The Narrative of a Celebrity Scandal: Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock was just another unknown actress trying to make it in Hollywood until she co-starred in the hugely successful and well reviewed 1994 film Scream. Bullock’s turn in the 2000 Miss Congeniality farther solidified her place in Hollywood. Charming, self-deprecating, and armed with a huge smile, Sandra Bullock managed to capture the hearts of American movie audiences. In 2009, her film The Proposal topped the box office charts, making well over 100 million dollars in the U.S., a rarity in Hollywood for a female-led movie aimed towards female audiences. And so, when Sandra Bullock won Best Female Actress at the 2009 Oscars for her portrayal of the real life Leigh Anne Tuohy, the press went crazy.

Sandra Bullock, they proclaimed, truly had it all. A

successful marriage, stepchildren she adored, a hugely successful career, and an Oscar to top it all off. Sandra, holding her Oscar, appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly following her win.

Sandra Bullock seemed like the luckiest woman in America, that is, until the press began leaking rumors that her husband, Jesse James, had cheated on her. On March 17, 2010, Entertainment Weekly reported that Sandra would not be attending the London premiere of The Blind Side due to personal reasons. Then, on March 19, 2010, Jesse James issued a statement to People.

There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It's because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way. This has caused my wife and kids pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension and I am extremely saddened to have brought this on them. I am truly very sorry for the grief I have caused them. I hope one day they can find it in their hearts to forgive me.

On March 25^th, Entertainment Weekly ran a news note about the situation:

Sandra Bullock seemed to be living out a thoroughly modern fairy tale. At 45, she had revived the female-centric romantic comedy with last summer's blockbuster performance of The Proposal, then crossed the $200 million mark with The Blind Side, topping it all off with an Oscar for Best Actress. We all rejoiced that a good, hardworking woman was finally getting her due, and swooned as she constantly lavished acceptance--speech praise on her seemingly smitten husband — her Prince Charming in this picture--perfect scenario.

Entertainment Weekly chose to use the narrative of a modern fairy tale to describe Sandra Bullock’s alleged marriage problems. By associating Sandra Bullock with a princess out of a Disney tale, her husband’s alleged infidelity seems all the more horrible. Cinderella’s prince charming is supposed to stand by her side and smile benignly, not cheat on her with multiple women.

On April 5^th, People put Sandra Bullock on the cover with the headline “Inside Sandra’s Heartbreak.”

The article begins by describing how happy Sandra and Jesse had looked to the public in the past few months. The image of the happy couple brings the reader in, until the illusion is shattered by Jesse’s alleged infidelity. Numerous “sources” and “close friends” are quoted, but Sandra Bullock and Jesse James are not interviewed in the article. There is a box explaining Jesse’s transformation “From Bad Boy to Star Husband.” The article describes him as a former bad boy who finally got his act together and started a custom-motorcycle shop and fell for Sandra Bullock. A series of photos track their relationship under the headline “An Unlikely Love Story.” The article paints a picture of Sandra Bullock as a quiet, happy, woman easily slipping into the role of wife and mother (to Jesse’s three children from a previous marriage) when she wasn’t working. The article is trying to imply that Sandra was just like any other woman reading the magazine, and that if infidelity could happen to her, it could happen to anyone.

Sandra Bullock once again graced the cover of People the very next week, on the April 12 issue with the headline “Inside Her Divorce Dilemma.” The article reports that Jesse is now seeking treatment (the specific kind is not specified), and that Sandra must now choose whether or not to divorce him. This time, the box highlights Jesse’s alleged three girls.

Through this entire saga, Sandra Bullock has not spoken publicly on the manner. Aside from his vague apology, Jesse James has remained silent as well. No, it is the media that has latched on to this alleged story and blown it up into a huge narrative. As much as America loves a happy ending, they love a scandal even more. And Sandra, with fresh Oscar still in hand, was the perfect woman to base a narrative around.

Works Cited

Chiu, Alexis, Oliver Jones, and Michelle Tauber. “Sandra’s Marriage in Crisis.” People 5 Apr. 2010: 56-62. Print.

Chiu, Alexis, Oliver Jones, and Michele Tauber. “Sandra’s Painful Choice.” People 12 Apr. 2010: 60-64. Print.

Leonard, Elizabeth. “Jesse James Apologizes to Sandra Bullock and His Children.” People.com. People Magazine, 19 March 2010. Web. 6 April 2010.

Ram. Archana. “Monitor: Sandra Bullock’s marriage woes.” ew.com. Entertainment Weekly Magazine, 26 March 2010. Web. 6 April 2010