Winona Ryder Opens Up About Her Split From Ex-Partner Johnny Depp

Breakups are unpleasant, regardless of what caused them or whether you want to split up. Even if the separation is amicable, it is typical to experience negative emotions such as rage or despair for some time.

For "Stranger Things" star Winona Ryder, battling such emotions when she broke up with "Pirates of the Caribbean" alum Johnny Depp kept her reeling for a long time. During that same period, she was overwhelmed by the pressures of Hollywood and had to seek medical help to stabilize herself.

The actress has now spoken about a part of the experience, describing it as her "Girl, Interrupted real life," an allusion to her and Angelina Jolie's film about a mental institution.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ryder described her emotions after the breakup, drawing parallels to a movie role she was playing at the time.

"I remember, I was playing this character who ends up getting tortured in a Chilean prison," the actress said in reference to her "The House of the Spirits" role.

"I would look at these fake bruises and cuts on my face, and I would struggle to see myself as this little girl. 'Would you be treating this girl like you're treating yourself?' I remember looking at myself and saying, 'This is what I'm doing to myself inside.' Because I just wasn't taking care of myself."

Ryder and Depp had their first meeting at the premiere of "Great Balls of Fire!" in June 1989 and began dating a few months later, just before the actress turned 18. The couple got engaged the next year and were together for three years until splitting up in 1993.

Ryder would seek aid via therapy to help herself recover from the deluge of emotions she was experiencing and for other personal issues. She revealed that her therapist advised her to imagine being nice to a younger version of herself to ease anxiety and depression episodes.

The actress is much better today, despite a few slips along the way. However, she claimed she never talks about her experience in an era when people were overly willing to disclose things about themselves.

"I've never talked about it," the Golden Globe nominee continued. "There's this part of me that's very private. I have such, like, a place in my heart for those days. But for someone younger who grew up with social media, it's hard to describe."

As per her current relationship with Depp, the actress seems to have surmounted all previous grudges, as she spoke in support of the actor regarding his now concluded libel case against his ex-wife and "Aquaman" star Amber Heard.

"I truly and honestly only know him as a really good man—an incredibly loving, extremely caring guy who was so very protective of me and the people that he loves, and I felt so very, very safe with him," she described Depp in a statement she gave during the case.

She continued: "I do not want to call anyone a liar, but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true. I find it extremely upsetting, knowing him as I do."

Ryder is now in a relationship with fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn. He is also a co-founder of Loomstate, an environmentally and socially conscious company. Hahn is the third guy the actress has dated after her split from Depp, although not much is known about their relationship since it began in 2011.

Ryder's partner is generally low-key, but he has supported the actress on multiple red-carpet occasions. In January 2020, Hahn wore a formal black suit to the Screen Actors Guild Awards with his girlfriend, with Ryder matching his outfit, donning a Dior Haute Couture black wool jacket over a pleated shirt and skirt.

Most recently, the pair were photographed wearing similar navy-blue suits on May 14, 2022, at the season 4 New York premiere of "Stranger Things."