Renee Zellweger jets into Sydney ahead of Australian premiere of new Bridget Jones movie
A major Hollywood star arrived in Sydney looking incognito this weekend ahead of the Australian premiere of her new movie.
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Hollywood star Renée Zellweger arrived in Sydney looking incognito this weekend ahead of the Australian premiere of her new movie.
The 55-year-old kept a low profile in a black hoodie, green cargo pants and grey sneakers as she made her way through Sydney Airport on Saturday while happily carrying her own luggage.
The actress tried to hide her face in a burnt orange cap with the logo of the University of Texas’ football team The Longhorns emblazoned on the front – she graduated from that institution in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature degree.
Also on the same flight was her Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy co-star Leo Woodall, who cut a similarly casual figure in a white T-shirt, black trackies and blue sneakers.
The pair will lead the red carpet for the movie’s Aussie premiere this evening at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Sydney’s Moore Park, with their co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor and director Michael Morris also set to attend.
Mad About the Boy is the latest instalment in the beloved Bridget Jones franchise – it is the fourth film in the series which comes almost 10 years after the third instalment, Bridget Jones’ Baby.
In this offering, Zellweger is back in the quirky titular role, this time as a widow and single mum-of-two following the death of her husband, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).
This chapter sees the neurotic and clumsy Bridget journey through motherhood and online dating before reawakening her sense of romance when she meets Roxster (Woodall), a 29-year-old who becomes her young love interest.
In a recent interview with Stellar magazine, Woodall defends their on-screen age-gap romance, saying a relationship where the woman is older needs to be portrayed more on the big screen.
“When two people find the connection, why shouldn’t they see where it goes without judgment?’ he told the outlet.
“Both dynamics should be equally normalised. It’s a good thing that we’re getting the reverse.
“Because it’s not uncommon – it’s just not portrayed much in movies.”
As for Zellweger, she is thrilled to be back in Bridget’s shoes.
“I love her,” the actress told British Vogue in an interview earlier this month.
“And her story is not finished. As long as Helen puts pen to paper, she’s alive,” she said, referencing Helen Fielding, who is the author of the Bridget Jones novels.
“Bridget is authentically herself and doesn’t always get it right, but whatever her imperfections, she remains joyful and optimistic, carries on and triumphs in her own way.
“She seems to make her quirky individuality and shortcomings charming, loveable and acceptable – and, in turn, she makes us feel loveable and acceptable too.”
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy hit cinemas on February 13.
Originally published as Renee Zellweger jets into Sydney ahead of Australian premiere of new Bridget Jones movie
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