Winona Ryder may not be on social media, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her share of bad interactions with fans in real life.
In an interview with New York Magazine’s The Cut, the “Stranger Things” star explained how she has struggled to find balance between openness and privacy throughout her career.
“I’ve been called a c— to my face by someone who was just saying they were a fan,” she said. “I was with my parents having dinner. It was actually kind of upsetting, because it upset my parents, and then I got upset.”
She continued: “I’m not on social media. I don’t actually know how to use it. And I hear that awful people could then — I say that, and it makes me sound too sensitive.”
As a result Ryder’s only interactions with abusive fans comes in the form of real-life stalkers, of which she’s had several.
“One was really nice,” Ryder said. “He kept showing up as an extra on movies, and you don’t know. You have to be careful. So I told the director, because he was kinda creepy. And I got this letter in my trailer the next day that was like, ‘I was just trying to get work as an extra! Just so you know, I’m not even obsessed with you anymore, I’m obsessed with Alyssa Milano now!’
“So he kind of left me for Alyssa Milano,” she said.
"Lucas" (1986) Ryder was just 14 when she made her screen debut in this coming-of-age story, playing the best friend to a lonely high-school nerd.
"Beetlejuice" (1988) Ryder's big breakthrough came in Tim Burton's comic horror fantasy "Beetlejuice," playing goth teen Lydia, whose parents are haunted by an irritating spirit played by Michael Keaton.
"Heathers" (1989) One of the biggest cult films of the late '80s, with Ryder (opposite Christian Slater) playing an intelligent high schooler battling conformity and shallowness among her peers.
"Great Balls of Fire" (1989) Ryder costarred with Dennis Quaid in this biopic of early rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. She played Myra Gale Brown, a 13-year-old second cousin whom Lewis eventually married.
"Mermaids" (1990) Ryder played Cher's daughter in this comedy about an eccentric family in 1960s Massachusetts.
"Edward Scissorhands" (1992) Ryder went blonde to play the love interest of the title character, the artistic -- and very unique -- loner played by Johnny Depp.
Ryder went on to have a tempestuous affair with her "Edward Scissorhands" costar Johnny Depp, who got a tattoo on his right arm that read "Winona Forever." After the pair broke up, he altered it to read "Wino Forever," which seemed easier to live up to.
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992) Francis Ford Coppola's retelling of the Gothic vampire novel, with Ryder playing the ingenue Mina who's victimized by Gary Oldman's title character.
"The Age of Innocence" (1993) Ryder played the American society girl wooed by Daniel Day-Lewis in this adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, directed by Martin Scorsese. Ryder scored an Oscar nomination for her work.
In 1993, Ryder offered a reward of $2000,000 for the safe return of Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old girl who disappeared from her mother's home in Petaluma, California, where Ryder was raised. Klaas was later found strangled.
"Reality Bites" (1994) Ben Stiller's directorial debut and a quintessential Gen X document, with Ryder among a group of Houston college grads struggling with life and love.
"Little Women" (1994) The fifth screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel about an East Coast family just after the Civil War. Ryder played the emotional Jo, an aspiring writer, a classic role for which she was again nominated for an Oscar.
"Alien: Resurrection" (1997) Ryder dove straight into the sci-fi genre with this fourth installment in the "Alien" franchise. She played Annalee, a spaceship crew member with a secret.
"Girl, Interrupted" (1999) Ryder was a patient in a psych ward in this adaptation of the bestselling memoir, for which co-star Angelina Jolie won an Oscar.
"Autumn in New York" (2000) A tearjerker directed by Joan Chen, with Ryder playing a young woman who falls in love with a middle-aged man played by Richard Gere.
Ryder's career was temporarily sidetracked in 2001, when she was arrested for shoplifting at Saks Fifth Avenue (here she appeared in court in 2003 with her lawyer, Mark Geragos). She later called the arrest "the best thing that could have happened" as she reassessed her career and life values.
"Mr. Deeds" (2002) A rare foray into broad comedy for Ryder, who played the tabloid reporter chasing Adam Sandler in this remake of "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town."
"A Scanner Darkly" (2006) Ryder played a drug supplier named Donna in this dystopian thriller, which was shot on digital film then converted to animation through a rotoscope technique.
"Black Swan" (2010) In this intense psychological drama, Ryder played an embittered former ingenue ballerina whose spotlight has been taken by a younger dancer played by Natalie Portman.
"The Dilemma" (2011) Ryder played Kevin James' wife in this comedy about a pair of buddies (James and Vince Vaughn) whose schemes to promote their auto design business go awry.
"Stranger Things" (2016) Ryder has returned to her roots in this '80s period thriller, this time playing a suburban mom stressed by her son's disappearance.
The star who dominated the 80s and 90s with roles ”Heathers,“ ”Reality Bites,“ ”Edward Scissorhands“ and ”Girl, Interrupted“ is back in the Netflix horror hit
Over the last 30 years, Winona Ryder has played everything from a disillusioned high schooler to a stressed-out mom.
