Winona Ryder Reveals Long-Ago Crush on Al Pacino: ‘Absolu…

Winona Ryder has opened up about being “absolutely in love” with Al Pacino in her early 20s.

Speaking to Elle, Ryder recalled her huge crush on the legendary actor when they were working on a workshop for Richard III in her early 20s, which ultimately became a part of the 1996 documentary film Looking for Richard.

“I was absolutely in love with Al Pacino when I was working with him,” she said. “He was obsessed with coffee, and he would take me all over New York — like, to the weirdest places — to try different coffees. I’m 22, or whatever.”

Ryder claimed that after they’d hung out for coffee, she told hell, “I’m like, ‘I love you, you know. I really am completely in love with you.’ And he was like, ‘Aw, honey, noooo.’”

“Then, like 10 years later, I meet his girlfriend, who’s younger than me,” she continued, seemingly referencing his actress girlfriend Lucila Solá whom he dated from 2008 to 2018.

They never ended up getting together, but Ryder revealed that the two still have a friendly relationship. “I still play poker with him sometimes,” she explained. “It’s the best.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Ryder, who’s gearing up for the release of the final season of Stranger Things (in her role as Joyce Byers), provided her perspective on acting as she ages.

Ryder claimed that female directors have encouraged her to get Botox injections. “They’ll say, ‘Just relax your forehead. Relax.’ I’m trying to be a great actor, and they’re saying that over and over,” she explained.

“It’s nice that people are talking about how it’s OK to age, but there’s still enormous pressure,” she added. “Every role I get is for a mother, you know? My career has definitely shifted.”