Johnny Depp’s “Winona Forever” tattoo became a focal point during his trial against Amber Heard, but why did it hold such significance? Everyone thought Johnny and his fiancée, “Stranger Things” star Winona Ryder, were destined to be together. However, the aftermath of their breakup, including Winona’s arrest, tells a different story. The true narrative behind Johnny’s tattoo and Winona’s court case reveals what the media often missed.
Winona and Johnny
Reflecting on her relationship with Johnny, Winona Ryder once shared, “We were together for a few years. It was wild and passionate. Are you in love? Yeah. But is it important to have a stable relationship when you’re 19?”
Their relationship was under constant scrutiny, but the media frenzy only escalated after their breakup. Winona spiraled into deep loneliness, admitting, “They put me in the psychiatric ward. You could hear screaming at night.” Her subsequent arrest for multiple felonies brought more chaos, with a barrage of cameras, tabloid headlines, and endless court appearances.
The Aftermath
The intense public obsession with Winona’s trial mirrored the drama surrounding Johnny and Amber. This celebrity courtroom saga became a spectacle of real-life trauma that captivated millions. Winona recalled the overwhelming scrutiny, saying, “Millions of people were judging me.”
Commenting on the media’s portrayal, she noted, “People exaggerated my reactions, my facial expressions—it was surreal. This went beyond entertainment. I took the stand, and suddenly, it was like I wasn’t there anymore. The way they dragged me through the mud—well, more like broken glass—was relentless. This media feeding frenzy has lasted for 20 years, but I’ve had enough.”
This insight sheds light on the broader impact of celebrity trials and the relentless media attention that often comes with them.
First Signs of Trouble
“This is the real-life story behind the tabloids. What was the first clear sign you were in trouble?”
“I felt completely beaten up by myself, feeling like I didn’t belong in the world. I was having horrible anxiety attacks and was terrified of letting anyone around me know.”
Winona Ryder had just broken up with her first love, Johnny Depp, and was about to face a very public court case, which had striking similarities to Johnny and Amber Heard’s defamation trial. Digging into Winona’s story reveals a much more complex situation than people might think.
“When Winona and Johnny first met, she was 17, and he was 25. They met at the premiere of one of her films. He saw her across the lobby and said it was love at first sight. For Winona, that kind of attention must have been a huge culture shock, especially considering that just five years earlier, she was being beaten up at school for being different. ‘They slammed my head into a locker. I fell to the ground, and they started to kick the out of me. I had to have stitches. Walking home after leaving the nurse’s office, I pretended I was in a gangster movie. It was my way of dealing with it.'”
Winona was considered an outcast because she grew up on a hippie commune and was active in social justice causes from a young age. Johnny, although seen as an outsider now, was very popular and mainstream at the time, starring in “21 Jump Street” and being followed by paparazzi. Their romance happened quickly, and within a few months, they were engaged, creating an unintentional power couple that neither of them actually wanted to be.
The Tattoo and Breakup
“They were so devoted to each other that Johnny even got a tattoo that said ‘Winona Forever.’ This tattoo was brought up during his trial with Amber Heard. Even Winona thought it was a bit crazy at the time. ‘I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it was real. It’s a big thing because it’s so permanent.’ But it wasn’t, and neither was their relationship. Johnny eventually altered the tattoo to say ‘Wino Forever.'”
The reason for their breakup isn’t entirely clear, but the media certainly played a part. Winona compared it to a constant mosquito buzzing around them. Johnny felt it was a mistake to be as open as they were, thinking honesty would destroy curiosity but instead, it fed it.
Both were heartbroken about the breakup, but Winona took it especially hard. That year, she also faced the devastating news of Polly Klaas’ kidnapping in her hometown of Petaluma. Winona immediately got involved, offering a $200,000 reward. Sadly, Polly was found murdered two months later, and Winona began spiraling out of control.
“I used to drive around at night because I couldn’t sleep, wishing I had someone to talk to—a friend. I didn’t. Then I saw myself on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, labeled ‘the luckiest girl in the world,’ which broke my heart because I was in so much pain. I was getting thoughts like, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’ They put me in the psychiatric ward. You would hear screaming at night. It was very scary, very real.”
When Winona started making “Girl, Interrupted,” she saw parallels in her own life. As the executive producer of a film about a young girl’s journey to the edge of mental illness, she learned that no matter how rich you are or how much you pay a hospital or doctor, they can’t fix you. You have to figure it out for yourself.
“After what happened in high school, at first, she used her imagination and characters to cope. Now, it seems like she’s using them to work through her problems. I feel like I’m at a point where I can’t make excuses anymore. I have to be responsible. But then, two years later, Winona got caught shoplifting, and everything changed. She walked out of a store with a pile of clothes and handbags without paying. There was a public outcry in her defense, even Johnny spoke up for her, but the media was obsessed with the case.”
“Have you talked to Winona since her recent controversies? The way they treated her was brutal—like dragging her through broken glass. Headlines screamed, ‘Payback time for Winona Ryder’ and ‘Winona Ryder in trouble.’ She took the stand, and then the stand went missing. The media coverage went on for almost a year before she went to trial, and they even used her mental health struggles against her. Time magazine said, ‘She fits the profile of a kleptomaniac. In 1990, she checked herself into a psychiatric ward because of anxiety attacks.’ How do you go from anxiety attacks to being called a kleptomaniac?”
“But that wasn’t even the worst of it. During the trial, people focused on a photo of her reaction that went viral. But it wasn’t her reaction to the verdict; it was something much more shocking. ‘Gary spoke about all the good and charitable things Ryder had done, like offering a reward for the return of a missing California girl, Polly Klaas.’ But prosecutor Ann Rundle jumped on Ryder’s attorney for bringing up the Klaas case, causing a huge uproar in the courtroom: ‘For someone to trot out the body of a dead child, that is just so outrageous, Judge.’ For a year, they twisted that story to make her look bad—that’s terrible. People criticized Winona for a reaction taken out of context, and we’re seeing the same thing happen to Amber Heard.”
“When the judge read her verdict, it seemed like he wanted to make an example of her: ‘You have disappointed many people. I’m going to hold you accountable.’ What Winona did was wrong, but banishing her from Hollywood for 15 years seems extreme. But that’s what happened. While Johnny found success with ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ Winona was dropped from her next project, and nobody would hire her anymore.”
So why did she do it? We can’t say for sure, but after checking out some interviews, we found out that Winona Ryder shared, “Psychologically, I must have been at a place where I just wanted to stop. I was so used to people telling me who I was. These labels were being slapped on me, and I didn’t have any life outside of it.” When Hollywood cast her aside, Winona had to stop hiding in her work and try something different. So, what did she do next? She went back to her roots, focused on helping others, and even hosted a benefit for three teenagers who had been wrongfully convicted of murder.
In a 2016 interview with Porter magazine, Winona said, “A lot of people thought I just disappeared in the 2000s. And I did. It was a great awakening. It just wasn’t in the public eye.” Funny enough, 2016 was also the year Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s court case started. While Johnny was losing favor, Winona was making her comeback as Joyce Byers in “Stranger Things.”
After taking time to reconnect with what really mattered to her, Winona came back to acting on her own terms. “This show has really changed my life.” Now, instead of running away, Winona can just be herself, embracing her quirky, outsider identity. By doing so, she’s also making it okay for others to be themselves too. “She was literally like a second mother to me. She drove me to set one day just to see if I was okay.” Often, when we lose ourselves in life, it’s because we’re not being true to who we are. When you reconnect with who you are and what you love, you can be celebrated for being your authentic self.
