As a single woman over 30 with a love of chocolate and Chardonnay, I learned to be an actress Renee Zellweger (54) in her star role as Bridget Jones in the film of the same name in 2001. Because on New Year’s Day Bridget made the decision to completely change her life and lose weight (Zellweger had to gain 11 kg for the role) and quit smoking.
Although this plan fails, after many romantic turmoil she ends up in the arms of her boss Daniel Cleaver (played by Hugh Grant).
Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant in “Bridget Jones: On the Edge of Madness”
The audience immediately took Bridget to their hearts, which is why there are now three films and, as the production company “Working Title Films” has now confirmed, part four is in the starting blocks.
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” is scheduled to hit theaters in February 2025 and also Hugh Grant (63) will be there again. Because he sat out “Bridget Jones Baby” (2016).
The script is again based on the novel by Helen Fielding (66) and shows us a 51-year-old Bridget, who is a mother of two children and a widow.
Fielding based her Bridget books on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and there are some parallels to be seen. So there’s a Mr. Darcy everywhere, who also comes from… Colin Firth (63) was embodied.
Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth in the “Bridget Jones” series
Even though you can’t imagine any other actress than Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, she wasn’t actually the first choice for the role. Because her colleagues were first Toni Collette (51), Cate Blanchett (54), Cameron Diaz (51), Nicole Kidman (56), Naomi Watts (55) and Kate Winslet (48) considered.
Who wasn’t initially happy about Zellweger’s casting is her co-star Hugh Grant. He had a problem with a Texan woman playing a British woman. “Her British accent sounded like Princess Margaret had a stroke. But a week later it was a blast,” he said, enthusiastic about her rapid progress.
Zellweger also did a lot to perfect her pronunciation, as she only spoke with a British accent away from the cameras. She also worked incognito in a publishing house, as her character Bridget Jones also does this job.
But one thing wasn’t entirely real: the numerous cigarettes that Bridget Jones puffed. Zellweger wanted to spare her lungs from nicotine and tobacco and relied on so-called “herbettes”, a plant-based alternative.
Despite or perhaps because of her numerous vices and a life away from perfectionism, Bridget Jones became one of the most influential women of the last 70 years in 2016 BBC Radio 4 chosen.
(kurier.at)
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10.04.2024, 17:00