Winona Ryder shared on Monday’s episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that Jeff Bridges refused to kiss her during an audition due to their significant age difference.
At 21, Ryder was auditioning for the 1993 film “Fearless,” while Bridges, then 43, was more than twice her age.
Ryder recalled, “Jeff Bridges, whom I admire, wouldn’t kiss me because I was too young.” She laughed as she described the moment: “We were supposed to kiss at the end of the scene, so I closed my eyes and puckered up. But he just kissed my forehead and said, ‘You’re like my daughter’s age.’ I was like, ‘No, no!’”
Bridges, now 74, has three daughters—Isabelle, 43, Jessica, 41, and Haley, 38—with his wife of 47 years, Susan Bridges.
Ryder, now 52, did not specify which role she was auditioning for in “Fearless,” which eventually featured Bridges alongside Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez, and John Turturro.
That same year, Ryder starred in “The Age of Innocence,” earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe win. She reflected on the significance of the film in her career, saying, “It felt like my graduation into adult roles, proving that transition wasn’t impossible.”
Ryder later received a second Academy Award nomination for her role as Jo March in “Little Women” and continued her successful career with roles in “Girl, Interrupted” and the upcoming “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” She is also known for her work on Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” where she played a role in casting Sadie Sink after seeing her in “The Americans.”
