RENEE ZELLWEGER REPRISES ICONIC “BRIDGET JONES” ROLE

Press release

One of the most cherished and respected actors in modern cinema, Renee Zellweger reprises the character she's most identified with -- the seminal British everywoman – in Universal Pictures' new romantic comedy “Bridget Jones's Baby” (opening in cinemas Sept 14).

Photo courtesy of UIP

Zellweger originated the world's favorite singleton in the 2001 feature “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and returned in the 2004 sequel “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” both opposite Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. In the first installment of the franchise, she earned her first Oscar® nomination, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award nominations, among others.

But once upon a time, before Bridget Jones the movie became such a global success, fans of the book were aghast when the role was given to an American actress with an incumbent southern drawl. Today, it is unthinkable to imagine anyone else playing Bridget. Quite simply, no Zellweger, no Bridget.

“Renée, more than anybody, knows what Bridget would say or do,” lauds producer Debra Hayward. “She has an innate understanding of this character, how she would behave, what she would say, what she wouldn’t say.”

“You simply can’t make Bridget without Renée!” exclaims director Sharon Maguire.

It was with Maguire that Zellweger first embarked on Bridget’s cinematic journey 15 years ago, and their coming together for the third installment felt like a fait accompli. “Renée has always loved the role and she, like us, was keen to revisit Bridget,” explains Hayward. “It’s a brilliant evocation of a literary character. Together, Renée and Sharon have created that character on screen. It’s a complete collaboration.”

“Renée has the ability to totally inhabit Bridget and also bring a softer side and emotion to that character,” continues Maguire. “She doesn’t just do comedy. It’s everything about her; the way she acts brings an extra layer of emotion and heart. She’s not afraid to project and unvarnished version of herself and has no vanity whatsoever. Combine that with a kind of Lucille Ball physical comedy that she has and loves. If there’s anything physical, she will wholly get behind it.”

“I can’t imagine a more exciting collaboration than the one that Sharon and I have shared,” agrees Zellweger. In the time that the performer has been playing Bridget, she has developed a deep fondness for the character. “I love her humanity” she says. “I love how authentic she is, how awkward her experiences can be. People relate to her because she is so imperfect, and somehow still manages to triumph in challenging situations. She refuses to give up. She’s self-effacing and faces her dilemmas with humour.”

For Zellweger much of the joy of returning to the world of Bridget was in revisiting not only Bridget herself, but the characters around her. “I wanted to know what happened to all of her friends and what Mum and Dad are doing, as well as where Bridget would be at this time in her life.”

Zellweger simply embodies Bridget, down to her impeccably genuine Home Counties accent. It is only when you see the performers at work that you appreciate how much work goes into becoming the character. The art of being Bridget lies in the subtle physical comedy, of which Zellweger is a master.

What first gave the performer the method to inhabit Bridget was the idea that her character’s thighs rub together and made a swishing noise when she wore tights. For Zellweger, that was a big cue for getting in character and getting her Bridget’s walk—slightly splay footed—down. It came with all sorts of clues as to how she would react.

“Clumsiness comes naturally to me for some reason,” laughs Zellweger. “The intentional clumsiness that is scripted is a lot of fun to play, especially when Sharon is around the corner laughing and shouting out how I might make it clumsier.”

She rightfully earned that respect from her co-stars. “Renée is possibly, more than any other actor I’ve ever known, a trouper,” says Colin Firth. “She’s perpetually buoyant, indefatigable. She’s got long monologues, difficult bits of physical comedy and yet her preparedness is astounding. You’re not supposed to review what your fellow actor has just done; there’s a danger it can throw them off their game. But sometimes I was itching to tell her that what I just saw was genius.”

