knows Actors Remember Feels Firsts Roles

Famous Winona Ryder Quotes

“I've learned that it's OK to be flawed, that life can be messy, that some days you glide and some days you fall, but most important, that there are no secret answers out there.”

Important Fall Answers Secret I've Learned Flawed Messy

Author:Winona Ryder

“As a character, it's very interesting to play someone who wants to change their life and have him change it.”

Want Play Character Interesting Very Interesting

Author:Winona Ryder

“I love photography and first editions. I have that in my genes. My father was an archivist.”

Firsts Father Photography Genes Archivists Photography Love

Author:Winona Ryder

“A woman who wears high heels is very different, I think, than a woman who wears sandals.”

Thinking Different Heels High Heels Sandals

Author:Winona Ryder

“If a film is well made, then great, whatever it's about.”

Ifs Wells Made Film

Author:Winona Ryder

“I really lucked out in terms of how my parents encouraged me to develop my own personality so I didn't just feel incredibly insecure and like I didn't fit in.”

Feels Parent Term My Own Personality Fit Insecure My Own Personality

Author:Winona Ryder

“My parents really instilled this idea in me of being your own person, almost to the extent that I couldn't do wrong. I'd get a bad grade and they'd be like, "No! What you did was great!"”

Persons Ideas Parent Grades Bad Grades

Author:Winona Ryder

“The fact that I got into acting at all was kind of fluke-ish. I loved movies, but I can't remember ever really wanting to be an actress, and I certainly didn't imagine ever being in a movie. I think I wanted to be a writer.”

Thinking Kind I Can Facts Wanted Remember Acting Imagine Actresses Flukes

Author:Winona Ryder

“Sometimes I'll watch a movie, and it's got some big star in it playing a working-class person, and the character is in a grocery store, and you can kind of tell, from just watching the scene, that this actor doesn't do their own shopping. So you have to have some sense of reality.”

Kind Persons Sometimes Character Bigs Reality Actors Stars Class Watches Scene Stores Shopping Working Class Groceries Grocery Stores

Author:Winona Ryder

“Even though I never really had to pound the pavement as an actor, I always worked really hard. But, at the same time, I always felt like people thought that I didn't have to struggle even though I was struggling.”

People Hard Actors Felt Struggle Pounds Pavement

Author:Winona Ryder

“I approached work very seriously. I never went out. I couldn't fathom people who could go out to clubs... But I definitely went through a time where I was just terrified and exhausted and I didn't really understand. Hollywood... It just got to be too much for me.”

People Too Much Hollywood Clubs Terrified Exhausted Fathom

Author:Winona Ryder

“My problems seemed so glamorous to other people, and everyone just thought I was so lucky. But then, I was lucky because my family was really there for me. I think I just felt like I really wanted to hold on to who I was as a person, and try to have as much of a normal life as I could.”

People Thinking Trying Persons Problem Wanted Felt Lucky Normal My Family Glamorous Normal Life So Lucky

Author:Winona Ryder

“I was never strategic really, but back when I was starting out no one cared. In the acting community, box office didn't matter. I really think it was a mistake when they started paying people like $20 million to do a movie because now it's all people think about. Is she worth it? Is he worth it?”

People Thinking Matter Community Acting Mistake Millions Office Starting Boxes Worth It Strategic Back When Box Office Starting Out No One Cares

Author:Winona Ryder

“If you're a musician, you can practice your guitar every day and write songs, but when you're an actor, you can't just like burst into a monologue. Your only exercise is when you're in prep or you're working.”

Ifs Writing Song Actors Practice Exercise Musician Guitar Monologues Preps

Author:Winona Ryder

“Most actors don't know what they're going to do next, so you get into this thing where you have to force yourself to have another life outside of acting. And then, as soon as you start something in this sort of normal life that you're trying to live, you get a job. So you have this constant struggle because you want to be able to commit to things and to finish things in your life, but then you also want to be able to act.”

Knows Want Trying Able Jobs Next Actors Force Acting Struggle Normal Constant Commit Normal Life Another Life Constant Struggle

Author:Winona Ryder

“I write pretty much every day, but I don't have any desire to publish anything.”

Writing Desire Publish

Author:Winona Ryder

“Focus should be on the art of film, not on the business of film.”

Should Art Film Focus

Author:Winona Ryder

“I, myself, am strange and unusual.”

Strange Unusual

Author:Winona Ryder

“My parents are awesome, but they're pretty left-wing.”

