Saint Etienne have responded to a Winona Ryder interview in which she said the band “rescued” her during a difficult period in her life.
The Stranger Things and Beetlejuice star spoke recently to Elle about her memory of filming in Portugal in the early ‘90s and how one of the indie dance group’s records was a lifeline during a time in which she was struggling.
“There was a great band called Saint Etienne that I loved,” she said in the interview. “Their album totally rescued me when I was going through a really hard time when I was making a movie in Portugal when I was 20.”
“I was just walking down the street, you know they used to sell albums on the street in Lisbon, and I bought it and it got me through that time,” she continued. “Saint Etienne…I wonder if they’re still together?”
Saint Etienne have responded to Ryder’s comments, sharing the relevant clip on their Facebook page and writing: “Stranger things have happened… but glad we were there for you, @winonaryderofficial. And yes, we’re still together!”
Given the dates involved, it is likely that the actor was referring to the filming of The House Of The Spirits, a 1993 movie about three generations of a Chilean family during the military dictatorship. She starred in the film alongside Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas and Vanessa Redgrave. Some scenes were indeed filmed in Lisbon in early 1993.
The Saint Etienne album released during that period was ‘So Tough’, their second studio record. It included the singles ‘Avenue’, ‘You’re In A Bad Way’ and ‘Hobart Paving’ and reached the UK Top Ten on its release in February 1993.
The group are preparing to release their new album ‘International’ on September 5 (pre-order/pre-save here). They have said it will be their final album, with the band members saying that they “remain the best of friends after 35 years recording together, but they don’t feel like they want to go on forever and wanted to go out with a bang”.
The album will feature collaborations with Confidence Man’s Janet Planet, Erol Alkan, Vince Clarke, Nick Heyward and Paul Hartnoll of Orbital.
Ryder, meanwhile, recently shared the advice she gave the young actors on the set of Stranger Things. “They have it drilled into them that they’re so lucky and, you know, that this show ‘made’ them,” she explained. “I’m like, ‘No. Netflix is so lucky. You guys are the special ones. Like, you guys are magic.’”
