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Winona Ryder Says She Knows People Think She’s ‘Crazy,’ Opens Up About Anxiety And Depression

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 05:31 PST, Aug 17, 2016

Winona Ryder thinks people consider her “crazy,” according to News Australia. The 44-year-old actress opened up about her past and said she is aware of how people were thinking about her after the scandalous shoplifting arrest.

Winona Ryder may have returned to acting with her role on the Netflix sci-fi drama Stranger Things, but it doesn’t mean people don’t remember about her past. And the Beetlejuice actress is aware of the negative public attitude towards her.

Winona Ryder became popular in the late 80s thanks to her roles in Beetlejuice and Heathers, and then in the 90s she was one of the most profitable stars in Hollywood. But then her career took an unfortunate turn in 2001 when the actress was arrested for shoplifting.

That incident has severely damaged Winona Ryder’s acting career, but it seems that the actress is finally making the steps toward the revival of her acting prospects. In her recent interview with New York Magazine, the actress revealed that she can relate to her character on Netflix’s Stranger Things.

In the Netflix series, Winona Ryder’s character thinks her son went missing, but people around her disregard her fears as “female anxiety.” And so they think she is crazy.

“I’m so sick of people shaming women for being sensitive or vulnerable. It’s so bizarre to me.”

Winona Ryder added she is aware that people label her as super sensitive and fragile. And while the 44-year-old actress admits she is “super sensitive,” she doesn’t necessarily think that it’s a “bad” thing.

“To do what I do, I have to remain open.”

But Winona Ryder doesn’t think it’s correct to think of a person that is sensitive, fragile, or vulnerable as weak. And then the actress refers to one line from the show when someone says that her character had anxiety problems in the past.

“A lot of people have picked up on that, like, ‘Oh, you know, she’s crazy.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, wait a second, she’s struggling.’ Two kids, deadbeat dad, working her a** off.”

But Winona Ryder wonders who wouldn’t be anxious under such circumstances. In one of her interviews in 1999, Ryder opened up about her anxiety problems and the ways she battles depression.

The public had many problems about Winona Ryder sharing her story, and some even generated a perception that she was overly sensitive and vulnerable. And the actress still cannot forget that interview to this very day.

“And I think by doing that [interview], maybe coupled with my physical size, there’s this ‘crazy’ thing. And I’ve realized recently it’s literally impossible to try to change that story.”

In her interview with New York Magazine, Winona Ryder also revealed what it was like being in a relationship with the Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, who even tattooed “Winona Forever” on his arm but then scratched out the “na” when they broke up, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

In the early 2000s, Winona Ryder was involved in many infamous incidents unrelated to acting. But the most memorable one for many was when the actress was caught shoplifting allegedly under the influence of illegally obtained prescription drugs.

Winona Ryder was then required to seek drug counseling as part of her sentencing. A few years before the shoplifting incident, Ryder also made headlines by dropping out of The Godfather Part III due to “exhaustion.”

But now that Winona Ryder is starring on Netflix’s Stranger Things and is looking to land a few other major roles in films and TV, does it mean that the actress wants redemption? But can people forget about the shoplifting drug incident and judge her solely by her acting abilities?

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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