Winona Ryder has always been one of Hollywood’s most fascinating voices, and now she’s speaking out about the industry’s obsession with plastic surgery and how it treats women once they start to age.
In a recent interview with Elle, the 53-year-old actress opened up about the strange full-circle journey of her career. “I started my career as the youngest, and I always wanted to be old,” Ryder said. That dream, she admitted, feels bittersweet now that she’s reached the stage she once longed for.
Hollywood, she explained, makes aging especially hard for women. The two-time Oscar nominee said the types of roles that come her way have changed dramatically. “Every role I get is for a mother, you know? My career has definitely shifted,” she admitted.
That shift is clear in her upcoming work. Ryder is set to return to Netflix’s blockbuster series Stranger Things for its fifth season, where she’ll once again play Joyce Byers, the protective mother of Will Byers. While it’s a role fans adore, Ryder sees it as part of a larger pattern in how older actresses are cast.
But it isn’t just the roles. Ryder also revealed that directors sometimes suggest she try Botox to smooth out the lines on her face. For her, the push to look frozen in time feels like an attack on her craft. “They’ll say, ‘Just relax your forehead. Relax.’ I’m trying to be a great actor, and they’re saying that over and over,” she explained.
Ryder refuses to give in. She believes cosmetic procedures would strip away the subtle expressions that make her performances powerful. In her eyes, the marks of aging aren’t flaws—they’re part of what makes her characters feel real.
That perspective comes from a woman with a long and decorated career. Ryder has collected a Golden Globe Award, two Oscar nominations, and starred in some of the most memorable films of the past few decades. From her breakout in Beetlejuice and Lucas to roles in Autumn in New York, Black Swan, and the upcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, she has built a résumé that speaks for itself.
Her stance is striking in an industry that still seems unsure how to celebrate women past a certain age. Ryder’s honesty sheds light on the pressure countless actresses face, even those with her status and success. While Hollywood often tells women to erase the lines of time, Ryder is standing firm that those lines are part of her story—and she’s not willing to let Botox take that away.
For fans, it’s one more reason to admire her. Beyond her iconic roles, she’s showing the courage to push back against a system that often values appearance over authenticity. Ryder is proving that age doesn’t erase talent, and that staying true to yourself is its kind of power.
