Winona Ryder Reveals the Tragic Real-Life Event That Shaped Her ‘Stranger Things’ Performance

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Winona Ryder recently shared a sad experience from her past and explained how it has affected her work, especially her role in Stranger Things.

The 54-year-old actress told Interview magazine that playing the role of a mother desperately searching for her lost child in a fantastical setting resonated with her on a personal level.

Ryder remembered a difficult time from his early twenties when Polly Klaas, a girl he knew from his hometown, was kidnapped.

It was a really tough time. A young woman had disappeared, and after two months, we found out she’d been murdered. I felt compelled to do everything I could to support her family and make sure the story didn’t fade away. Being around that level of raw, heartbreaking grief… it just hits you differently, it’s almost beyond words.

Winona Ryder shared that her friend, Klaas, who was a fan of acting and the novel Little Women, was a major influence on her decision to star in the 1994 film version of the book. Ryder explained, “I really did that movie for her, and I dedicated it to her memory.”

Working on Stranger Things brought back painful memories of Klaas’ disappearance. She explained, “I was genuinely disturbed while filming, because I wanted the show’s creators to understand the gravity of these situations and that a child going missing shouldn’t be used simply as a plot device. It’s a very sensitive issue for me.”

I spoke with Polly’s father, and he was a big influence on my work during the first season. I put in a lot of effort, and the show quickly became much more popular than anything I’d experienced before. I remember feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders when I realized the show’s success wasn’t dependent on me anymore.

Winona Ryder felt a strong personal connection to Polly Klaas. When Polly disappeared in 1993, Ryder offered a $200,000 reward to help with the search. After the tragic news of Polly’s death, Ryder honored her memory by dedicating her performance in the film Little Women to the young girl.

The kidnapping of 12-year-old Polly Klaas was a terrible crime. She was taken by force with a knife during a sleepover at her mother’s house in Petaluma, California. For two months, thousands of people joined the search before Richard Allen Davis was arrested. He eventually led police to where Polly was found, and was later convicted and sentenced to death.

Learning about this heartbreaking story deeply affected Ryder and influenced how she portrays characters involved with missing or at-risk children. This personal connection adds a powerful and moving layer to her performances in films like Little Women and the series Stranger Things, helping audiences connect with her characters on a deeper level.

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2025-12-02 10:44