Renee Zellweger on Almost 25 Years as "Bridget Jones"

Summary

Summary of "Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist" Featuring Renee Zellweger

Podcast Information:

• Title: Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist
• Host: Willie Geist, Sunday TODAY
• Episode: Renee Zellweger on Almost 25 Years as "Bridget Jones"
• Release Date: February 23, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the "Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist," host Willie Geist engages in an in-depth conversation with Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger. The discussion centers around almost 25 years of Zellweger’s portrayal of the iconic British character, Bridget Jones, exploring the character's evolution, Zellweger’s career trajectory, and her personal insights into maintaining privacy amidst Hollywood's spotlight.

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Renee Zellweger’s Career Journey

Early Beginnings and Breakthrough: Renee Zellweger hails from Katy, Texas, where she was an athlete and a cheerleader before discovering her passion for acting during her time at the University of Texas. Her early work includes a role in the low-budget remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995), where she co-starred with a young Matthew McConaughey. This role was a stepping stone that led to her breakout performance in Jerry Maguire (1996), opposite Tom Cruise, which significantly elevated her career.

Key Highlights:

• Notable Roles: Me, Myself & I, Nurse Betty, Chicago (Oscar nomination), Cold Mountain (Academy Award), Judy Garland (Academy Award).
• Career Break: In 2010, Zellweger took a hiatus from Hollywood for six years to focus on personal growth and well-being, returning in 2016 with the third Bridget Jones film.

“I needed to go and do something else to grow as a person.”
— Renee Zellweger [16:37]

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The Bridget Jones Phenomenon

Character’s Endurance: Renee Zellweger has portrayed Bridget Jones across four films over nearly 25 years, adapting the character from her literary origins by Helen Fielding. Initially met with skepticism over an American actress playing a beloved British character, Zellweger convinced audiences and critics alike with her authentic performance.

“It's about a fictional character and to check in with her every, you know, so many years and rediscover who she might be.”
— Renee Zellweger [03:15]

Character Traits and Relatability: Bridget Jones is celebrated for her messy, imperfect nature, which resonates with audiences. Zellweger emphasizes that Bridget’s struggles and triumphs mirror real-life chaos and imperfection, making her an endearing and relatable heroine.

“She doesn't always have the right thing to say... she still succeeds, she still triumphs. She's still happy.”
— Renee Zellweger [04:18]

Evolution in the Fourth Film: In the upcoming fourth installment, Bridget is portrayed as a single mother grieving the loss of Mark Darcy, navigating healing and parenthood. The film delves into themes of bereavement, personal growth, and the importance of community and friendships.

“She's a single mother and she's grieving the loss of the love of her life, Mark Darcy.”
— Renee Zellweger [06:31]

“Community and the importance of the friendships that you've nurtured for years and years...”
— Renee Zellweger [09:10]

Happily Ever After? While initially hinting that the fourth film may serve as Bridget’s "happily ever after," Zellweger remains optimistic about future stories.

“This is potentially her happily ever after.”
— Renee Zellweger [12:01]

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Maintaining Privacy and Groundedness

Navigating Fame: Zellweger discusses the challenges of sudden fame following Jerry Maguire and subsequent successes. She recounts her discomfort with paparazzi attention and her efforts to maintain a grounded persona despite Hollywood’s demands.

“I didn’t feel like I was ready for Take It In Stride.”
— Renee Zellweger [26:08]

Strategies for Privacy: Zellweger attributes her ability to stay grounded to her upbringing and personal choices, such as avoiding social media. She values real-life interactions and meaningful experiences over performative online presence.

“I never really took to it. I'm real busy with the things that are right in front of me.”
— Renee Zellweger [18:36]

“I'm still the girl from Katy, Texas... just want to have fun and make my friends and... have great experiences.”
— Renee Zellweger [29:53]

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Personal Reflections and Future Endeavors

Professional Rhythm and Breaks: Zellweger elaborates on her decision to take a hiatus from acting, emphasizing the necessity for personal health and growth. She highlights the importance of stepping away to prevent burnout and to seek new creative avenues.

