The constant that has remained?
Or, indeed, the unmatched pairing of a chilled glass of white and great skirt.
Over to Hugh…
Claridges has complicated memories for me.
Renée Zellweger wears a Gucci coat, ribbed knit tank top, and denim trousers. Tiffany & Co. ear cuff.
White leather, spiral staircase, views, piranhas.
Shes wearing a sort of expensive tracksuit and looks sporty, happy, and only very mildly bonkers.
We hug with feeling.
Bottega Veneta coat.
I sit on a bench.
Swiss Miss kneels on a rug.
Who kneels to be interviewed?)
Saint Laurent By Anthony Vaccarello coat, trouser suit, and shirt. Christian Louboutin shoes. Laird Hatters hat.
If you had to marry one of todays extras, which would it be?
Who is a better kisser, me or Colleen Firth?
But now the oddness of the situation mutes me.
Saint Laurent By Anthony Vaccarello coat, trouser suit, and shirt. Christian Louboutin shoes. Laird Hatters hat.
I glug whisky and reach for my crib sheet.
Hugh Grant: This is so weird.
Renee Zellweger:Can I see the questions?
Chiwetel Ejiofor wears a Prada turtleneck. Zellweger wears a Loro Piana shirt.
No, you cant.
Can I choose the category that Id like to askyouabout?
I think youll find Im asking the questions here.
Hermès coat, bralette, and jumpsuit.
Career, fashion,Bridget Jones, novelty questionswhich could be anythingor personal and intrusive?
If you score more than 15 in the whole interview, you get a cash prize.
We might as well start with intrusive and rude.
Chanel gilet. Turnbull & Asser shirt.
Shall I tell you what Ive always thought of you?
Do I want to know?
But Ive never seen that glint coming off you.
Hermès coat.
So either its very well disguised or you are quite nice.
Im actually just very boring.
Meanwhileyourefascinating, with a vast hidden trove of outstanding skills.
Youre hilariously brilliant at everything you hate.
And, though you hate humans, youre a very good and loyal friend.
I like you very much.
And I love working with you.
Do I get nicer presents than Colin Firth?
Well, Colin doesnt get the chocolates anymore.
[Put out.]
Youve never sent me chocolates.
Because you get the whiskey.
All right, lets do some bio then.
Tell me what your dad did?
My father was an electrical and mechanical engineer.
Well, actually here [in the UK] for a while.
He worked in Ealing.
His mom is from Waterloo.
So you are a quarter English after all?
Something like that, yes.
See, one of the things thats weird is I dont know youI dont know Texan Renee.
I find her unconvincing.
I only know English Renee, accent-wise.
It seems fake, right?
Saint Laurent By Anthony Vaccarello coat, trouser suit, and shirt.
I cant remember where your home is?
I live in Southern California, near San Diego.
Because thats where my fellow lives, and his little boy.
Well, I suppose thats reasonable.
I want to ask you: Where did we first meet?
I assume at that first read-through for the original film in 2000?
Or was it before, at that meeting in that really sort of sparse room?
How did Bridget come about for you?
There was a hullabaloo at the time: Oh, we cant have an American playing this British icon.
I became aware of it when I worked at Picador.
You went and you did research by working at a publisher?
You were clipping your own clippings!
No, nobody knew.
How could they not?
You were well known then.
Maybe I was out of context or maybe it was having more chubby cheeks.
How long were you there?
A month or two.
And is that where you got your [British] voice?
Well, that was Barbara [Berkery, a voice and dialogue coach].
I saw her three times a day.
It was really hard to get back into it forMad About the Boy, though.
Oh, you sounded perfect.
Tell me: Why come back and do Bridge again?
And her story is not finished.
As long as Helen [Fielding] puts pen to paper, shes alive.
How much are we allowed to say about it?
Give me the one-liner.
I guess we catch up with everyone later in life.
Life has changed, theyve changed.
Bridgets a mom…
Is that enough?
They skirt through that and then they say, So Bridgets back!
Youre so good inHeretic.
Oh, the darkness on that set every day.
And did it mess with you?
Could you separate from that energy when you got home?
No, I went and killed in the evening.
That reminds me, I must kill tonight.
Can you wait till we leave?
Heres a penetrating question Im often asked: Can you explain the seemingly never-ending appeal of theBridget Jonesfranchise?
I have a really good answer.
OK, you first.
In a nutshell, I say it is the antidote to Instagram.
Instagram is telling people, especially women, Your lifes not good enough.
Its not as good as this womans or this womans, making you insecure.
Whereas what Helen did with Bridget is to celebrate failure, while making it funny and joyful.
I was going to say the exact same thing!
[Laughs dryly.]
I fear this sarcasm wont translate in print.
What I think is, dont you meet a lot of people who say, IamBridget Jones!?
I think maybe folks recognize themselves in her and relate to her struggles and feelings of self-doubt.
Although I dont have Instagram, so I dont have that in my brain, personally.
I know, too ghastly.
