Winona Joins Ray Romano for Laughs

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday January 21, 2003 12:00 PM EST

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It's back to work for Winona Ryder, who has landed her first movie role since her conviction last November for having lifted nearly $6,000 of merchandise from the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue.

Variety reports that the "Girl, Interrupted," star, 31, will costar with TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Ray Romano, 45, in "Eulogy," a comedy whose cast also includes Debra Winger, Hank Azaria, Monica Potter and Rip Torn.

The movie is described as a black comedy about a dysfunctional family that gathers for the funeral of the family patriarch, at which point the family secrets begin to spill. Shooting is due to begin Feb. 21.

Romano's previous film, his first, was last year' computer-animated hit "Ice Age," for which he provided the voice of a woolly mammoth.

Ryder last starred opposite Adam Sandler in "Mr. Deeds," though to have seen the movie's advertisements, one would have been hard-pressed to discover that she was even in the movie.

In December, the actress was sentenced to three years' probation, 480 hours of community service, counseling and up to $10,000 in fines for the Saks incident. Revelations in court records about her heavy drug use also sparked speculation about the chances of her ever finding movie employment again.