Renee Zellweger is one of those celebs who perfectly sums up the American dream.
Her charming demeanor and serious acting chops have helped make her one of the most celebrated
actresses of a generation.
Zellweger has embraced change throughout her career to win some iconic roles, and many
of those changes included dramatic physical transformations.
For every movie star discovered by chance in a random mall, bank, or pizza parlor, there's
a celebrity who made the trek to Hollywood themselves and kept the dream alive through
every bit part and failed audition.
Just ask Renee Zellweger.
In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Zellweger reflected on her early days in La
La Land, saying,
"I was 24 when I first moved to Los Angeles.
I didn't really know how to pursue a career.
Every job I feel I got by accident."
After landing small appearances in movies like 1993's Dazed and Confused and 1994's
Reality Bites and a starring role in 1994's Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,
Zellweger stumbled upon her happiest accident yet — a not-so-little movie by the name
of Jerry Maguire.
Cameron Crowe, the film's director, auditioned several well-known actresses for the part
that would go on to be Zellweger's big break — but neither Gwyneth Paltrow nor Mira Sorvino
had quite what Crowe was looking for.
In an interview with Deadline, the director recalled thinking while casting the part,
"She doesn't even have to be a star.
Maybe it's better if she isn't."
The casting director recommended Zellweger, and the rest is history.
Crowe added,
"Renee fit that piece of the puzzle perfectly."
"Just shut up.
You had me at hello."
Zellweger certainly stole hearts in Jerry Maguire, but it was her portrayal of Bridget
Jones that solidified her celebrity.
Bridget Jones' Diary was a highly-anticipated cinematic adaptation of its novel precursor,
which was a literary hit.
The everywoman heroine is British in every way — so the casting of American Zellweger
was quite a shock.
According to the BBC, actresses with considerably more accomplished careers were considered
for the role during a two-year search — including Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Watson — but
Zellweger's charm eventually won over the film's producers.
Not only did Zellweger have to perfect a British accent for her leading lady debut — which
she did to rave reviews – the actress had to change her physical appearance.
A recurring theme throughout Bridget Jones's Diary is the 30-something's tendency to feel
self-conscious about her weight.
Zellweger told Us magazine in 2001 that she gained 20 pounds to step into character — going
from 110 pounds to 130 pounds in a matter of months.
Despite the depiction of the heroine as "chubby," the Post was quick to note that 130 pounds
on Zellweger's 5'5" frame is far from unhealthy.
In fact, it's well within the normal weight range for a woman of Zellweger's stature.
Though the length of Zellweger's mane stayed pretty much the same, the actress stepped
out on many a red carpet in late 2004 and early 2005 without her signature blonde tresses.
Instead, her golden locks had been replaced by a deep-brunette 'do.
While it was a far cry from the golden blonde fans knew and loved, Zellweger's dark hair
perfectly complemented her fair skin and light blue eyes.
Whether she anticipated it or not, Zellweger was also about to change her life — for
better or for worse.
In January 2005, the Hollywood starlet met country music superstar Kenny Chesney.
The pair fell in love, had a whirlwind romance, and wed in a beachside ceremony in May 2005,
according to People magazine.
By the day of her wedding, Zellweger had traded her dark tresses for her natural blonde strands.
But as many whirlwind romances go, Zellweger and Chesney's marriage ended only four months
after their beautiful wedding ceremony.
In a joint statement, Zellweger and Chesney said that, quote, "the miscommunication of
the objective of their marriage at the start" was the underlying cause of the September
2005 annulment.
"The only fraud that was committed was me thinking that I knew what it was like, that
I really understood what it meant to be married and I really didn't."
You'd be hard pressed to find a person who hasn't felt pressure to look a certain way
or conform to societal beauty standards in order to be considered "attractive."
For a person living their life in the public eye, that pressure is multiplied infinitely.
Generally speaking, celebrities possess seemingly unattainable levels of attractiveness.
As most stars will tell you themselves, it takes a village to make it look like you just
stepped off the cover of Vogue.
When you're used to the luxury of looking perfectly put-together all the time, the thought
of going without makeup can be, well, frightening.
However, Zellweger welcomed the opportunity to go makeup-free for her Oscar-winning Cold
Mountain performance.
Speaking with ABC News about the 2003 film, she said,
"I find there's so much more freedom in the parts where you don't have to constantly be
concerned about looking right.
[Ruby] looked like where the day led her."
According to a 2003 press junket interview for the film adaptation of Broadway's hit
musical Chicago, Zellweger had never seen — or even read — Chicago when she was
asked to audition for the part of Roxie Hart.
She explained,
"I thought, 'No, I don't think I should do [the movie],' 'cause I didn't have enough
understanding of it."
Though she was reluctant, Chicago director Rob Marshall convinced Zellweger to join the
production during their first meeting.
Zellweger recalled how Marshall convinced her to abandon her initial reservations through
his wealth of insight, wisdom, and insistence that all the singing and dancing Zellweger
was concerned she wouldn't be able to do would be just fine.
After six weeks of voice and dance lessons, Zellweger stepped confidently into the role
of a lifetime — delivering a performance that earned her an Oscar nomination.
Little did Zellweger know that her iconic performance in Chicago wouldn't be the last
time she used her newfound vocal talent on screen.
