Winona Ryder Threatened By Director After Reporting Him
While Winona had already been acting for a few years by this point, it was this performance that really put her name on the map, and before long, she was one of the biggest names in Hollywood. And, as you might expect, being a young woman in the acting world during this era wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
Speaking to Esquire just last year, Winona revealed that she was sexually harassed throughout her career, and even suggested that it was no coincidence that her decline in the late '90s coincided with the rise of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving time in prison for various sexual abuse charges.
In fact, Winona claimed that she was 'blacklisted' by Miramax, the company Harvey ran until 2005, for 'various reasons.' Appearing to refer to the fact she'd already been in the industry for several years before Harvey gained prominence, Winona said: 'I think I knew a little bit too much. He did not like me.'And while being shunned by him may have meant that Winona thankfully escaped falling victim to Harvey in other ways, she said that she still endured relentless sexual harassment from other men in the industry.'I had a couple of difficult experiences with a couple of people who were just blatantly sexually harassing me,' she recalled. 'And then it happened again in my thirties. It wasn't an assault. But it was incredibly inappropriate. It was wild.'
'I was lucky because I was known, so it didn't happen as much as maybe it would if I had been a struggling actor,' Winona then acknowledged. 'But I remember this feeling in your mind: you're negotiating, you're thinking about what's going to happen if you say something. You're working it out while this person is being extremely creepy.'
Winona also said that she became accustomed to jovially brushing off unwanted advances from men, saying: 'If someone was being inappropriate or drunkenly hitting on me it was like, 'Ha ha!' You kind of do that. 'Ha ha!' Inappropriate? I dealt with that. But touching me? It felt very invasive.'And while Winona doesn't intend on naming any of the men involved, she did open up some more about her troubling on-set experiences in a new interview with Elle.
Speaking to the publication, the actor, now 53, revealed that when she was younger, a director threatened her during filming after she reported his problematic behavior toward her to the movie's producers. Winona said that she told the producers the director was being inappropriate, and asked if they could talk to him about it.
'The next day I had a big scene,' she shared, detailing how the director approached her on set to discuss the scene before changing his tone to a whisper. 'He came up to me, and he was like: 'OK, so, um, if we just try it like — you fucking cunt, I'm gonna destroy your fucking life. OK? So let's just do it like that?''
'And I had to fucking act,' Winona went on. 'And what's so crazy is my brother was working as a PA on the movie, and I didn't even tell him, and I didn't complain.'
Even more shockingly, Winona said that she didn't even realize just how messed up this moment was until she was telling her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice co-stars Jenna Ortega, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O'Hara about it two years ago.
'I was almost telling it like it was this funny story,' she confessed. 'Then I'm looking at Jenna's face and imagining it happening to her. It wasn't until that moment that I was like, 'Oh my God, this is bad.''
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Elle
3 hours ago
- Elle
Brunello Cucinelli Transformed the Hamptons Into an Italian Piazza for a Night
The threat of rain didn't deter guests—including Christie Brinkley and Alexandra Daddario—from donning their finest Brunello Cucinelli and heading to the Wölffer Estate Stables in The Hamptons last night. Upon arrival, they were immediately and perhaps unexpectedly transported to an Italian piazza, where two long, winding tables circled a fountain and a makeshift mercato was set up, stocked to the brim with tomatoes, cheese, and charcuterie. Dressed in the quiet luxury brand's signature shades of beige, cream, and brown, attendees mingled during cocktail hour, chatting about the looming storm and their end-of-summer plans out east. 'I brought sunglasses too, but where's the sun?' joked Kelly Turlington Burns. Next, the evening gave way to a seated dinner with an Umbrian-style menu of rigatoni pomodoro and gelato with fresh fruit, serenaded by live acoustic guitar, and naturally paired with Wölffer Estate Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. 'This was a tiny little farmhouse on a potato field,' co-host Joey Wölffer told the crowd, gesturing around the space. 'It's spectacular. It's way more than I could ever imagine.' Brunello Cucinelli CEO Riccardo Stefanelli flew in for a quick 24 hours to make an appearance. 'I'm not complaining—being in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people,' he said. 'There are many words—beauty, dignity, craftsmanship, attention to detail—but what we have here is not just a winery or a cellar, it's a community.' Scroll through below for an inside look. Claire Stern Milch is the Digital Director at ELLE, where she oversees all content and strategy. Previously, she was Deputy Editor at ELLE. Her interests include fashion, food, travel, music, Peloton, and The Hills—not necessarily in that order. She used to have a Harriet the Spy notebook and isn't ashamed to admit it.
