For Renee Zellweger, Bridget Jones has become more than just a character. The big-screen romcom heroine she has now played in four films since 2001 is a lifelong companion.
“She’s never far away, because she comes into the conversations in my personal life pretty frequently. She feels like a friend to me, but I’m not alone in that. I regularly have conversations with people on the sidewalk about their own Bridget Jones experiences,” says the American actress, who was speaking with journalists at a virtual conference on Feb 1.
People around the world relate to Jones’ insecurities and struggles.
“We all understand self-scrutiny and the fear that we’re not going to measure up to society’s expectations or the expectations of our friends and families, and even the expectations we have for ourselves. We all connect with the mess of life,” says Zellweger.
Renee Zellweger at the premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy in central London on Jan 29.PHOTO: AFP
When the 55-year-old Oscar winner was approached to reprise her role in the film adaptation of British author Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, the third book in the series, she did not hesitate. It opens in Singapore cinemas on Feb 13.
“I needed no convincing whatsoever. I always stand in the wings with my fingers crossed, hoping that there would be a chance to revisit the character and the world and hang out with everybody again,” says Zellweger, who has been dating British television presenter Ant Anstead, 45, since 2021.
In Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Jones is a single mother in her 50s raising two children. Her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) was killed four years earlier on a humanitarian mission in Sudan.
Encouraged by friends, she re-enters the dating pool, where she meets the much younger Roxster (Leo Woodall). She also develops a connection with her son’s stern science teacher, Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Roxster (Leo ...