Renée Zellweger has played one of her generation’s most iconic British characters, Bridget Jones, in four movies.
But fans who grew up watching the Cold Mountain star in the rom-com films seemed surprised to find out that the actress is not, in fact, British.
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In an interview for her latest film’s official companion podcast, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy The Official Podcast, Zellweger sat down with journalist Pandora Sykes to discuss how she was cast in the first movie and broke down how she created Bridget’s distinctive accent.
After first clarifying that her co-star Hugh Grant’s quip that she was trying to sound like a “drunk Princess Margaret” was inaccurate, Zellweger explained that she worked with a dialect coach.
Related: ‘Bridget Jones’ Director Explains How He Persuaded Hugh Grant to Return for ‘Mad About the Boy’ (Exclusive)
“We broke it down very specifically about what her influences would be, what her background would be, what her education would be,” Zellweger shared.
“There would be two sides of her, you know there would be the awkward, sort of, I guess trying to elevate herself in some way when she’s putting on a performance, and then there’s her on-camera presentation presenter voice, and then there’s Bridget in her most awkward.”
She continued, noting that she “came to learn how very specific all of the dialects are. It’s not unlike in America. You know, regionally there is no ‘Southern accent’ in America, there’s a hundred from different regions even within the same state.”
Zellweger also revealed that she likes to travel to England “quite a bit early so I can just sort of listen. Go around the city and listen, and let it kind of find its way in.”
@universalpicturesuk Renée Zellweger discussing her Bridget Jones accent 🎬 #BridgetJonesMovie
♬ original sound – universalpicturesuk
Universal Pictures UK shared a clip of the interview on TikTok, where fans rushed into the comments to express their utter shock that the Texas native is not British. “SHES NOT BRITISH?!” wrote one fan as another agreed, commenting, “She’s hands down the best American doing an English accent I’ve ever heard.”
Others compared her to The X-Files star Gillian Anderson, who was born in Chicago but spent her childhood living between London and the United States, and as a result can flip effortlessly between the two accents.
Next: Renée Zellweger on Bringing Murderer Pam Hupp To Life, Why We Love True Crime and How She Physically Prepared for the Role
