Winona Ryder rejected by Hollywood icon she was ‘in love’ with

Winona Ryder may be in a happy relationship now, but she hasn’t forgotten the feeling of unrequited love.

The Stranger Things star was only 22 years old when she fell “in love” with Hollywood legend Al Pacino, but much to her disappointment, he didn’t return her feelings.

Pacino’s rejection

Winona, 53, and Al, 85, struck up a friendship when she worked on his directorial debut, Looking for Richard, in the late 90s.

“I was absolutely in love with Al Pacino when I was working with him,” Winona told Elle Magazine.

“We were doing that workshop for Richard III, which I didn’t know was gonna be a movie. I was actively in love with him,” she added.

Winona revealed how Al, a self-proclaimed coffee addict, would take her for coffee all over New York. 

“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,” she explained.

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“Finally, he’s dropping me off wherever I’m staying, and I’m like, ‘I love you, you know. I really am completely in love with you.'”

Unfortunately for Winona, Al, who is 32 years her senior, turned her down. Recalling how he touched her hand with pity, he replied: “Aw, honey, noooo.”

While Winona’s young age appeared to be a deciding factor in Al’s rejection, she noted that an age gap soon didn’t bother him.

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“10 years later, I meet his girlfriend, who’s younger than me. Dude, I’m [expletive] throwing myself at you,” she joked.

There are no hard feelings between the pair, though as Winona added: “I still play poker with him sometimes. It’s the best.”

Winona’s boyfriend

Winona has since found love with fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn, whom she has been dating since 2011.

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The couple met in 2010 at the premiere of Black Swan, although Scott was completely removed from the industry and had little idea of who she was.

In fact, in a 2022 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she joked that he didn’t recognize her at all. “He thought I was Milla Jovovich. He told me I was great in The Fifth Element.”

They quietly began dating and kept their relationship on the down-low for quite a while before making appearances together, the very first being at Tim Burton’s Opening Party at LACMA in early 2011.

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The couple tends to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, but Winona has shared insights into their romance over the years.

In a 2022 Harper’s Bazaar interview, Winona credited Scott with being a stabilizing force in her life. “We have so much in common,” she gushed. “We connected on so many levels. But it was amazing that he’s not in this business…I really did try to keep it quiet.”

During a separate interview, she told the publication: “He’s so great. He really is. I’m really lucky.”

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Despite their long-lasting relationship, Winona is unsure if she and Scott will ever tie the knot. “Marriage? I don’t know. I’d rather never have been married than been divorced a few times,” she said in 2016.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with divorce, but I don’t think I could do it if that was a possibility.” She added, “When your parents are madly in love for 45 years, your standards are really high.”