Winona Ryder recently opened up about her decision to step away from Hollywood following her infamous 2001 shoplifting arrest, saying the incident had a profound impact on her life and career.
In a candid interview with Esquire, published on August 29, the 52-year-old actress reflected on the aftermath of the arrest and how it led her to take a break from the spotlight.
“I checked out,” Ryder admitted when asked how she coped after the arrest. “I think I just checked out.”
Back in December 2001, Ryder was arrested for shoplifting clothes worth $5,500 from a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills, California. A year later, she was convicted of grand theft and shoplifting, receiving a sentence of three years probation, fines, and community service. Following the conviction, Ryder decided to step away from acting and moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
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When she eventually returned to Hollywood, Ryder noticed a significant shift in the industry. “There was a period when I was not in season,” she recalled.
“It was like 10, 12, 15 years, and it did coincide with everything that happened [in her life], but also, if you look at the period from 2000 to 2010: wow! It was the most degrading time to be a woman. Even the cool people were participating in what felt like it should be off-limits.”
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The arrest “definitely had a giant effect” on her career, Ryder shared, noting that she initially thought the situation was just a minor mistake. “It kept being like, ‘Oh, it’s fine, this is just, like, paperwork,’ and I was like, ‘OK.’ I was so confused,” she said.
Ryder also remembered being shocked when she was told she might face prison time. “I just remember being told I was going to go to prison. I was like, ‘Huh? What are you talking about?’ ” she told Esquire.
The changing landscape of media coverage, especially online, also unsettled Ryder. She was “really scared” by the way the industry and culture began to shift, with certain behaviors becoming more accepted and even rewarded.
In a 2016 interview with Porter, Ryder mentioned that her break from Hollywood was something she truly needed. “Psychologically, I must have been at a place where I just wanted to stop,” she said at the time.
“I won’t get into what happened, but it wasn’t what people think. And it wasn’t like the crime of the century! But it allowed me time that I really needed, where I went back to San Francisco and got back into things that … I just had other interests, frankly.”
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Now, Ryder is back in the spotlight with her new movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which hits theaters on September 6. The film recently had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which Ryder attended on August 28.
As Ryder continues her return to Hollywood, her reflections on the past highlight the personal and professional challenges she has faced, and how they’ve shaped the actress she is today.