Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow were once considered one of Hollywood’s coolest friendships during the 1990s. But by the early 2000s, the once-glamorous bond had broken up, giving rise to one of the most enduring “frenemy” rumors in entertainment history.
Is Winona Ryder friends with Gwyneth Paltrow?
The friendship began when Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow, actresses, were at the peak of their careers. Ryder was already a critically acclaimed star with hits like Heathers and Mermaids. Paltrow, meanwhile, was a rising star with roles in Seven, Emma, and Sliding Doors. As roommates in New York, their friendship extended into their social circles, with Paltrow dating Ben Affleck and Ryder briefly linked to Matt Damon.
But the relationship reportedly fractured over the 1998 Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love. According to longstanding Hollywood lore, the script had been sitting on Ryder’s coffee table when Paltrow read it, loved it, and quickly asked her agent to get her the role. Ultimately, Paltrow was cast and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, while Ryder was left out of the project entirely.
Although unconfirmed for years, this story gained traction after being featured in Amy Odell’s recently released biography, Gwyneth: The Biography. According to excerpts published by People, Ryder never officially received an offer for the film, but had expressed interest.
The book also claims Paltrow initially declined the script, but later pursued the part. Following the fallout, Paltrow reportedly told friends that Ryder had started the “script-stealing” rumor—a claim she later denied in a 2015 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, calling the allegation an “urban myth.”
The rift resurfaced in 2009 when Paltrow published a Goop newsletter about feeling happy when “bad things happen to people you don’t like.” While no names were mentioned, many readers believed the cryptic reference was about Ryder.
Since then, neither Winona Ryder nor Gwyneth Paltrow has publicly reconciled or confirmed the extent of their fallout. But interviews and written accounts suggest that the friendship, once a fixture in 90s Hollywood, has long since ended.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.net.
