Renée Zellweger spent her childhood in the small town of Katy, Texas, and it wasn’t until she was in college at the University of Texas that her interest in acting was sparked by a drama course she happened to take.
Here are Zellweger's ten favorite roles and what the 54-year-old actress says they mean to her.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
Starring with young Matthew McConaughey, "We were just excited we had a job. How we pulled that off, I have no idea. I’m sure, none of it was legal. Anything we did was a little bit dangerous. But what an experience!”
Jerry Maguire (1996)
"It was a pivotal moment, not just professionally, but for me personally. I was straddling this place in my mind between disbelief and this overwhelming sense of responsibility not to screw the whole thing up," she said.
Nurse Betty (2000)
Whether it’s a dramatic turn or playing a loopy soap opera fan, Zellweger's approach to acting remains consistent: "I always try to concentrate on something that is true, something that moves me."
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Zellweger came away with a big hit — and one giant misconception about her personal life. "I’ve been plagued by this whole, Renée has such a sad, challenging love life. It’s just not true!"
Chicago (2002)
After winning a Golden Globe playing Roxie Hart in the timeless musical, Zellweger said she felt like "such an impostor because I feel like there’s bound to be somebody else who’s worked for a really, really long time who deserved this beautiful experience that I’ve had."
Cold Mountain (2004)
She won an Academy Award for her role in this film, and afterward thanked her parents for “never saying, ‘Don’t try.’” So, Zellweger keeps her golden statue where she most values it: “It’s next to all the photographs of people that I love the most.”
Cinderella Man (2005)
The film with Russell Crowe chronicled the rise and fall of boxer Jim Braddock. “Those are my favorite kinds of films. I like movies where you invest emotionally and walk away having a different perspective on your life, or life in general. I love the ability that a good film has to inspire. I knew this would," she said.
My One and Only (2009)
After this film she took a six-year hiatus because she “wanted to grow. If you don’t explore other things, you wake up 20 years later and you’re still that same person who only learns anything when she goes out to research a character. You need to grow!”
Judy (2019)
Playing Judy Garland, “I don’t think I would have been able to empathize with her situation in the same way 15 or 20 years ago. It’s unnatural to live in this profession and have a public persona, it’s very bizarre. It’s quite complicated, and it can be dehumanizing."
The Thing About Pam (2022)
For the TV true crime miniseries, Zellweger sat for four hours in the makeup chair because, “Pam [Hupp] really intrigued me as a character. How she presents herself is so completely far removed from the truth of who she is. It was like playing a role within a role."