Winona Ryder Says Her Agent Tried To Talk Her Out Of This Iconic Role
Winona Ryder revealed that her agent begged her not to play Veronica Sawyer in the classic ’80s teen comedy Heathers.
The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actor, in a game of Harper Bazaar’s All About Me with co-star Jenna Ortega, said she “wasn’t considered pretty enough” while auditioning for the role in Los Angeles so she went to the Macy’s in the Beverly Center mall.
“They had them do a makeover on me,” said Winona, who told Entertainment Weekly back in 2014 that she was “very pale” and had “blue-black dyed hair” at the time, much like her Beetlejuice character Lydia Deetz.
She continued: “Then I went back and I was like, ‘Please,’ but my agent at the time literally got down on her knees. She’s like, ‘Please, you’re gonna destroy any chance of a career’.”
Winona — who was just 15 years old at the start of the film’s shoot — took a liking to Veronica’s “outsider” character and reportedly wanted to take on the role for free, according to a 2018 story for i-D UK.
She revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that she lost a job around the release of Heathers, too.
“I had been cast in a movie and the director took great offence to it,” said Winona, who did not name the movie or its filmmaker.
“I think you were better off,” Jenna told her co-star.
“Yeah? I think I made the right call,” she agreed.
“Heathers,” after initially being viewed as a box office flop, would later find a cult following and eventually would see both a musical and television adaptation.
You can check out more of Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega’s video interview with Harper’s Bazaar below: