Winona Ryder Court Cases

Winona Ryder: Public Relations Case Study

By the mid-1990s, Winona Ryder, a fresh-faced young actress, was one of the most prominent screen starlets of the time. She had many hit movies under her belt, including “Heathers”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Beetle Juice”, and “Reality Bites”. Ryder, a native of Minnesota, was on top of the world. However, a few years down the line, Ryder had a brush with the law that was widely publicized. Both negative and positive outcomes stemmed from this situation. On December 12, 2001, Ryder was stopped at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills by security guards after alarms were set off as she walked out of the store. After she was searched, she was said to have had over 20 items on her; which totaled a jaw-dropping $5, 500 worth of merchandise hidden in her shopping bags. Things took a turn for the worse when Ryder was also accused of carrying a large quantity of Valium and Demerol, two very strong painkillers, without a reported prescription. This proved a sticky situation for the once high-flying actress. After a two-week trial, which had reportedly been delayed, Ryder was convicted on
November 6, 2002 of grand theft and felony vandalism. The drug possession charges had been dropped earlier for undisclosed reasons. She was sentenced to 480 hour of community service, a payment of over $10,000 in fines, and drug/psychological therapy. However, things were not that simple. Ryder, being such a famous face, did not have her case go unnoticed by the media. It was crucial for Ryder to put up a strong public relations campaign. But according to Larry Winokur, one of the partners in a public relations firm based in L.A. named Baker/Winokur, Ryder’s trial and circumstances were not handled very well from the beginning. Ryder did not admit to the charges right away, which was said to be one of her biggest mistakes. If she would have bargained with the District Attorney by making a bargain plea, she could have gotten off simply with some misdemeanor charges. However, Ryder, most likely being on the defense due to her celebrity status, made statements such as, “I was researching a new movie role.” Untrustworthy lies such as this led to a trial and court case. Another mistake that was made while handling this predicament was that Ryder failed to issue a public statement apologizing for her actions and asking the public, her fans and the media for forgiveness. Many celebrities follow actions such as these when they find themselves in a situation such as this. It helps the celebrity gain respect and keeps their dignity, while attempting to make the public relate to them on a more intimate level. Another problem in this campaign was Ryder’s actions throughout the trial.
On more than one occasion, Ryder arrived at the courthouse in a bright red, flashy Porsche. This was a horrible public relations move, because it made Ryder look arrogant and disrespectful at such a serious time; showed that she had enough money to buy such an expensive car; and proved her lack of repentance. The articles of clothing that Ryder wore to court were also under great speculation. She proudly wore the same brands of clothing that she had stolen from Saks Fifth Avenue. Many things were wrong with this; because it proves once again that she can afford to own these clothes and obviously, she is a fan of the brands that she was accused of stealing. These moves were not the best moves to make while trying to reach out to the public for
sympathy. However, on May 18th, the popular sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live broadcasted a mockery of her crime – and Ryder herself acted in it! She wore a “Free Winona” t-shirt, which was actually a huge craze among her fans, on the cover of W magazine. These parodies meant to be construed as silly and endearing, was not appreciated by all. Some did find her efforts to poke fun at herself funny, while others did not. Although it seemed as though Ryder and her PR associates did not handle her situation very well, not all of these moves resulted in negative press. It was not Ryder’s idea to create the “Free Winona” t-shirts, and she was approached by the SNL producers to act in the SNL skit. These were forms of support from Ryder’s fans. After all was said and done and Ryder had been convicted after her trial, she was given the chance to model in a Marc Jacobs advertisement campaign. Ryder has frequently wore his clothing during her trial and many of the items she was caught with her from his line as well. These ads were subtle caricatures of her trial and accusations, such as a duffel bag full of Marc Jacobs clothing and a pair of scissors on a table behind her. She was asked to appear at the MTV Movie Awards that year, and showed a big devotion to charity. Her attorney, Mark Gregaros, asked that the damaged/stolen items of clothing be auctioned off and proceeds given to charity. She accomplished all 480 hours of community service, working with children from City of Hope, and had enjoyed it so much that she decided to stay devoted to the cause. Although the PR moves that Ryder took in the beginning were not some of the best, the weird irony is that this situation could not have come at a better time for her. Her career was slumping and her latest movie, “Mr. Deeds,” released at the time of her trial, did not do well at the box office. Since the court case, she has received numerous script offers and other appearances, and it currently working on four movies to be released in late 2004 and throughout 2005. During her follow-up hearing, the judge gave Ryder permission to travel to make these movies possible and showed leniency for her circumstances. One thing is for sure: Ryder did not have the best public relations campaign, but she certainly did steal the show.