Left Parent Wings Left Wing

Author:Winona Ryder

“I'm not interested in playing the girl that's just there to make the guy, you know, give him a talking to.”

Knows Giving Guy Girl Talking Not Interested

Author:Winona Ryder

“Even though 'Heathers' didn't make a lot of money, I really was able to transition into a situation where people thought I could play an attractive role because of it.”

People Play Able Situation Roles Attractive Transition Lots Of Money Heathers

Author:Winona Ryder

“I'm the type who'd rather not work than work on something I'm not into. I've done that a couple of times, and I feel like I can totally see it in my performance.”

Feels I Can Done Type Couple Performances

Author:Winona Ryder

“I've loved making movies. I feel like I've been so lucky because I've gotten to be in movies that are some of my favorites, regardless of my being in them - like 'Heathers.'”

Feels Lucky So Lucky Heathers

Author:Winona Ryder

“Life's short, so if you're going to spend months doing something, it's gotta be pretty special... But I'm very happy to enter my Baby Jane years, and hopefully segue into the Ruth Gordon years.”

Ifs Years Special Baby Months Hopefully Very Happy Jane My Baby Ruth

Author:Winona Ryder

“I think it's important to have as much as a normal life and take the time to get perspective because it only helps your work in the long run.”

Thinking Long Important Helping Running Perspective Normal Long Runs Normal Life

Author:Winona Ryder

“It’s equally as important to me to be a good friend, and a good sister, and a good daughter. I’m very close with my family and friends.”

Important Daughter My Family Good Friend Family And Friends Good Sister

Author:Winona Ryder

“I think I really scored with my parents. All of my friends pretty much came from broken homes, and my parents are still together, but not only that, they're still in love and still write together.”

Thinking Writing Stills Home Together Parent Broken My Friends Broken Homes Still In Love

Author:Winona Ryder

“In high school, I dressed up as every James Bond girl. I was a teenage Pussy Galore.”

School Girl High School Teenage Dressed Up Pussy Bond Girl

Author:Winona Ryder

“I remember realizing, when I did Little Women [1994], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was always boys - from David Copperfield to Lord of the Flies to Holden Caulfield. There were never young women going through adolescence or teen years; there were only little girls.”

Years Littles Age Remember Young Girl Realizing Lord Boys Written Young Women Adolescence Only Time Little Women Holden Holden Caulfield

Author:Winona Ryder

“I think that as actresses - and I've definitely gone through this in a really bizarre way, because I worked so much and was really lucky with the roles that I got when I was younger - I remember hearing the older actors saying, "It gets tough," and thinking, "Really? I can't imagine."”

Thinking Way I Can Remember Actors Roles Gone Imagine Lucky Tough Hearing Actresses Bizarre

Author:Winona Ryder

“I was so spoiled in a way. I worked very hard, but there was just a wealth of great roles.”

Way Hard Wealth Roles Spoiled

Author:Winona Ryder

“Suddenly you're the mom, or you go from ... You're not an ingénue, you don't want to play an ingénue, but it's like that line in The First Wives Club [1996]: "There are only three ages for women in Hollywood: babe, district attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy."”

Want Firsts Play Age Three Lines Acting Wife Missing Mom Hollywood Clubs Actresses Driving Cinema Attorney Babe Daisies

Author:Winona Ryder

“Bette Davis, she was so brilliant and one of my heroes, but she worked a ton, and then she didn't get All About Eve [1950] until the last minute. Claudette Colbert was supposed to be Margo Channing, but then she broke her back and couldn't do it. That allowed Davis to play her age.”

Play Age Lasts Minutes Hero Brilliant Supposed To Be Broke My Hero Last Minute

Author:Winona Ryder

“You look at people like Gena Rowlands, but she had [John] Cassavetes to write these amazing roles for her.”

People Writing Looks Roles

Author:Winona Ryder

“I was always like, "I'm going to be the drunk judge who's like, 'Objection!' 'In chambers!' "”

Judging Drunk Chamber Objections

Author:Winona Ryder

“It's interesting because First Wives Club was the first movie that made a shitload of money that starred all women over a certain age. That was a milestone that made you think, "Oh, things are going to change."”

Thinking Firsts Made Age Certain Interesting Wife Clubs Milestone

Author:Winona Ryder

“I binge-watched this show Damages. Glenn Close and Rose Byrne are so good. Lily Tomlin is in it. You see all these great actors and the writing is terrific. There are a lot of shows like that. And there are all these conversations right now about roles for women and being paid equally and all of that, but I think what it really is, is opportunity.”