“It was just necessary. It was time. I wasn't healthy.”
— Renee Zellweger [16:19]

Upcoming Projects: Looking ahead, Zellweger hints at new projects, including an animated short developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued involvement in filmmaking through her production company.

“There's a few things and we'll see what lands... releasing a little, a little animated short that I did over.”
— Renee Zellweger [31:01]

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Upbringing and Entry into Acting

Family Background: Zellweger’s parents are immigrants from Switzerland and Norway, which influenced her culturally diverse upbringing in rural Texas. Her supportive yet unawareness of local Texas culture provided her with a unique perspective growing up.

“My parents didn't recognize the social importance of that, you know, of the homecoming game.”
— Renee Zellweger [20:32]

Discovering Acting: Her fascination with acting began in high school, inspired by her older brother. It was during a required fine art class at the University of Texas that Zellweger discovered her passion for acting, leading her to participate in independent filmmaking projects that solidified her love for the craft.

“I ended up doing a thesis film with a film student who was getting her degree... I loved the creative aspect of it.”
— Renee Zellweger [21:14]

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Conclusion

Renee Zellweger’s conversation with Willie Geist provides an intimate look into her enduring love affair with the character Bridget Jones, her strategic career moves, and her efforts to maintain authenticity and privacy in the relentless world of Hollywood. As Zellweger approaches what may be the final chapter of Bridget Jones, she remains committed to meaningful storytelling and personal growth, promising audiences continued excellence and heartfelt performances.

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Notable Quotes:

• “It's the best job in the world.”
  — Renee Zellweger [03:15]

• “You’ll never regret the thing you didn't post.”
  — Renee Zellweger [18:54]

• “I've made it the big time.”
  — Renee Zellweger [25:46]

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This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of Renee Zellweger’s illustrious career, her iconic role as Bridget Jones, and her personal philosophy on life and fame, making it an engaging listen for fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Renee Zellweger]

Foreign.

[Willie Geist]

Hey, guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. Got a great conversation for you today with an Academy Award winner. Her name is Renee Zellweger. She is out with the fourth, perhaps final we get into that conversation of the Bridget Jones movies that have helped to define her career and have been such hits based on the novels by a British author named Helen Fielding. The first movie came out in 2001. It's been almost 25 years, believe it or not, since they launched these movies. There was some talk, as you'll hear Renee say at the beginning, why is our beloved British character being played by a Texan? She got through that once. The movie came at her and said, oh, right, she's great. She's perfect for it. People love this character. They love the books, they love Renee, and there's a good reason. And it's been going on now for four movies and almost 25 years. Just so much fun to talk to. Smart, funny. A sweetheart from Katy, Texas, is Renee Zellweger. It's about 30 miles west of Houston. Picture Texas, Friday Night Lights. There it is. Great high school football team. She was a cheerleader. She was an athlete. Interesting though her parents are immigrants from Europe, so they didn't quite get all the Friday Night Lights, Texas of it all. But she was right in the middle of it when she went to the University of Texas when she really got interested in and hooked on films and filmmaking. One of her earliest movies was in 1995 in one of the updates, very small budget of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror classic. She co starred with another young Texan named Matthew McConaughey. So that's 1995. Imagine this. The next year she goes from that Jerry Maguire, comes out in 96 and obviously her life blows up. She's so good in the movie across from Tom Cruise. Everything changes from there. She's in Me, Myself and I. She's in Nurse Betty. She's in Chicago, for which she earned an Oscar nomination and then won an Academy Award for Cold Mountain. Took a break in 2010 for six or seven years just because she'd done so much. She'd been going so hard for so long. Stepped away from Hollywood and then came back in 2016 for the third Bridget Jones movie. And then, of course, she played Judy Garland and won an Academy Award for best actress just a few years ago. Great actor, has a great head on her shoulders, has all this Hollywood business in its place. Tries to stay private and humble And I think does a good job of both. So I think you'll enjoy getting to know a little bit better. Renee Zellweger right now on the Sunday Sit Down Podcast.

