Beetlejuice 2 Star Winona Ryder Reveals Why Her Parents Refused To Relocate Her To Los Angeles As Child Artist: ‘It Didn’t Turn Out So…’
Winona Ryder recently recalled how her parents took great care to protect her when she began her career as a child actor. The Beetlejuice 2 star revealed that instead of relocating to Los Angeles, her parents used to drive from San Francisco to L.A. when she had to go for an audition. Read on further to know more details!
In an interview with AnOther Magazine, Winona Ryder talked about her early career beginnings and her latest dark fantasy comedy horror film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. During her candid conversation with the publication, Ryder also recalled why her parents refused to relocate to Los Angeles. She shared that school was a priority in her family, and she had to “keep up grades” to be allowed to attend auditions when she was 13.
The Haunted Mansion actress explained that she wasn’t allowed to work if it conflicted with school, as her parents, whom she describes as her best friends, were “very wary of Hollywood. They associated it with (late actress) Judy Garland’s tragedy, and we never relocated there.”
Ryder said it turned out to be a “gift,” explaining that she had known many kids who had moved there to support their families, and it hadn’t turned out well. She had seen a lot of them experience burnout.
The actress further mentioned that she later had heard that she got a reputation for being very “choosy,” with projects noting, but the truth was that her family couldn’t afford to go for all the auditions.
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However, when her hit 1988 classic Beetlejuice came along, she felt a connection, noting that the film caught her attention because the script was far more interesting than the other roles she had been considered for at the time, admitting, “Beetlejuice was so unusual – I zoned in on Lydia.”
The Black Swan actress mentioned that she had made her mom stay in the car because she wanted to go through the audition for this film alone. Ryder recalled she was waiting in a side office at the Culver City studio, and when a young man had come in, she assumed he was from the art department, and they started talking about “old movies and Edward Gorey’s art.”
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She added that she asked him about when director Burton would show up and later found out it was him only, noting, “I had no idea directors could be like this cool young person. I said, ‘God, I’m sorry, do you want me to read?’ He said, ‘No, I want you to do it.’”
Winona Ryder and Tim Burton finally reunited for the Beetlejuice sequel decades later after the release of their original movie. Ryder has reprised her beloved character Lydia Deetz alongside her co-star Michael Keaton for this highly anticipated sequel.
