Helping independent cinema thrive in the final decade of the 20th century, working alongside such stars as Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman and Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder remains an industry icon thanks to her role in Netflix’s Stranger Things, where she plays Joyce Byers.
Rising to fame in the late 1980s, almost solely as a result of her appearance in the Tim Burton movie Beetlejuice, co-starring Alec Baldwin and Michael Keaton, Ryder made a significant impression as the loveable goth Lydia. The innovative coming-of-age flick Heathers followed, telling the story of two lovers whose killing spree sparks an unlikely high school trend.
Another Burton collaboration in the form of 1990s Edward Scissorhands elevated Ryder’s profile further before esteemed directors came calling throughout the remainder of the decade, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Jarmusch and Woody Allen. By the time the new millennium rolled around, arguably Ryder had already burned out as a Hollywood star, with her only two Oscar nominations coming in the ‘90s.
Thanks to her contributions to ‘90s cinema, however, as well as her work on the sci-fi 1980s throwback Stranger Things, Ryder has magnetised quite the following of fans. Whilst promoting the new series of the show back in 2022, Ryder discussed some of her favourite movies, including one she considered to be a “masterpiece”.
Featuring in a video alongside series co-stars Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin and David Harbour, the group discussed some of their favourite Leonardo DiCaprio flicks. Whilst the likes of Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island were discussed, Ryder opted for something far less recognisable.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman,” she stated, making reference to the 1985 film directed by Héctor Babenco, “I love the way they told the story, which is set in one prison cell, but the imagination tells this whole other, it’s just a masterpiece”.
Elsewhere, the American actor names her favourite movie musical, opting for the Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise film West Side Story. Winning ten Academy Awards, including ‘Best Picture’, West Side Story follows two young lovers who get caught up in gang warfare in New York City. The 1961 movie was later remade by none other than Steven Spielberg in 2021.
Take a look at Ryder discussing some of her favourite movies, including the one she calls a “masterpiece” below.
