Elisabeth Moss Reveals Girl, Interrupted Cast Was Divided In Winona Ryder Vs Angelina Jolie Camps

Elisabeth Moss has opened up about her experiences working on the set of Girl, Interrupted. The actress was about 15 years old at the time of filming of the 1999 psychological drama which was set in a mental hospital., She played Polly "Torch" Clark, a burn victim with schizophrenia. 

Angelina Jolie portrayed the charming psychopath Lisa Rowe, while Winona Ryder was the main lead Susanna Kaysen, who had been taken to the facility following a nervous breakdown. During her appearance on Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, Moss stated that the cast and crew of the movie were divided between Ryder and Jolie Camps. 

Elisabeth Moss spills the beans on Jolie-Ryder rivalry

Moss stated that the Girl, Interrupted set organically split into two groups due to the tension between Jolie and Ryder’s roles in the movie. She said, “There were two kinds of camps. There was the Winona Ryder camp and the Angelina Jolie camp. … Off camera, but based on what was on camera, based on the script.”

Moss revealed she herself was part of Ryder camp as she was too ‘intimidated’ by Jolie to even hold a conversation with her. “I was in the Winona Ryder camp. The Angelina Jolie camp was really cool. I was intimidated by the Angelina Jolie camp. I had no thoughts of ever being able to be in that camp. I’ve spoken to Angelina since then and she’s lovely, but at the time it was just incredibly intimidating,” said the actress. 

Winona Ryder on her working experience with Angelina Jolie

In a 2010 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Ryder herself made reference to the divided set, stating that she and Jolie never became close friends while filming the Girl, Interrupted. The actress stated, “I remember thinking, ‘Oh we’re going to turn out to be great friends, but I think she needed to be able to look at me just as the character Susanna, not as Winona, so in a very respectful way she just kind of kept her distance.”

Based on Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir of the same name, Girl, Interrupted revolved around Susanna (Winona Ryder), an 18-year-old girl diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and admitted to a nearby psychiatric facility. Jolie played the manipulative, psychopath Lisa Rowe, a patient in the facility. The film focuses on the highs and lows of the relationship between the two ladies, who are drawn to one another.