[Renee Zellweger]

I'm so happy to talk to you, Renee. Thank you for doing this.

Me, too, Willie. Thanks for wanting to sit down.

I feel like we've already had a nice, long conversation. We ought to just use that, probably.

You know what might be more interesting? You never know.

I don't think so, because people are so excited about the new Bridget movie. Congratulations.

Thanks so much.

She's back. She's mad about the boy.

Indeed.

What brought you back this time?

I say it all the time. It's the best job in the world. I love this character since I was introduced to her with everybody else in the mid-90s, and it's reunion with my friends, you know, friendships forged over 25 years. You know, how do you say no? What an unusual thing, you know, to be going through life's journey in real time with a fictional character and to check in with her every, you know, so many years and rediscover who she might be, tell stories through her perspective. It's a pretty cool job.

And it's been a gap since the last one. Like, there was last time, too, eight or nine years this time. So people are so excited that she came back, that you all are back. I'm curious what you love about playing Bridget since 2001, when you first played her. What was it that you read in Helen's books that you said, oh, I want to be a part of that?

Well, she's just so unusual, you know, you don't see a cinema heroine who's so messy. You know, she's messy, and things never go to plan, and she doesn't always have the right thing to say. In fact, usually she says all the wrong things. And it's so. I don't know, it seems so inspiring. And I say that because even though things are not what she thinks they ought to be and they don't measure up to, you know, social paradigms, she still succeeds, she still triumphs. She's still happy. You know, she's a joyful, lovely person. I find her endearing.

I think people also see themselves in her, which is sometimes life looks perfect in the movies, and it certainly is not for Bridget. And they go, yeah, that's right. That's what life is actually like.

Yeah. Like spinning plates and chaos.

Yes.

And best laid plans, you know, best fake it till you make it. Yeah. I think that's testament to Helen's gift as a writer that she mined all these experiences that she recognizes as universally relatable. And we all see ourselves in that kind of chaos and the messiness of life, not quite getting it right. It's a nice thing to spend time with somebody who reminds us that it's okay to be a little bit imperfect, probably especially today with Instagram and all of the messages out there about these hyper idealized images and I guess, lifestyles and always being presented with everyone's perfect version of themselves. Yeah. Nice to spend some time with somebody who just doesn't quite add up to that.

Yeah, it's true, isn't it? Because I don't think Instagram certainly wasn't as prevalent even from the last movie, as it is now that you see again, reality projected at you in a movie. So let's talk about where we find Bridget in this fourth edition.

Probably not what people might expect after the last film. She's a single mother and she's grieving the loss of the love of her life, Mark Darcy. And so, you know, she's trying to figure out how to move on into healing and begin again and what that means, how to get there, trying to be a good parent and help her children through the grieving process. Everybody has ideas about when bereavement should end and what you should do and the best ways of getting on with things. And I guess, like everything you have to, you know, push the noise out and listen to your intuition and taking.

Care of yourself at the same time that you're supposed to be taking care of everybody else as well. When do you get back on the horse and live again?

Yeah, And I don't think that. I think that's probably something that the parents can relate to pretty strongly, is that. That you've come last? Yeah, yeah.

There's that beautiful scene where you're lying with your father and he says, promise me that you won't just survive, that you'll live. And that sort of sets off the action of this film. Do you see Renee, any of yourself in Bridget? Have you, since the beginning. And do you see yourself sort of as you move along in life, reflected in her at all?

Oh, yeah, I think so. But again, that's back to Helen. You know, she's managed to capture these moments that we all recognize that make us laugh and we laugh with her at ourselves, really. You know, and same for me now when she's putting her foot in it, that's when I relate the most. Yeah, it's. Yeah, she's. Yeah. Lovely.

We had. Your old friend Hugh Grant was on this show a couple of months ago for a different film.

Oh, I'm sad I missed that. What did you grumble about?

There was some grumbling.

It's brilliant, though. He's brilliant grumbling.

Brilliant grumbling. Funny grumbling.

