Interview: Mary Elizabeth Winstead On Why Revisiting Ramona Flowers Was So Meaningful

Winstead Calls Her ‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ Character, “Complicated, Loving, and Hard”

If you think you know Ramona Flowers and have not yet watched Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, then you don’t know Ramona.

The animated Netflix series packs a lot of punch, putting a fresh, meta spin on the stories, characters and world created by Bryan Lee O’Malley which were previously explored in his graphic novels, the uber-popular Edgar Wright film, and video game. This time around the Scott Pilgrim universe is brought to life with beautiful anime combined with an eclectic soundtrack and the voice work of the beloved film cast.

At first look, the series may seem to be nothing more than an animated re-telling of Scott Pilgrim’s story. But, like Ramona’s hair color, there’s much more beyond what we see on the surface. It does not take long before the series transforms into something completely different, a rewarding deep dive into Ramona that explores the character like never before. It is not wonder why the actress who first brought her to life in the 2010 film, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, was eager to return as Ramona. Winstead, a character she has never forgotten.

“I always had this huge love and connection to Ramona, but I always kind of wanted to do a bit more with her. So to get to come to this point, to be able to explore her further and to get to have different sides of her and different shades to her and kind of flesh her out  into this very full person was like, it meant a lot to me,” explained Winstead. “You could feel that Bryan and BenDavid (series co-creator BenDavid Grabinski) really wanted to give her that as a character. And that was really, really special.”

The Ramona story is full of surprises and heart, combining her own self-exploration with a detective story, as well as the humor and action fans already love. Ultimately, what viewers are delivered is a rewarding journey that adds many layers to a character we thought we already knew. 

“To see where she ends up at the end of the series was really meaningful from the perspective of a young woman who maybe feels like her life is being defined by her relationships, who maybe feels like she’s being locked into this box of being a manic pixie dream girl, even though that’s not who she is,” shared Winstead. “It’s like getting to take the film version of her and getting to kind of break it open a little bit, which I loved.” 

It was an honor to speak with Winstead who has consistently delivered amazing work both in front of and behind the camera (Fargo, All About Nina, 10 Cloverfield Lane – to name a few). Watch our full conversation (below) for some incredible insights by Winstead; she digs into what playing Ramona means to her, how she has changed since the film, kindly listens to my terrible idea to revisit the characters in another decade – then explains why this series feels like the appropriate closure for her character. It is a short interview, but one that inspired a Takes Off rewatch.

If you have not yet watched, be sure to check out Scott Pilgrim Takes Off exclusively on Netflix. Not only is it one of the best TV shows of the year, it is a must watch for fans of the Scott Pilgrim universe, Ramona Flowers and Winstead, one of our most gifted actors, who is nothing less than spectacular.