Winona Ryder claims Mel Gibson once referred to her as an "oven dodger".
The 48-year-old actress has admitted to experiencing anti-semitism within the movie industry, and has recalled one particularly uncomfortable conversation with Mel, 64, at a party.
She shared: "We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we’re all talking and he said to my friend, who’s gay, ‘Oh wait, am I gonna get Aids?’ And then something came up about Jews, and he said, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you?’"
Winona – who revealed Mel tried to apologise to her at a later date – was particularly upset by the actor’s comments as she "had family who died in the camps".
Asked about her family’s background, she told the Sunday Times newspaper: "Not religious, but I do identify. It’s a hard thing for me to talk about because I had family who died in the camps, so I’ve always been fascinated with that time."
Winona also revealed she was once overlooked for a movie role because she looked "too Jewish".
She explained: "There are times when people have said, ‘Wait, you’re Jewish? But you’re so pretty!’
"There was a movie that I was up for a long time ago, it was a period piece, and the studio head, who was Jewish, said I looked ‘too Jewish’ to be in a blue-blooded family."
Winona also admitted to missing her parents – who live in Vancouver, Canada – amid the coronavirus lockdown.
The actress said: "It’s awful. They don’t know how to use Zoom. They have flip phones and a landline! Normally, I would be up there right now."