In “Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason,” the sequel to the 2001 hit, Academy Award winning actress Renee Zellweger returns to the role that earned her first Oscar nomination. To play the pleasantly plump Brit, the svelte star once again added several “fat units” (as her character characterizes calories) bellying up from a size 6 to a size 14. Zellweger, whose credits include “Chicago,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Cold Mountain,” has since shed the extra weight. And she took time out recently to shed light on being Bridget Jones.
QUESTION: What, besides potential box office success, went into the decision to revisit this character?
RENNE ZELLWEGER: There was a lot of trepidation for me in approaching this project, because I love this character and I love the books and I love the experience we had on the first film. I didn’t want to compromise that experience in any way by doing something that wasn’t necessary. As a lover of film, I find that most follow-up films are not motivated from a creative place, and I wanted to be certain that this one — because the characters are so special — was substantial enough to stand on its own as a film.
Q: What do you love most about Bridget Jones?
RZ: She has this beautiful purity, this innocence to her that comes out in everything that she does. She’s childlike in her movement. It’s not self-aware or manipulated, so anything goes. I love that it’s allowed with this character. That it’s appropriate with this character.
Q: Tell us a little bit about working with your costars, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant?
RZ: As you can imagine, it’s a really nice day at the office. They’re both so smart and so funny, and they care so much about the integrity of what it is they do. To come together and collaborate with people who care so much about what we’re bringing to life makes for a really memorable experience.
Q: Was there any apprehension about packing on the pounds again to play Bridget?
RZ: The physical transformation was non-negotiable in my mind. It’s imperative, and without it, it wouldn’t be an authentic revisitation of this character. Then to me, creatively, I don’t see what the point would be. If you’re not going to be the character, then why approach it at all?
Q: What steps did you take to ensure that you weren’t simply repeating what you did in the first film?
RZ: I had to look at Bridget and think about how she might have grown, and how she might be different at this stage in her life. Then I had to decide how to implement showing those changes and where. To take a character and try to keep the essence of the character that’s familiar, and yet show how she’s grown, is an entirely new challenge.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 12, 2004. Read the original PDF.