Issue Date: November 21, 2004
Did my editor stop at the right desk?
We sent our "guy's guy" to interview the sequel's versatile star, Renée Zellweger. What he found amazed even him.
By Dennis McCafferty
Her trick to drop the weight? She simply went to the gym
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Our "Bridget Jones Diary" Diary
Tuesday, Sept. 14
Interesting break in the routine: Editor just told me I'm interviewing Renée Zellweger about her new movie, "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason." Zellweger? That adorable, vulnerable, tough, sweet actress from "Jerry Maguire?" Did my editor stop at the right desk? I'm the designated "guys' guy" at USA WEEKEND. I've interviewed President Bush, Shaquille O'Neal and a dozen NASCAR drivers.
Not that the Hollywood thing is new. But the stars I've done have been, yep, pretty much all guys: Clint Eastwood, Russell Crowe, Ewan McGregor. Interviewing them was like talking about life between downs at a football game -- over 22 ounces of a sweaty plastic cup of beer.
But wait a minute: Maybe I'm not out of my element. RZ did "Down With Love" with McGregor. She has a movie coming out next year with Crowe, "Cinderella Man." I can tell her about my experiences with both of them, and she'd say to herself ...
"... What a complete dope this writer is! Like, I'm supposed to be impressed? Please. Make. This. Interview. End."
Hmmm. I'll have to figure out another approach.
Wednesday, Sept. 22
One way to understand an interview subject is to poll the public, right? At USA WEEKEND Magazine, we conduct only the most technologically advanced research: I walk around the office and ask co-workers what they think.
(Later that day)
A fellow writer called her "down to earth" but in a "leading lady" way. "And I like her squinty face!"
The copy desk chief said he related to her in "Cold Mountain:" "I have relatives who are just like her."
(Even later ... Do I EVER stop working?)
I dig further, deeper. Namely, at dinner with my wife and in-laws.
My father-in-law, Don, is a lawyer and a tough critic. But he digs RZ. "She can do it all," he told me. We were finishing up lamb chops and merlot. "She did the struggling-single-mom thing quite well in "Maguire," and then sang and danced in "Chicago," and then made "Cold Mountain" worth watching with an absolutely dead-on performance as this Appalachian woman."
"So," I said, "using baseball terms, she's a five-tool player?" (Ahhh, sports. The eternal comfort zone.)
My wife, Laura, had another analogy: "Or more like Hamburger Helper?"
"I mean," Don said, "she's darn good at what she does." Case closed.
Sunday, Sept. 26
Watched the first "Bridget Jones" on my home DVD player. RZ is really good at conveying the young-vulnerable-and-single thing. My take on the flick: The comforting cocoon of college is gone. Friends, one by one, get married. And work itself is a rather fickle cocoon, capable of patting your back with one hand while jerking the rug out from beneath you with the other. As Jones, RZ gets jerked a lot. But she rises above.
Oh, and Hugh Grant gets beaten up. What fun!
Wednesday, Sept. 29
In New York now! Just got back from watching "BJ2" at a special screening. It's funnier than "BJ1." It's about finding out what "happily ever after ..." really means. The cocoon is still a fickle one. But, as Jones, RZ discovers that her choices can turn it into a lasting one.
Oh, and Hugh Grant gets beaten up again. What fun!
Thursday, Sept. 30
Well, what do you know? Today is RZ Interview Day! It was supposed to be yesterday, but she's on a real whirlwind, promoting both "Jones" and another movie, "Shark Tale." Asked to have it rescheduled for today. Noonish. Great! I'll get to buy her lunch.
(Later that day)
Talk about un-Hollywood! We're both wandering around the lobby of some swanky Ritz-Carlton in Manhattan, looking for each other. I'm thinking, surely, it won't be difficult to spot her. She'd probably be swamped by fans, etc.
