The actress said playing young socialite May Welland in 1993's &34;Age of Innocence&34; was &34;the role of a lifetime.&34; Winona Ryder shares 'perfect note' Martin Scorsese gave her: 'It really changed the dynamic' The actress said playing young socialite May Welland in 1993's &34;Age of Innocence&34; was &34;the role of a lifetime.&34; By Emlyn Travis :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/EmlynTravisauthorphotocba6765b433b4f93b9398d18053153b1.jpg) Emlyn Travis is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

The actress said playing young socialite May Welland in 1993's "Age of Innocence" was "the role of a lifetime."

Winona Ryder shares 'perfect note' Martin Scorsese gave her: 'It really changed the dynamic'

The actress said playing young socialite May Welland in 1993's "Age of Innocence" was "the role of a lifetime."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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November 27, 2025 5:00 p.m. ET

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Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder in 'The Age of Innocence'. Credit:

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett

Winona Ryder is remembering an insightful note that Martin Scorsese gave her while shooting his 1993 historical drama,* The Age of Innocence*. **

The actress revealed on a recent *Hot Ones* episode that the filmmaker snuck her a handwritten note that entirely changed the dynamic of a scene between her and her costar Daniel Day-Lewis. **

"I have all those notes. That was like the greatest thing in the world," Ryder shared, before revealing what the note said. "'Kiss him twice.' When we're in Paris and I basically destroy his plan."

Winona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis in 'The Age of Innocence'.

Columbia Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

Based on Edith Wharton's 1920 novel of the same name, *The Age of Innocence *follows lawyer Newland Archer (Lewis), who is engaged to be married to young socialite May Welland (Ryder). However, he finds himself falling for May's cousin Ellen (Michelle Pfeiffer) along the way. **

Early in the film, May asks Newland directly if he has feelings for someone else, which he denies at the time. However, he eventually discovers that everyone is aware of his affections for Ellen — including May, who thwarts his attempt to sneak away and see his paramour by revealing that she is pregnant with their first child.

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"It was such a perfect note because I kind of kiss him to end [his inquiry]. I guess they say it'll put a button on it, but it really changed the dynamic. 'Kiss him twice,'" Ryder said. "It was just like, 'No, this is the way it's gonna be. I gave you a f---ing out. You didn't take it. So from now on shut the f--- up.' You know what I mean?"**

She added, "It was like the role of a lifetime. It's a beautiful movie. A gorgeous movie."

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But Scorsese isn't the only filmmaker that Ryder raved about while taking on the *Hot Ones *gauntlet. She also praised Tim Burton's physical presence on set of the first *Beetlejuice* film. **

"When I did the first one, there was no such thing as monitors or video village, which is like where everyone is today," she said. "Tim's always right next to the camera and he often would [contort his body and make faces] like he's doing… You're not mirroring him, but I just remember his presence. And that, by the way, is such a gift to receive as an actor."

She noted that having a director physically behind the camera is "something I really miss" these days. **

"I feel like every director should do some work next to the camera actually watching you," Ryder said. "It's really meaningful to the actor. I just kind of miss the intimacy."

Watch Ryder dish about *The* *Age of Innocence, Heathers, Dracula, *and more while eating incredibly spicy food in the clip above.

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movies"

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Source: Movies

Published: November 28, 2025 at 12:38AM on Source: MARIO MAG

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