Renée Zellweger Defends 'Bridget Jones' Weight Gain, Reveals Why She Took Acting Hiatus

Zellweger faced some criticism when she gained weight for her famous role, which she felt was a bit sexist. She said, “I put on a few pounds. I also put on some breasts and a baby bump. Bridget is a perfectly normal weight and I've never understood why it matters so much. No male actor would get such scrutiny if he did the same thing for a role.”

The "Bridget Jones" franchise made Renée one of the most well-known and busiest actresses in Hollywood, but she decided to take a six-year hiatus in 2010 after making almost 20 movies in 10 years. As for why she took a break from acting, Renée explained, "As a creative person, saying no to that wonderful once-in-a-lifetime project is hard. But I was fatigued and wasn't taking the time I needed to recover between projects, and it caught up with me. I got sick of the sound of my own voice: it was time to go away and grow up a bit.”

Her break from Hollywood allowed her to connect more to people and live life like a normal person. Zellweger shared, “I found anonymity, so I could have exchanges with people on a human level and be seen and heard, not be defined by this image that precedes me when I walk into a room. You cannot be a good storyteller if you don't have life experiences, and you can't relate to people.”