How did the stress of the spotlight force Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder to end their
long engagement?
And are they still friends now?
Keep watching to learn about the early 1990s' most talked about celebrity couple.
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder were two of young Hollywood's biggest stars as the 1980s turned
into the 1990s.
According to People, the two met in Los Angeles when Ryder was 18 and Depp was 26, and things
between them got steamy quickly, both on-screen and off.
The couple went on to star in "Edward Scissorhands" together and, within six months of meeting,
they were engaged.
Depp's infamous "WINONA FOREVER" tattoo commemorated their fleeting love.
That love didn't last – and neither did the tattoo, which now says "WINO FOREVER."
Romances that burn bright and flame out fast are not exactly a rarity in Hollywood.
Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, Katy Perry and Russell Brand, Kim Kardashian and Kris
Humphries.
Plenty of celebs have made big commitments, then felt the consequences come crashing down.
Ryder and Depp were a different case, however.
Despite the quick engagement, the pair had a long courtship.
It was so long, in fact, that the marriage never actually happened.
The two remained together for three years of engagement, but eventually broke it off
before they could ever walk down the aisle.
So what happened?
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Aww.
Is there some special lady in your life?"
Being the "it" couple of the moment came with a ton of pressure.
By the time Ryder and Depp got engaged, In an attempt to avoid the invasive eye of the
paparazzi, they adopted a strategy of truth and openness.
But it was clear they had made a mistake.
Depp told the Los Angeles Times in 1993, after the split,
"It's very hard to have a personal life in this town.
My relationship with Winona, it was my mistake to be as open as we were, but I thought if
we were honest it would destroy that curiosity monster.
Instead it fed it, gave people license to feel they were part of it."
"People are more concerned about your relationship than they are about the work that you're doing.
So it doesn't become about the work anymore.
It becomes about who you're hanging out with."
It seems as though the public's demand for the intimate details of their life together
was just too much.
The two still seem to respect each other, however.
Ryder spoke up on Depp's behalf in 2020 after his ex-wife Amber Heard claimed he was abusive.
Ryder appears to have some clarity looking back at her time with Depp, noting it was
her "first real relationship" and "a fiercely deep love."
The actor told Cinema.com,
"I was very depressed after breaking off my engagement with Johnny ... I was embarrassingly
dramatic at the time, but you have to remember I was only 19 years old."
Ryder also discussed the added pressures of being in the spotlight.
Her later experiences dating such high-profile stars like Christian Slater and Matt Damon
also confirmed the odd, yet necessary, challenges to simply see one another.
She said,
"You learn to always leave separately, to go places separately, to live like a spy.
[...] And you also learn to never talk about it."
"Stay out of my life.
You're not a therapist."
The "Stranger Things" star never married, but has had luck in love.
She's been dating fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn since 2011, but has no interest in rushing
things.
She revealed to The Edit that her high level of expectations stem from having parents with
a seemingly blissful relationship.
She said,
"I'd rather never have been married than divorced a few times."
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder still had to go on acting through it all.
The pair had the opportunity of co-starring in "Edward Scissorhands" in roles that were
perfectly timed with their real-life relationship.
Depp told Movieline in 1990,
"The fact that we're together and we're in love certainly won't hurt the movie.
[...] In a perfect world, I'd just do movies with Winona, John Waters, and Tim Burton,
and live happily ever after."
Depp's working relationship with Burton, who directed "Edward Scissorhards," continued
with great success as their collaborations resulted in more iconic performances in films
including "Sleepy Hollow," "Sweeney Todd," and "Alice in Wonderland."
It was during the filming of Burton's "Ed Wood" that Depp had to cope with his split
from Ryder.
The director — who had become very close with the couple — revealed that his leading
man was devastated to tears when he would come to set.
According to The Mirror, Burton said,
"I felt so bad ... I felt weird to be around him like he wasn't acting like Johnny anymore.
It's almost like Winona took Johnny's soul, Johnny's love."
Nearly 30 years later, the world is looking at a very different failed relationship for
Depp.
If a career comeback is in the future for the actor, perhaps he can reunite with Burton
and Ryder for another project.
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