I'm telling you, he's mastered the art of the funny grumble. And again, it's a little bit bridgety, isn't it?

It is.

We laugh with him. We're like, yes, yes, water bottles. Yes.

It's a charming grumble, isn't it? Yeah.

Yeah. He's kind of a charming everything, isn't he?

He pulls it off. But he said in our conversation that he thought this was the best of the four scripts that he had read. Did you feel that way when you read it?

Yeah. I might agree with them, and it might be because it's substantive in a different way. It's looking at these really meaningful milestones that life throws at us, you know, and maybe it's just because more hangs in the balance at this stage in life. And, I mean, who doesn't know by this point grief and loss and what it means to adapt and start over and re. I guess, evaluating who you are because none of us are the same on the other side of the loss and you don't want to be. Now your perspective changes and your values change and, yeah, I guess how you make decisions changes, I think. And, yeah, it's all about, you know, community and the importance of the friendships that you've nurtured for years and years and how they become part of your extended family, how you come to define yourself and your existence through these people in your life and, you know, parenthood and trying to nurture little humans without messing up. And again, grief and loss and beginning again and feeling like you have permission to do that, that it doesn't mean you don't love just because you're able to laugh again, you know?

That's so sweet. I mean, even his character has evolved so much through the years, and there's a vulnerability to him in this one that, again, is. Is really sweet to see. For a guy who's been a rascal.

That'S such a good word.

Putting it mildly.

I think that word is underused and we need to bring it back.

I like Rascal.

I agree.

You probably heard that in Texas growing up.

100%, yes, he is a rascal.

But as he's moved to this. This film now, he's got some vulnerability to him, but he's still at your side when you need him and you for him.

Isn't that sweet? I love the trajectory of their relationship because it's oftentimes and another truism about reaching the stage in life is the least likely characters who end up being your tried and trues at a certain stage, you know, and that that rascal is now this dependable sweetheart in her life to some degree. It's so lovely, I think.

[Willie Geist]

Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Renee Zellweger right after the break. Welcome back. Now more of my conversation with Renee Zellweger.

[Renee Zellweger]

I don't want to give away anything else about the movie because people are going to be so excited to watch how it plays out, but did you have the sense when this film wrapped that it was a version of happily ever after for Bridget or more to come?

Well, not to give too much away. Exactly. I think I knew that the intention was for there to be a period at the end of this instead of a dot, dot, dot. So I think from what I understand with Helen, that this is potentially her happily ever after. Yes.

Wow.

I know, it's a little weird.

It's hard to believe that there won't be more from her.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I have my fingers crossed because, you know, she does share her own very personal life experiences through these characters and I can't imagine that, you know, she won't have more stories to tell at some point. But anyway, keep your fingers crossed.

Maybe she'll get back in front of her laptop and crank out another one. We'll be, we'll be waiting.

More Rascals, Helen. More Rascals.

Hard to believe it's been almost 25 years since this all started for you with Bridget. Do you remember those early days when you landed the role? I know you went and worked at a publisher and not because you're not a great actress, but because you're American. You heard some of the whispers about they're gonna give this beloved character to an American a little bit.

I actually read it before I heard about it because I was working at Picador with my boss, Camilla Elworthy. Thank you, Camilla. And I had to clip all of the press clippings that had anything to do with the Bridget Jones franchise because, and I mean, well, actually it wasn't franchise books because they were her publishers, Helen's publishers, and so they would like, you know, things crap American comedian is going to play. Yeah. Take it and put it in a file. This was pre the Scanning days, you know, go find the file for the crap American actress filed.

And then, by the way, they saw the movie and they went, oh, okay, she's great. Was it hard to get back to the accent after all these years or can you find it right away?

You know, it's a habit. So like anything, you know, takes a little practice. I go over there and I start pretending like I can speak like her. And it takes its time coming back. It's a little awkward at first. It sounds so stupid. Sounds like Texan putting on airs for a little while. And then it starts to gradually come back.

You know, you nail it. You always.

Very sweet. Thank you.

