Better Films For Women!

Ryder's role as executive producer on "Girl, Interrupted" signals her ongoing commitment to reshaping the landscape of films for young women. Long frustrated with the movies available for teen audiences, Ryder has often chosen projects that are less mainstream -- and ultimately, less commercial -- than many of her peers in the industry.

"We need to offer [young women] something that they can relate to and something that shows they're not alone in feeling confused or misplaced," she says.

For Ryder, that 'something' comes in the form of a strong, complicated female lead like the role of Susanna in "Girl Interrupted."

"Susanna was of the few characters I've read that was brutally honest without being self-indulgent," she says. "And she was a rebel, which for a female was rare. Usually all the great rebels are boys -- Holden Caulfield, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn."

Ryder faces a double-edged sword in her quest to make provocative films for young women. While she's adamant about challenging girls' minds, she is less enthusiastic about acting as a role model.

In 1996, Ryder came under attack when an advocacy group accused her of smoking too much in her films. She's still stinging from the accusation.

"I will do whatever I have to do for a role on film, and I will do whatever I want to do in my life," she says. "It's nobody's choice but my own, and I don't believe I am influencing anybody but myself."

Ryder is also ambivalent about using her celebrity status to promote various causes. The child of liberal parents, she has spoken out for Amnesty International and campaigned for the release of incarcerated American Indian activist Leonard Peltier.

"There's a part of me that thinks we should keep our politics to ourselves," she says. "But as a human being, I have a social responsibility to walk with my head up, to follow my heart and protect my freedom of speech and that of others."

Compared to other young actors who've hit the fast lane and burned out, Ryder seems remarkably poised and grounded. She attributes that composure to her family and friends ("I really scored in that department") and to living in San Francisco.

Though she has residences in L.A. and New York, she calls the Bay Area home. "Had I moved down to L.A. when I started acting, things would have been a lot different in my life," she says. "San Francisco has been my salvation."

Ryder says that as she faces her 30s, she has a new understanding of the pressures of her career and the expectations of the media. She also says she's learned to be more forgiving of herself.

"I've learned that it's OK to be flawed, that life can be messy, that some days you glide and some days you fall, but most important, that there are no secret answers out there," she says. "When you finally accept that it's OK not to have answers and it's OK not to be perfect, you realize that feeling confused is a normal part of what it is to be a human being."

 

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