“Bridget Jones's Baby” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Bridget Jones's Baby movie review

It’s been sixteen years since Bridget Jones first appeared in cinemas back in 2001. I was able to see it when it opened here in the Philippines. Here are some of the points I listed for my review of Bridget Jones’s Baby:

Photo courtesy of UIP

• It was a surprise that there is still a sequel. The last sequel was back in 2004 titled, “Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason.” It’s been twelve years too late for this sequel.
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• Sadly, Hugh Grant won’t reprise his role as Danny Cleaver. But a good thing was, it made the sequel unique so it won’t be predictable.
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• In Danny Cleaver’s absence, the sequel introduced a new character Jack (played by Patrick Dempsey) for the new love triangle.
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• My favourite British screenwriter Richard Curtis won’t be doing this sequel. But it didn’t go far from the world he visualized. The sequel also brought back a trademark of Curtis’ of an American outnumbered by dominant British characters that he started with Four Weddings and A Funeral.
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• The sequel also shows British humor. Be sure to be familiar with British slang because it has adult humor. The Brits have a different way to make you laugh.
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• Usually, sequels don’t do go as it progresses. But for a second sequel, this gave me the most laughs that it almost gave me a tummy ache. The movie mixed slapstick and adult humor.
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• Unlike the previous movies, Bridget Jones’s Baby is not an adaptation. It is only based on Helen Fielding’s work which was adapted in the first two movies. Even though it is expansion of Bridget’s world, it is still funny and entertaining.

My verdict: It is a good movie to watch. Despite the humor, the realities and dilemmas of relationship especially for someone who already in their 40’s like me are real struggles.

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“BRIDGET JONES'S BABY” – A COMEDY PREGNANT WITH POSSIBILITIES

Press release

On 28 February 1995, a small, unassuming column by then-unknown author Helen Fielding appeared in the British newspaper The Independent. It was written from the point of view of a single young woman by the name of Bridget Jones (age: 32, weight: nine stone, three pounds) who lived and worked in London. The columns quickly gained popularity, and as Bridget became a household name, in rolled offers for her creator.Within 10 years of Fielding’s first words on her appearing, Bridget Jones had found herself in two international best-selling books and two global box-office hits.

Photo courtesy of UIP.

(Watch the featurette “A Look Inside Bridget Jones's Baby” at http://youtu.be/EEc8cxUcYzU.)

Now, Oscar® winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by Patrick Dempsey for the next chapter of the world’s favorite singleton in Universal Pictures' romantic comedy “Bridget Jones’s Baby.”

After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones’s (Zellweger) “happily ever after” hasn’t quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could possibly go wrong?

Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr. Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch…she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby’s father.

Fielding never set out to create a role model, and yet in our heroine she crafted someone who had been overlooked by popular culture. This was a woman who, in spite of her independence, was not afraid to reveal her flaws and insecurities.

Save the author, no one knows Jones better than the performer who’s embodied her all these years. “Bridget is eternally optimistic, self-effacing and finds humour whenever facing adversity,” reflects Renée Zellweger. “Tenacious and determined, she will not be defeated. She’s perfectly imperfect, and that’s what people relate to in her.”

At the heart of our protagonist’s quandary is her fear of ending up alone; that translates into independence at a cost. “One of the reasons the first film worked was not just because of the comedy but because people identified with Bridget’s fear of loneliness,” says Sharon Maguire, who bookends the trilogy with her directorial work on this chapter. “It’s a universal fear, and one that’s still a prominent theme in the character’s journey. This is an integral point of access for the audience to empathise with Bridget. The universal undercurrent is that everyone is afraid of being lonely.”

When Bridget was imagined, singletons around the globe realised they were not alone with conflicting aspirations and insecurities. Calorie obsessing, the rules of makeup and shaving, conflicts of the heart and mind, nothing was hidden. “I’m having a Bridget moment” became part of the vernacular, along with “F**kwittage” and “wanton sex goddess.” Bridget optimised a new breed of woman.

When audiences first met Bridget she was 32 years old, and in “Edge of Reason,” she was 34. In “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” she celebrates her 43rd birthday. Despite her success, in the new story, Bridget maintains that wonderful awkwardness that has made her so appealing. “Everybody’s hoped for something and been disappointed. The way that Bridget manages to persevere—despite circumstances that might bring her down—inspires people,” says Zellweger. “She’s suffering the same things we all do and, especially in her private moments, you’re able to connect to her.”

Opening across the Philippines on September 14, “Bridget Jones' Baby” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.