I'm so interested, Renee, in your sort of professional rhythm. You famously took that break of six years or so. But even with this film, Judy was the last big project you did for which you won the Oscar, of course. So how do you decide when it's time to dip your toe back in the water and when it's worth it for you to go back and commit all the time and energy it takes to make a movie because you seem to have really good discretion about it.

That's kind. Thank you. Well, this time a lot came into play. We had a couple of strikes. The world shut down. So it was the Oscars for Judy and then, bam. Lockdown, right? Yeah.

I mean, you got that Oscar like weeks before the world shut down in 2020, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was. It was quite a time. It was quite a time.

So it wasn't so much a choice. It was just. That was thrust upon all of us.

Yeah, a little bit. But, you know, with everything, circumstance comes into play. You know, when is it time to do something different and when is it time to walk away and nurture other things? So kind of, you know, I have a production company and, and I write and just, you know, there's other things.

How about the break from 2010 to 2016? I think a lot of people at your level in Hollywood might have been worried about going away for that long. Do I lose momentum and can I afford to do that? What went into that calculation for you?

It was just necessary. It was time. I wasn't healthy. I wasn't taking care of myself. You know, I've been going non stop at a breakneck sprint for decades. And I needed to. I needed to, like, you know, it's not sustainable.

Yeah.

And I was bored with myself. You know, I was repeating myself, even though the work I was doing was spoiled rotten, lucky creative, once in a lifetime material and partnerships. And I'M grateful for all of it. I mean, really, life enriching things. But I was bored with myself and I needed to do something else in order to grow. I just, I think, you know, what is. That was Ben Franklin. Right? Write things worth reading or do things worth writing about. And the redundancy in what I had learned from my experiences was making it not worth reading or writing about. And I needed to go and do something else to grow as a person. That's all. But everybody reaches that moment at some point in their work where you have to shake it up a little bit. Whether it's that you have the courage to go in there and say, I want my promotion, or you shift and take a side step or do, you know. Yeah, yeah. Everybody, I think, reaches that point.

Was it a bit too Renee of the celebrity aspect of it? Everyone wanted to talk about your every move and take your picture when you walk out of a restaurant and all those things. Did you want to step away from that?

Yeah, I did. I did. I wanted to have conversations with people that were on a human level and I wanted to have human experiences, you know, because you can't. You can't be, in my opinion, a storyteller if you don't have experiences to draw from, you know, and going from set to set to set, you know. Yeah. You're drawing on some pretty old memories at that point.

You know, you, like me, are a bit of a Luddite when it comes to social media and all that.

100%, like, totally. Yes.

Which I have great respect for. I feel to me like that has served you well to not have to live performatively and take a selfie every time you do something and. Right.

I mean, my foot in it.

I would say you'll never regret the thing you didn't post.

That's really kind of fun.

But you might regret the thing you did post. You know, what's the upside?

At some point or another, it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Yeah.

You're smart about that.

Well, I don't know that it's 100% self preservation, but I just never really took to it. I'm real busy with the things that are right in front of me. And I know, I recognize the importance of it and the fun of it as well. And I know that, you know, it's changed the world and will continue to. I mean, it changes the way that we communicate. It changes what we value. It changes how we consume entertainment. You know, it's all really interesting Celebrity. Yeah, it was a really different time when I was running around and trying to hide from people chasing you and, you know, crazy. It's very different now. Very different.

You've done a good job, though, keeping that privacy close, which is not easy, I'm sure, for you to do, so.

No, I just sneak around pretty well.

Pull the hat down and stick around.

[Willie Geist]

For more of my conversation with Renee Zellweger, right after a quick break. Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Renee Zellweger.

[Renee Zellweger]

I want to go back to Katie just for a minute, because I'm so fascinated about where the acting thing comes for you. You had a fascinating upbringing because born in Katy, Katy High School, Friday Night Lights, all that stuff. True leader, athlete, all those things. But your parents are immigrants from Switzerland and Norway. So was it the true Friday Night Lights experience that we all think of?