Well, not exactly. Turns out she approached me. (Guess I look like a reporter.) The minute I saw her, I realized how well she can blend in. She was wearing a retro long-sleeved New York Yankees T-shirt. Would you believe she's even tinier than you'd expect? But as soon as we ran into each other, I knew this was RZ. The eyes -- expressive and welcoming -- give her away. I asked about lunch, but she wasn't hungry. ("Curses!" I thought. "Another expense account op wasted!" She did want bottled water. ("OK, that's $16.04 -- a start ...")
When I wasn't asking Very Serious Interview Questions [see excerpts below], it was nice to just chat. She spoke about her parents, who came from Europe. She talked about how proud she is of her Swiss dad, who came to this country at age 26 and rose to have a fine career in the oil industry.
We talked some more about family and kids and Texas, her home state, and what it would really be like to be with someone for 40 years, as her parents have been. As you imagine Bridget will be.
And then we said goodbye. She had more promoting to do. I had a train to catch. It was nice to meet a nice person.
Wednesday, Oct. 6
Back at the office. Beeban Kidron, "BJ2" director, just called. She says RZ was a total pro, willing to ski backward downhill for a scene. She laughed a lot on the set, like when she had to get up close and personal with a pen of filthy pigs. "Her laugh causes her face to take on a new shape," Kidron says. "She laughs from her feet to the top of her head."
Wednesday, Oct. 20
Trading e-mails with RZ's on-screen BF in "Jones," Colin Firth. This is funny! He says he thinks of her as a true-blue Brit. "When I met her, she was speaking with an English accent," he writes. "It's rather odd to hear her talk about her Texas background in a Croydon accent. She's hilarious and very sweet."
Friday, Oct. 29
Sending this story to the printers. I won't think twice now about interviewing women. Sure, bonding with the fellas is fun. But women can be straight shooters, too. How can you not like someone who's this easy to talk to? For this "guy's guy," RZ was way OK. If we ever do it again, Renée, let's do it at a stadium. The 22-ounce beers will be on me.
Dennis McCafferty, senior writer for USA WEEKEND, is back in his comfort zone this month, interviewing NASCAR drivers for an upcoming Daytona 500 2005 cover story/poster package.
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From Dennis' notebook: Zellweger on doughnuts, weight adjustments, marriage
DM: Let's go over the weight thing. It was the second time around. Did you take a different tack to gain it?
RZ: I was more careful. The plan is to eat foods with more calories and fat content. But on some days, there's no time to consume all of that food. So for the first movie, I'd slip in candy bars as a quick way to cheat.
We heard it was doughnuts.
I read about that, too. No, it wasn't. But,there were doughnuts involved this time. They opened a Krispy Kreme in Harrods in London. Most of the crew -- English friends of mine -- had never had a Krispy Kreme.
So we'd get them brought to the set. I probably had the least of the doughnuts among my crew friends. But there were doughnuts here and there. I had to fill my quota for the day.
There's a serious subject here, too. Our readers will watch you looking larger in the new film, then see you looking svelte on our cover. Don't you fear this sends an unintended but risky message?
I hope not. When people in the streets say, "You dropped that weight so fast!" I tell them, "No. It's actually been a year." They ask me what kind of tricks I did. I tell them I went to the gym, just like everyone else. And I didn't call Pizza Hut.
Are you treated like a star when you go home to Texas?
Not at all! My brother is my best friend, and it's his job to make fun of me. He's had a lot of practice. But he's the first person to get on the telephone, screaming with joy, whenever he sees me on some televised awards show.
Many professionals like Bridget Jones are delaying getting married and having families -- if at all. Why is that? Non-stop work, text-messaging and Tivo?
I'm sure all of that plays a part. But it may be simpler than that -- for women anyway. Mine is the first generation who take it for granted that women will hold high positions of influence, both politically and socially. Women have the opportunity to care for themselves, to establish themselves financially and make big-time decisions -- without a partner. That said, they're less inclined to settle.
Cover photograph by Nigel Parry for USA WEEKEND
Hair: Kevin Mancuso/Peter Coppola Salon; makeup: Kristofer Buckle/Artists by Timothy Priano; clothing styling by Jennifer Crawford/Sydney Represents.
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