Well, our mothers definitely had that imposed upon them in a much more regimented and socially reinforced way.
These were prejudices you couldnt escape.
If you werent married by 25 you were an old hag…
But I dont think that women my age are imposing that on their daughters.
Do you think the original film looks dated now?
For instance, our romance, do you think people would think thats very inappropriate?
Hes her boss and hes exploiting his powerful position.
Where do you stand on that?
Oh, isnt that interesting.
Im really glad I dont have to have an opinion about this in real life.
Im sure there wouldve beenthemeeting, right?
Everyone wouldve had to get together and talk about how you engage with people.
Chiwetel Ejiofor wears a Prada turtleneck.
Zellweger wears a Loro Piana shirt.
And Daniel wouldve had to be re-educated.
[She nods, laughing.]
But all sorts of things are shifting now.
I remember I went to a New Years Eve party at a supermodel friends house.
Shes a mom now.
The six-foot-tall, lanky, long hair, just zenith prototype beauty standard for my generation.
And she said to me, Oh, my gosh.
You dont have to have big boobs and a big round behind to be gorgeous.
And I thought, Oh, thats interesting.
So this strikingly beautiful woman for her was the exception.
What do you think of Britain now compared to 20 years ago?
What I mostly remember thinking back then was that everybody loved the food at M&S.
Prepackaged food in America 24 years ago was a terrible idea.
So the idea of foods ready to go seemed sketchy to me.
But it really was great…
Im obsessed with that.
Do you know Ive started cooking for the first time in 64 years?
[Chuckles incredulously.]
I cant stop barbecuing.
Cant stop buying barbecue equipment.
And now that its winter, Ive moved indoors and I cant stop buying Le Creuset.
Its beautiful stuff, isnt it?
Ive poisoned my family twice, given them worms.
Oh, have you?
It was dark, you see.
It was on the barbecue and I stuck my Heston Blumenthal prod into it.
I couldnt quite read it.
So I served it outworms all round.
And the children now beg me not to cook.
How did you not know?
[Waves a hand, dismissively.]
Lets talk more about England.
Do you think its less of a jolly place?
Or have we just turned into those old people who complain about everything?
I know I have.
Im on your heels.
Weve had our turn and now were going to compare everything to the way we like it to be.
So I dont think the UK is a sadder place.
I have another personal and intrusive question.
People see you as Bridget, who is less fit, but you are frighteningly fit.
I think you gotta tell everyone how and why.
Oh, I dont think that Bridget is not fit.
Shes just different from me.
I run for my sanity.
Ill sprint a mile.
No, not every day.
Three times a week.
I have herniated discs.
Now, would you like to talk about fashion or your career now?
Which would you like to talk about?
Where do you stand on stretch fabrics?
Im not sure theyre healthy.
I dont understand why everything is fucking stretch.
[Sighs in agreement.]
Why do they like it?
I did a film last year.
I needed a pair of jeans and said, but not stretch.
They couldnt find any in the whole of the United States of America.
Get you some Wranglers!
Hermes coat, bralette, and jumpsuit.
Do you think people on the whole should dress up more or less for going to the shops?
Im never going to dress up to go to the shops.
So what would you wear?
Well, clothing that is appropriately covering.
Do you think people should be a bit more stylish, a little more chic?
So should more people dress likeyouor dress likeme?
I dont think thats a fair response.
I think youre very chic.
Im wearing a tracksuit.
Yeah, but a sort of pricey one.
But thats another story.
OK. Its a big awards show, how do you decide on what youre going to wear?
Do you have a favorite designer who throws things at you?
Do you have one of those absurd stylists?
All of the above.
And I do work with a lovely lady namedPetra [Flannery] in Los Angeles.
And she simplifies things for me because we have a conversation about what feels right.
Shell be like, Ive got you.
Do you have a favorite dress from your many, many outings?
I loved the champagne bubbles dress for the Met Gala in 2011 [designed by Carolina Herrera].
And the2020 white Armani Prive Oscars dresswas also incredibly special.
I love that dress.
A billion hand-sewn gems!
It weighed two tons, but felt like a T-shirt.
Voguethinks youre very good in little black dresses.
Oh, thats very nice.
I mean, a little black dress does a girl a lot of good.
Boys are frightened of eveningwear.
We like cocktail dresses.
Because you think youre probably going someplace thats going to be quite formal and uptight?
We just dont think they look as good.
And all that make-up and hair: Whos that?
Are you chummy with any of the big designers?
Im rather glamorous and used to go and stay on Valentinos yacht, for instance.
Oh, it was the girlfriends.
Well, lets see.
I did meet Valentino in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City in the 90s.
I am chummy with Tom Ford.
And I loved his husband,Richard.
I think they were wonderful people.
Oh, and Carolina Herrera.
And the Armani family.
By the way, do you prefer the word actor or actress?
Well, I became an actress and now Im an actor.
I guess Im indifferent to those things.