Thinking Writing Shows Actors Opportunity Roles Right Now Conversation Paid Rose Damage Terrific Lilies Great Actors Binge

Author:Winona Ryder

“There are actors I know personally, or I've heard them say, "The less known about me, the better, because I just want people to think of me as the character." I think Matt Damon said that recently. He has a point and I think I get that.”

People Thinking Knows Want Said Character Actors Known Heard Think Of Me Damon

Author:Winona Ryder

“A lot of filmmakers and actors say, "It's so important to bring an authenticity to the role," blah, blah, blah. But then it's interesting because you're also trying to be somebody else, and viewers are going to associate you with that, so I don't think it really has an answer.”

Thinking Trying Important Actors Answers Interesting Roles Authenticity Filmmaker Associates Viewers Blah

Author:Winona Ryder

“Certainly with The Crucible, what I love is that every role in that is so crucial.But there's something almost comic. I remember there's that line where she says, "I am 18 and a woman, however single," which killed me every time!”

Remember Lines Love Is Roles Comic Crucial Crucible

Author:Winona Ryder

“Reverend Hale is so interesting because at first he's like, "Oh, she's got the mark." Then by the end he's like, "You're all crazy."”

Firsts Ends Interesting Crazy Like You Mark Hale Reverends

Author:Winona Ryder

“I remember when I was doing Mermaids [1990], I was 16 and they gave me a B12 shot once. My parents weren't there, and when they did come, they freaked out. They were terrified, because of the Judy Garland stories. I know it's just vitamin B, but it did give you a boost.”

Knows Giving Stories Remember Parent Shots Terrified Remember When Vitamins Boost Mermaid Garlands Doing Me

Author:Winona Ryder

“It's weird because I think of movies like Reality Bites or something, where, even though my life was nothing like that, I hadn't done something contemporary for a while, and it's easier. You do try to make something your own.”

Thinking Trying Done Reality Easier Contemporary Bites Reality Bites

Author:Winona Ryder

“I remember when I did Little Women, I didn't watch the Katharine Hepburn one over and over, which I thought I would do. Heathers, I was completely obsessed with.”

Littles Remember Watches Obsessed Remember When Little Women Hepburn Heathers

Author:Winona Ryder

“That first movie I did, Lucas [1986], was probably the closest to me. And Beetlejuice a little bit, in the sense that I did look like that. All they did was like put a little white powder here.”

Firsts Looks Littles Bits White Little Bit Closest Powder

Author:Winona Ryder

“I was very obsessed with Ruth Gordon. I really didn't foresee me having any type of career as a leading lady at all because it was just blonds. I just wasn't the type - I was told that by casting directors. I auditioned for Running on Empty [1988] and The Mosquito Coast [1986], and Martha Plimpton was just killing me.”

Running Careers Type Directors Empty Killing Obsessed Coast Casting Mosquitoes Ruth Casting Directors Leading Ladies

Author:Winona Ryder

“I was not the first choice for Veronica in Heathers. I auditioned and they were like, "Oh, thanks." And I went to the Beverly Center to Macy's and had them do a makeover on me. I went back because I kind of knew that they thought I wasn't pretty enough. They were trying to get Jennifer Connelly.”

Trying Firsts Kind Enough Choices Thanks Jennifer Heathers Makeovers Macy's

Author:Winona Ryder

“I'd always find the positive in someone.”

Author:Winona Ryder

“I've recommended girls for jobs that I had a different part in, and agents have been like, "No, don't ..."It's so surprising to me.”

Has Beens Different Jobs Girl Agents Surprising

Author:Winona Ryder

“There's like this great thing that Bette Davis said when someone asked her, "How do you get into Hollywood?" "Take Fountain!"”

Said Hollywood Great Things Fountain

Author:Winona Ryder

About the Author

Born: October 29, 1971
Known for: Actress
Quotes: 159

Related Topics

Thinking People Want Ifs Knows Actors Remember Feels Firsts Roles

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Angelina JolieBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
Meryl StreepBrowse related quotes
Zooey DeschanelBrowse related quotes
Leonardo DiCaprioBrowse related quotes
Nicolas CageBrowse related quotes
Kirsten DunstBrowse related quotes
Cate BlanchettBrowse related quotes
Miley CyrusBrowse related quotes