The weeks of voice lessons certainly came in handy when Zellweger stepped into her next
musical role — this time, though, she traded her tap shoes for a wheelchair.
My Own Love Song tells the story of Zellweger's character Jane, a wheelchair-bound singer,
and Forest Whitaker's character Joey, a former fireman.
The soundtrack for the film featured 16 new Bob Dylan songs — some of which were covered
by Zellweger in her heartfelt performance.
The film was met with widely negative reviews — though Zellweger and Whitaker's performances
were praised.
IFC said her portrayal of Jane was:
"Zellweger's first genuine performance in years."
According to Variety, which called her performance forceful,
"Zellweger resonates beyond the feebleness of the dialogue."
They can't all be box office hits, but Zellweger seems to always be on her A-game.
Nothing makes headlines in Hollywood quite like an actress' big hair chop.
Just before My Own Love Song hit theaters in 2010, Zellweger chopped off her long, blonde
locks and traded them for an adorable cropped 'do.
This wasn't the first time Zellweger found herself in the news for getting a trim — she
debuted a fun pixie cut on the red carpet at Bee Movie's 2007 premiere.
There are a ton of benefits to having super short hair.
Less shower time, less styling time, no more vanishing ponytail holders — honestly, who
hasn't considered biting the bullet and going through with a dramatic chop?
That said, if you've always had a lengthy 'do, making the decision to chop it off requires
a certain amount of bravery — especially if you're a celebrity.
While the average person would likely only have to worry about what their friends and
family might say, celebrities like Zellweger have the distinct privilege of being put on
trial in the court of public opinion.
Luckily, the chop was well-received.
Is there a look Zellweger can't pull off?
In 2014, at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, Zellweger walked the red carpet and posed
for photos looking — well, not like herself.
Her appearance sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment news-sphere.
Suddenly, Zellweger was the news — a stark contrast to her long hiatus.
Responding to the buzz about her new look, Zellweger told People magazine at the time,
"I'm glad folks think I look different!
I'm living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I'm thrilled that perhaps it shows."
Zellweger certainly seemed genuine in her response to the criticism her so-called "new"
face received, but the star's happiness wasn't enough to stave off swirling rumors of plastic
surgery.
Responding to a 2016 Variety article that went in depth about the possibility she'd
had plastic surgery, Zellweger penned an op-ed for The Huffington Post simply titled, "We
Can Do Better."
In it she noted,
"Not that it's anyone's business, but I did not make a decision to alter my face and have
surgery on my eyes."
In 2019 the actress revealed that the incessant chatter about her looks landed her in therapy.
Luckily, working with a professional helped Zellweger refocus on what's truly important
in life.
In an interview with Vulture, she joked,
"Nothing like international humiliation to set your perspective right!
[...] It clarifies what's important to you.
And it shakes off any sort of clingy superficiality."
According to Zellweger, while the rest of the world was abuzz with talk of her rumored
plastic surgery, she was busy enjoying life away from the spotlight.
In a September 2019 Vulture profile, journalist Jonathan Van Meter wrote,
"It must be said: Zellweger looks great; she looks like herself again."
Van Meter noted that whatever cosmetic work Zellweger was rumored to have done to her
trademark, quote, "crinkly and comically expressive" eyes was clearly temporary — even though
Zellweger has stated that she didn't undergo any sort of cosmetic procedure to alter her
eyes.
Discussing one of the worst parts of having the media and general public speculate on
whether or not she had plastic surgery, Zellweger told Vulture,
"The implication that I somehow needed to change what was going on because it wasn't
working.
[...] That makes me sad.
I don't look at beauty in that way.
And I don't think of myself in that way.
I like my weird quirkiness, my off-kilter mix of things.
It enables me to do what I do.
I don't want to be something else."
Zellweger certainly has an incredible ability to completely transform herself in order to
fit a director's vision for a particular character.
However, as she proved in early 2018, the actress can just as seamlessly transform into
one of the most beloved actresses of all time.
On March 19th, 2018, the first look of Zellweger in the Judy Garland biopic was released, sending
Zellweger and Garland fans alike somewhere over the rainbow.
Judy, which is about Garland's later years and final performances, didn't have a release
date at the time Variety debuted the first-look photo — but one look was all fans needed
to go crazy over the uncanny resemblance Zellweger bears to Garland.
Garland had a notoriously beautiful and distinct singing voice, so no movie about her life
would be quite complete without featuring her most iconic performances.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Zellweger took on the task of covering those iconic
performances with her own distinctive voice.
As seen in the movie's trailer, Zellweger could easily pass for Judy Garland's twin.
However, even though looking the part is an important component of playing a Hollywood
legend, many were curious to discover if Zellweger could truly capture the icon's essence.
Luckily, Zellweger has never been one to disappoint.
According to the cast and crew of 2019's Judy, the film showcases one of Zellweger's most
incredible transformations yet.
Rosalyn Wilder, a producer's assistant at London's Talk of the Town — the famous nightclub
at which Judy Garland once had a residency — said in a featurette for Judy that she
was floored by the way Zellweger transformed into Garland.
"I was absolutely stunned.
I've never seen such a transformation."
Actress Jessie Buckley, who appears alongside Zellweger in Judy, was also blown away by
her co-star's performance.
"It's literally like Judy's in the room when she comes into character.
Renee doesn't look like Renee anymore."
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