Bridget Jones actress Renee Zellweger has spoken out about rumours that she's had plastic surgery in a revealing new interview. Speaking to Vulture, the Oscar-winning star was candid about the pressures of Hollywood and how she feels about her looks, as well as talking about the challenges of playing Judy Garland in her new film Judy.
Renee attended the Venice Film Festival alongside Judy director Rupert Goold
When asked about her appearance at the 2014 Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, where she seemed to have had plastic surgery, she acknowledged that it was a difficult topic to talk about. "It probably gives you a stomachache, asking me about that, doesn’t it?" she teased the interviewer.
She went on to say: "There’s a value judgment that’s placed on us. As if it somehow is a reflection of your character – whether you’re a good person or a weak person or an authentic person… The implication that I somehow needed to change what was going on because it wasn’t working 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."
MORE: Bridget Jones is OFFICIALLY coming back – and we can't wait!
The star returned to acting in 2016 after a six-year break
She admitted that she spent about a year feeling depressed, partly related to the public obsession over her looks. "Nothing like international humiliation to set your perspective right," she said. "It clarifies what’s important to you. And it shakes off any sort of clingy superficiality."
READ: Renee Zellweger teases FOURTH Bridget Jones film
She's now feeling much more positive and has returned to performing, starring in Bridget Jones' Baby in 2016 and playing a central role in Netflix's brilliantly bizarre thriller What/If earlier this year, where she portrayed a Silicon Valley billionaire with several dark secrets. Next up is Judy, in which she'll sing on screen for the first time since 2003's Chicago, which brought her an Oscar nomination. Asked how she approached playing the legendary diva, she gave a one-word response: "Denial." The film will be released in the UK on 4 October.
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