“When I was working, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, listen to you. Are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is this your mad voice?,” Zellweger explained of her decision to take a step back. “It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences.”
Sometimes you just need a break!
And for Renée Zellweger that break meant a much-needed six-year hiatus from Hollywood.
During an interview with British Vogue, the 2x Oscar winner opened up to her Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy co-star Hugh Grant about why she took a break from acting in 2010, before returning for 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby.
“Because I needed to,” Zellweger said plainly. “I was sick of the sound of my own voice. When I was working, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, listen to you. Are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is this your mad voice? It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences.”
As for what she did through those years, Zellweger explained to Grant that she kept busy during her time away from the screen.
Getty
Renee Zellweger Says She Met Ant Anstead Because She Signed Up for Wrong TV Show
View Story
“I wrote music and studied international law,” she shared. “I built a house, rescued a pair of older doggies, created a partnership that led to a production company, advocated for and fundraised with a sick friend, and spent a lot of time with family and godchildren and driving across the country with the dogs. I got healthy.”
And when she returned, Zellweger did it in a big way, winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance as Judy Garland in the 2019 biopic Judy.
She’s also created a bit of balance in her life, tuning out some of the Hollywood noise by making time for her romance with Ant Anstead. Another way she does that, is by steering clear of movie reviews and box office results for her projects
“No. Why would I do that?” Zellweger asked when Grant questioned whether or not she likes to know how her projects are doing. “I promise you. I’ve never looked at the box office or Rotten Tomatoes.”
Getty
Ant Anstead Opens Up About Renée Zellweger Romance: ‘We Kept It Secret For A While’
View Story
Zellweger and Grant’s latest revisiting of the Bridget Jones world is scheduled to premiere on Valentine’s Day, and sees Zellweger’s titular character in her early 50s, navigating modern life and juggling motherhood. Now a widow who has lost the love of her life (Colin Firth), everyone suggests that she just needs to get laid.
The sequel is based on author Helen Fielding’s third novel in her series. In addition to returning cast members Zellweger, Firth, Grant, Patrick Dempsey and Emma Thompson, the sequel also stars Leo Woodall, Chiwetel Eijofor, Isla Fisher, Josette Simon, Nico Parker and Leila Farzad.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy premieres February 13 on Peacock and will be in cinemas internationally the following day.
