Winona Ryder Is the Spitting Image of Her “Beetlejuice ”Character 36 Years Later — See the Star Then and Now

The actress was just 15 when she first played Lydia Deetz, and looks virtually the same in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'

Winona Ryder seems to have barely aged a day since she starred in Beetlejuice.

The actress was just 15 years old when she landed the role of goth teen Lydia Deetz in director Tim Burton’s 1988 horror comedy — beating out, incidentally, an impressive list of starlets reportedly including Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Molly Ringwald, Juliette Lewis, Jennifer Connelly and Alyssa Milano.

The hit film, only her third following supporting roles in 1986’s Lucas and 1987’s Square Dance, propelled Ryder to stardom, and the moody character cemented her status as a queen of ’90s angst.

Thirty-six years later, Ryder is once again playing Lydia in Burton’s long-awaited sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Now a TV star and mom, the character still sports the same spiky fringe and funereal wardrobe she did in the first film, and much like Lydia, Ryder is still the spitting image of her younger self.

Ahead of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Sept. 6 release, take a look at photos of the star, then and now.

Fringe Icon

As Lydia Deetz, 15-year-old Winona Ryder went full goth in Beetlejuice. The character defined herself as "strange and unusual" with a dramatic hairstyle — somewhere between The Cure's Robert Smith and Dark Shadows' Barnabas Collins — to match.

A Spooky Update

Returning to the role in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, it's almost spooky how well the 52-year-old Ryder can still rock an updated, slightly toned-down version of Lydia's distinctive 'do.

The Bride Wore Red

Who could forget Lydia's divinely demonic red wedding dress in Beetlejuice?

Hauntingly Glamorous

More than three decades later, Ryder was clearly nodding to her character with her look at the world premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at the Venice International Film Festival on Aug. 28, 2024.

Flying High

By the end of 1988's Beetlejuice, Lydia had fully embraced the benefits of living in a haunted house.

Home Sweet Home

And in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, she and daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) are still there! Ortega's character doesn't seem to have inherited her mother's flair for the dramatic, but Ryder's Lydia appears to retain a fondness for a version of her high school uniform.

Off Duty

Long before celebrities started tailoring their promo tour wardrobes to echo their characters, a young Ryder had clearly put her Beetlejuice character's over-the-top style behind her when photographed in April 1988.

Dark Lady

Fast-forward to 2024: Ryder seemed fully committed to "method dressing" at an Aug. 17 event in New York City ahead of the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Not-So-Basic Black

One year after Beetlejuice hit theaters, Ryder was back in black at a 1989 event in L.A.

Like a Goth to a Flame

During a photo call at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival on Aug. 28, Ryder definitely looked like she was channeling a slightly more well-adjusted Lydia.

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