Not in my house, because my parents didn't recognize the social importance of that, you know, of the homecoming game. You know, they didn't recognize that. But it was a really nice mix because it's a dream. I mean, idyllic. Idyllic. Growing up in Katy at that time, which was very, very rural and a very sweet small town at that time, and to have this window to the world through my parents. So I felt. Yeah, really lucky. Really lucky.

So then where does the acting bit come for you? Is that. Not till you get to ut.

Drew, my brother. Yeah. Yeah. Little sister, you know, lionizing her big brother because he's so good at everything. He's the tennis star and the soccer star, and he's handsome and all the girls like him, and he's funny and smart, and I just wanted to be like my big brother. So I got on the baseball team, which he probably hated, and I got on the soccer team, which he probably hated. And then I joined the speech and drama club, which he probably hated. Well, he did because he quit because he's like, enough. And I thought, oh, I kind of like this. Sorry.

Drew liked being on that stage, having an audience.

It wasn't so much that I think I liked the community of it. Yeah, we had a lot of fun. Yeah. Putting on the plays together and things like that. And drama club and speech tournaments. It was a whole culture. Get on the bus really early on a Saturday. Saturday we're gonna go take this thing, you know? Yeah.

So when do you get more serious about it as this could be something I pursue as a career. When does that switch go up?

University. Yeah, I was finished. I went to school to write I was gonna get a journalism degree at ut, which is a great place to do it, you know, always top rated newspapers, collegiate newspapers in the country. And, yeah, something went wrong there. I had to take an art. A fine art class to get my degree to, you know, graduate. And that fit the slot to take this drama class. And I hadn't recognized that it was important to me somehow. And I ended up doing a thesis film with a film student who was getting her degree. I don't know what it would be at the rtf, I don't know. But she was making her thesis film and knew I was an actress and called me to be in it, and I loved it. There were five of us running around in the sticks of Texas, and, you know, you hold the boom when you're not on the shot, and then, you know, doing the costumes at the same time. And it was kamikaze filmmaking. And I loved it. I loved it. I loved seeing what we could make happen, you know, with very little, you know, in terms of resources and time and all of that. And I loved the creative aspect of it, in terms of, you know, like, storytelling. I loved getting into the head of this woman. Yeah. It's hard to explain how it came to matter to me in that way as a creative outlet, but that's kind of when I noticed it.

The community again. Right. Being with a group of people and pursuing something.

Yeah, I guess that's it. Yeah. Yeah.

So you're knocking around, doing some smaller movies. The movies start to get a little bit bigger. You and McConaughey. A little Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

That's true. We had a lot of crossover there. We did.

Is it as obvious as Jerry Maguire was the first big break or what felt like your break to you?

Chainsaw Massacre.

It was okay.

Yeah. Because it was somebody trusting that, you know, this leading role, you know, felt like a really big responsibility. And I learned so much about the rhythm of filmmaking and how you recognize where you're supposed to be and what everyone's doing. And it was great. It was a great education. Yeah. And a great workout. Lots of running.

Running from the chainsaws.

Running from the chainsaw. You know, natural instinct. Run fast. Run fast from the chainsaw.

People need to go back and watch that Renee McConaughey. It's an amazing, amazing movie.

Watch the. Watch the corsage. Because the corsage goes quite. Through quite the transformation.

Oh, yeah, I bet. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Willie Geist]

So that's exciting.

[Renee Zellweger]

You get. That's kind of a big movie, right? They put some money behind it. You're the star of it.

That one. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. It was independently financed by, I think, a couple of gentlemen, local gentlemen. Who. Kim was the director of that, and I think he was the writer of the first original. I think that. That I might be getting my story wrong. I'm sorry, but I think that that was the story. Yeah, yeah. But it was a fortune to me, you know.

Sure.

A few hundred bucks after taxes.

Yes, I've made it.

I've made it the big time.

So then, short time after that, Jerry Maguire happens and there's an explosion in your life. I have to imagine, what was that moment like when that movie came out and was so well received and so beloved? What did that feel like to you as a young actor?

