Renée Zellweger took a break from acting for years because she grew ‘tired’ of her own voice
Renée Zellweger paused her acting career for six years during the 2010s, and she is now sharing the reasons behind her break.
The Oscar-winning star of “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” who is now 55, spoke with co-star Hugh Grant in an interview for British Vogue, explaining her decision to step away from the industry from 2010 to 2016.
“I needed that time,” she stated. “I was fed up with the sound of my own voice. While I was acting, I’d often think, ‘Wow, are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is that your angry voice?’ It felt like I was just repeating the same emotional moments.”
Despite her time away from the screen, Zellweger was far from inactive during those years.
“I wrote music, studied international law, built a house, adopted two older dogs, started a production company, advocated for a sick friend by fundraising, and spent quality time with family and my godchildren, traveling across the country with my dogs. I focused on my health,” she revealed to Grant.
Following her role in 2010’s “My Own Love Song,” Zellweger did not return to cinema until 2016, when she featured in “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” the third in the Bridget Jones series, and “The Whole Truth.”
Only three years after returning to acting, she portrayed Judy Garland in the 2019 biopic “Judy,” a performance that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. This was her second Oscar; she previously won Best Supporting Actress for “Cold Mountain” in 2004.
Although Zellweger has not acted in films since “Judy,” she is set to return this year with another “Bridget Jones” movie. The fourth film in the beloved romantic comedy saga, titled “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” is set to premiere on Peacock on February 13. This film also marks Grant’s return to the series after he did not appear in “Bridget Jones’s Baby.”
While her last film release was in 2019, Zellweger broke her hiatus by starring in the true crime drama series “The Thing About Pam.”
The “Jerry Maguire” actress previously mentioned in an interview with New York Magazine that her decision to step away from acting stemmed from feeling “unhealthy” and not taking proper care of herself. During her break, she also began seeing a therapist.
“He pointed out that I spent almost all my time as my public image, with only a tiny bit dedicated to my actual life,” she noted. “I needed a break from constant commitments, to not always plan what I will be doing for the next couple of years. It was important for me to create space for spontaneity and quiet, so new ideas could find their way in.”
Contributing: Charles Trepany
