Shoplifting conviction may boost Ryder's career

LOS ANGELES: For actress Winona Ryder, a felony theft conviction on Wednesday for shoplifting may cut short her "Age of Innocence," but it will hardly end her film career and could make her more famous than ever.
The Hollywood consensus is that with the passage of time, and a dash of contrition, the two-time Oscar nominee is likely to be forgiven and welcomed back to the big screen despite her criminal record.
A jury found Ryder guilty of stealing more than $5,500 worth of merchandise during a shoplifting spree at a Saks Fifth Avenue last year, but the actress will likely avoid jail.
The prosecutor said she would not try to put the 31-year-old, two-time Academy Award nominee behind bars, saying she would seek probation, community service and restitution at Ryder’s sentencing on December 6. The charges could have carried up to three years in prison.
Ryder showed no emotion after the jury convicted her of felony grand theft and vandalism, the latter charge for cutting sensor tags off merchandise, and acquitted her of burglary. The actress withheld comment afterward. "Thanks for asking," she said. "I just can''t talk right now."
At least one film critic suggested the shoplifting episode could enhance her career, adding a welcome edge to the wide-eyed ingenue she so often portrays.
She might even land a book contract for a stirring first-person account of her legal ordeal and/or her brush with the dark side of shoplifting because as one publishing expert said, "she''s in the young, contemporary celebrity group and that sells."
Others, however, warn that Ryder''s image has been bruised and that the actress who earned Oscar nominations for The Age of Innocence and Little Women faces a period of adjustment.
"I think Hollywood is a forgiving place, and more than that, I think it likes bad boys, but it doesn''t have a short memory. Nothing is forgotten," said Daily Variety editor-in-chief and former studio honcho Peter Bart.
One complication for Ryder is the nature of the crime for which she was convicted, Bart said. Because shoplifting —- more than drug abuse or sexual scandal —- seems like such erratic behavior for a movie star, some filmmakers may question whether casting her is too big a risk.
Ryder is far from being the first celebrity to run afoul of the law and public opinion. From the wild escapades of Errol Flynn and indiscretions of Ingrid Bergman, to the more recent scandals involving Rob Lowe, Hugh Grant, Eddie Murphy, Charlie Sheen and Halle Berry, the movies are brimming with stars who have prevailed over nasty headlines and legal woes.