It was. It was a crazy time. And the making of it kind of spilled into going underground and making a second film. I came here. I was here when the film came out, so I missed all of the press for it. I didn't really do that because I didn't feel like I was ready for Take It In Stride. So I was here making press for Rubies, another independent film, while that was all going on. So I kind of missed it.

Oh, that's interesting. So you weren't feeling the storm that was sweeping?

No, no. I was in a honey wagon again, you know, which is, you know.

So at what point did you have a sense that this thing is big and is really connecting with audiences?

Gosh, that's a good question. It's kind of a blur. Everything kind of spilled into the next. Into the next. Maybe when people on the sidewalk would call me by my name. Maybe. I think maybe then.

You go on an incredible run of movies that include Cold Mountain and Chicago and the first Bridget movie. I mean, just unbelievable.

Nurse Betty.

Nurse Betty.

Nurse Betty.

Me, myself and Irene. I mean, it's just that run from like 2000 to 2004 or 5. It's just packed with hits and Oscar nominations and all that. So as people did start to know your name, how did you. Girl from Katy, Texas. How did you deal with all that? All of a sudden, she's famous and we want to know more about her.

Well, I was just working, you know, so I was mostly going from set to event or. You know, it was a really insular sort of time in my life. I didn't really. I didn't. Yeah, I wasn't very good at it. I wasn't good at the paparazzi chasing you at the airport and things like that. And I always Felt that, you know, I loved, you know, Paul Newman in his class and how he always handled himself. He'd just smile and wave and get on with things, you know, and it just. The culture was changing with the TMZ thing and the conversations and always make me so nervous because I guess what you. You don't see when you see the footage is what the person walking with all the flashbulbs is seeing, which is nothing because you're blinded and there's a wall of people and you can't get to where you need to go. And you really do have to catch a plane because they don't really care that you can't get there. They're like, sorry. Sorry. Door closes we're officially locked. Yeah, I just. I wasn't very good at it, and. And I hope I'm a little bit better at it now. I think I take it with a little more. I don't know. What's the word? I'm a little more comfortable with it now, I think, but I wasn't at the time. It just felt so weird. It felt surreal. I mean, you know, because you don't think of yourself as. That belongs to other people. This is what we do with Tom Cruise, and this is what Paul McCartney. You know what I mean? This is their world. And it felt so strange to me, like somebody's made a mistake here. So, yeah, it always felt really awkward to me.

Well, you. People say about you, and I've seen it's true already here today that you are grounded and that you're still the girl from Katy, Texas, and you walk in the room and you say hello to everybody in the room and you shake their hands, and you and I are talking about our dads.

Oh, yeah.

How do you stay that way under the spotlight you've been in for 25, 30 years now?

I don't know.

I mean, you just don't know another way.

That's. Yeah, that's. That's. That's. That's the answer, I guess. Yeah. I don't know how you would be or why. Why. Why would you change? Do you know? I mean, people do, though. Yeah, but. But do they? Or is it just an amplified reaction to something? Do you know? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. But, I mean, I just want to have fun and make my friends and, you know, just want to have a. Yeah. Have great experiences and meet interesting people and. Did that already this morning. Morning. Pretty great day.

Before I let you go, I'm curious about what you're thinking about next because like I said, you are so careful with what you do. Is there anything on the horizon that you're excited about or you're thinking about or something different?

There's a few things and we'll see what lands, you know, because all the variables have to come into place and there's so many of them. Every film is a miracle, even ones that don't turn out like you hope they will. Yeah, there's several things I'm busy with and some things that are redeveloping that don't have anything to do with me. And yeah, releasing a little, a little animated short that I did over. We started Covid in my kitchen and we're just finishing it up now. So be with that for a little while. Busy with an old dog who needs me.

Yeah. Well, as usual, we can't wait to see what you do. Thank you, Renee. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Willie.

[Willie Geist]

My big thanks again to Renee for a great conversation. You can stream Bridget Jones Mad about the Boy on Peacock right now. And my thanks to all of you as always for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of our conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on NBC to see these interviews with your own two eyes. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down Podcast.