Its so fun not to have opinions about certain things, isnt it?
Youve dodged that little snake pit.
Ill ask you something easier.
No, you wont.
Is it the one you are most proud of?
It was the one that scared me the most, because I didnt know if I could do it.
Were you looking forward to it or dreading it?
Momentum just pushes you throughready or not… too bad.
And then comes dread.
But I do love a good useless rumination.
Because I feel I could be marvellous, but Im terrified that I will get scared and freeze.
Have you ever frozen?
Ive never seen you do it.
Ive broken down laughing uncontrollably.
I think its fatigue or its that youve gone for so long that you lose control of your faculties.
Thats happened where it just starts, the giggle thing starts and it just wont stop.
Thats happened to me twice.
Turnbull & Asser shirt.
Why did you take a hiatus [from acting, from 2010 to 2016]?
Because I needed to.
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, Renee?
Oh, is this your mad voice?
It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences.
What did you do with the time off?
No, no, no.
I wrote music and studied international law.
Why would I do that?
Will you look at the box office?
No, I dont know what it means.
Ive never looked at the box office or Rotten Tomatoes.
Have you ever googled your name?
Have you ever put your name into Twitter to see what people are saying about you?
I dont have Twitter.
Well, my silence expresses my skepticism of all your answers.
But why would I do that?
When, late at night, insecure, drunk, you think: Who hates me?
Its none of my business.
I read every review on Rotten Tomatoes, skipping through looking for the green splats.
Sometimes theres hardly any, but theyre the ones I make a beeline for.
Why would you do that to yourself?
Especially when you cant sleep?
Is it that or is it the hope for validation?
No, because I skip the good ones.
To prove to yourself that youre right, that you did a terrible job.
Its sick, I know.
You cut that out.
If you were born again, would you rather be an actor or a musician?
Thats a hard one.
I do like the music.
I never knew this.
Do you play an instrument?
I tinker on the piano and guitar.
If you came back, if you were 18 and going to university, would you be an actor?
Would you say theres been a change in what that life is like over the last 25 years?
There used to be a line between celebrity and art.
That people think you set out to be a celebrity rather than an actor?
The line has become increasingly ambiguous.
And notorious and famous and known are now all the same thing.
It used to be that you were known because you had done something that was worth knowing about.
Can I get a selfie?
I take a selfie.
What happens on the 50th occasion, the same morning?
Do you still say yes?
When I cant say yes, I prioritize.
Its a skill you learn, right?
Everybodys got to get to work.
How have we remained in touch over the years?
You have sent me the longest emails Ive ever received.
And you hear them in a British accent when you read them.
I suppose I do.
I cant understand one single word of them either way.
I should have brought some.
Theyre written in some curious language that I cant really understand.
[Gathering a head of steam.]
Do you remember what you gave me when we wrappedBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason?
When we wrapped in Thailand you were teasing me because I was a shade-seeker.
Everybody else was passing out from heatstroke.
If youre Texan you know about the hat and the sunscreen and the whole thing.
No, but you were insane.
You looked like Michael Jackson.
You were wearing gloves.
I was not wearing gloves!
I definitely didnt have my shirt off.
And I had to carry those books home.
Theyre beautiful, by the way, but damn it, Grant!
Heres one ofVogues questions.
Bridget tries out dating apps, has Renee ever dabbled?
I mean, I think I aged out of that, right?
Everyones just going to go, Well, theres Renee Zellweger.
Did you ever use dating apps?
No, I dont even know what they are.
I sat at a wedding with a friend once and she was swiping through the thing.
But everything probably becomes more insular because you dont need to go out to engage.
And the clubs of London are shutting.
Our local cinemas are shutting.
The local wine bar where I met my wife is empty.
I cant bear it.
I miss that we used to congregate for different things.
Everybody saw the same films because there were 10 in a six-month period.
Everyones going to seeStar Warsand were all going to talk about it.
Now its all bespoke.
Could you leave it plugged in at the hospital?
I like the opportunity for people to communicate important things quickly.
Not nonsense, but medical information.
I like that people in countries where theres oppression, theres a movement that is enabled through that communication.
Its being replaced with…
With opinion, conjecture.
I shouldnt have had the whiskey.
You are quite political now too, right?
I know, so boring.
I like a rant.
Thats why you dont ask me to dinner parties.
No, no, no.
Youre always on the list and then I cut you out at the last moment.
[He sighs again.]
Youre right, Im not very friendly.
I dont think thats true about you at all.
I dont think youre curmudgeonly.
I think youre funny.
But I dont think that you suffer superficial conversation.
It exhausts and bores you, and youd rather watch cricket on telly.
Well, you know my feelings about people, Renee.
I dont like them on the whole.
But you, you Ive always liked.
Should that worry me, Grant?
Yes, I think it should.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boyis on Peacock now.
In this story: hair, Syd Hayes; make-up, Lisa Butler.
Nails: Robbie Tomkins.
Set design: Jabez Bartlett.
