Horror fans have a mixed view of Bram Stoker's Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1992. Gary Oldman's portrayal of Vlad the Impaler aka Count Dracula was epic, as was Anthony Hopkins's Professor Van Helsing; the sets were amazing, the mood was perfectly gloomy, and beneath the terror and gore burned an ageless love. On the other hand, actors Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder turned in atrocious performances (Reeves delivering an especially groan-worthy turn). As Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray respectively, they conveyed a relationship that was about as passionate as cold shower; Reeve's English accent was painful and every line he spoke fell flat while Ryder's wide-eyed, breathy performance seemed almost unnaturally childish. In fact, nothing about the actors' relationship felt authentic. Which makes the fact that they pair actually got married on the set of Bram Stoker's Dracula legitimately shocking. Let me explain.
For the scene where Jonathan and Mia got married in Romania, Coppola hired an actual priest to officiate. For authenticity, an actual wedding ritual was performed and, when the actors were asked, "Do you take this man/woman...?" each replied in the affirmative. The revelation came during an interview Ryder conducted with Entertainment Weekly in support of her upcoming rom-com Destination Wedding (which, coincidentally, also stars Reeves). In her own words:
"We actually got married in Dracula. No, I swear to god I think we're married in real life. In that scene, Francis [Ford Coppola] used a real Romanian priest. We shot the master and he did the whole thing. So, I think we're married."Reeves, who also participated in the interview, seemed less certain, but Ryder prodded him: "Don't you remember that? It was on Valentine's Day" to which Reeves acquiesced, "Oh my gosh, we're married." Of course, no one actually believes their "marriage" holds weights (at least outside of Romania). Reeves is single, but Ryder has been married to Scott Mackinlay Hahn since 2011. If you missed Bram Stoker's Dracula in the 1990s and aren't familiar with the literary roots of the world's most famous vampire, here's the gist:
"Count Dracula, a 15th-century prince, is condemned to live off the blood of the living for eternity. Young lawyer Jonathan Harker is sent to Dracula's castle to finalise a land deal, but when the Count sees a photo of Harker's fiancée, Mina, the spitting image of his dead wife, he imprisons him and sets off for London to track her down."In addition to Destination Wedding (in which "two miserable and unpleasant wedding guests, Lindsay and Frank, develop a mutual affection despite themselves") entertainment seekers can look forward to seeing more of Ryder when Stranger Things returns to Netflix for a 3rd season in 2019. Reeves will also star in the upcoming John Wick 3, not to mention Bill & Ted Face the Music, a 3rd Bill and Ted flick, currently in pre-production. This news came our way courtesy of the good folks at Entertainment Weekly.