Elle
6 hours ago
- Elle
Here's Where You Know the Cast of ‘The Hunting Wives' From
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. In the mood for a mystery thriller that's just the right amount of unhinged? The Hunting Wives might scratch that itch. Based on the 2021 bestselling novel of the same name by May Cobb, the series follows Sophie (Brittany Snow) as she moves with her family to Maple Brook, Texas, and becomes enraptured by an alluring Southern socialite. When the series landed on Snow's desk, she told People that she 'read the scripts of all eight episodes within a couple hours. I was completely hooked. I was desperate to find out what was going to happen.' All eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix. Ahead, get to know the main cast—and see where you might already recognize them from. Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect, John Tucker Must Die) plays Sophie, a former PR exec who moves with her family from Massachusetts to Texas. There, she quickly gets wrapped up in a cliquey socialite circle. Malin Åkerman (Dollface, Billions) plays Margo, the wife of an oil tycoon and the HBIC of a group of MAGA-esque socialites known as the Hunting Wives. Dermot Mulroney (Shameless, Chicago Fire) plays Jed, Margo's husband and a successful oil tycoon. He's also running for Texas governor. Evan Jonigkeit (Sweetbitter) plays Graham, Sophie's husband. While in Texas, he begins working for Jed as an architect for a big project. Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) plays Starr, a devout Christian and single mother who is a bit of an outsider in the Maple Brook community. Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick) plays Callie, Margo's close friend and ex-lover who is very possessive of her. Katie Lowes (Scandal) plays Jill, the disregarded wife of a reverend at a megachurch. She mostly focuses on her son, Brad, and the Hunting Wives. Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2) plays Abby, girlfriend to Brad—Jill's son—and daughter to Starr. Joyce Glenn (Checkmate) plays Monae, a member of the Hunting Wives.
Elle
6 hours ago
- Elle
Want to Look Like You Just Stepped Off the Amalfi Coast? Try the Retro Dolce Vita Bob
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. From claw clips to finger waves, French twists and Bardot bangs, retro hairstyles have been making a major resurgence of late. And the latest one rising to the top of our mood boards, signaling the return of polished and glamorous styles, is the 'dolce vita' bob. Popularized in the 1950s, and reemerging thanks to celebrities like singer-songwriter Raye, whose sculpted, coiffed bob is now something of a signature, this retro bob is officially trending. Everyone from Sabrina Carpenter to Cardi B and Zendaya are making a strong case for the bouncy, polished curls and short crop. Think of it as the new, more modern iteration of the 'old money' bob, which went viral last year and saw the return of rather expensive-looking, shiny lengths and the signature 'tucked under' crop from the '50s take shape. Drawing inspiration from the voluminous silhouette of old, the 'dolce vita' bob is all about achieving an ultra-polished finish and bouncy volume. 'This longer bob length shape shares the same luxurious and glamorous texture of the old money bob, but with extra volume and a more cushioned, weightless finish,' shares trend forecaster and hair expert, Tom Smith. How to make it work for your hair type? 'This is for those who like volume and who have thick hair or who want to create that illusion,' shares Smith. 'The long, soft, and fluid layers help to give movement to finer hair and manage the bulk of thicker hair,' he adds. Though it's best suited to those with naturally wavy or curly hair, anyone with straighter lengths can also achieve the look using heated rollers or a classic curling wand. If you haven't mastered the art of rollers yet, fear not—there are plenty of tools, tips, and techniques at your disposal to recreate this hairstyle too, like ghd's Duet Blowdry to Dyson's Airwrap. 'The look can be achieved with a blow-dry using a round brush, but you can also use heated rollers, or tools such as the Dyson Airwrap with the curl attachments,' Smith agrees. Finally, don't forget copious hairspray and a smoothing cream for that polished finish. From: ELLE UK
