Actress Renee Zellweger, in an interview with her longtime "Bridget Jones" co-star Hugh Grant for British Vogue, said that the sound of her voice was the reason she stopped acting for more than half a decade in the 2010s.
At that point in her career, Zellweger had already been nominated for an Oscar three times and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the film "Cold Mountain." She was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood in the late 2000s, but those successes couldn't make her stand out from her own voice.
When Grant asked her why she took a six-year break from acting from 2010 to 2016, Zellweger replied, "Because I had to. I got bored with the sound of my own voice. When I was working, I was like, 'Oh, God, hear yourself. Are you sad again, Renee? Oh, is that your angry voice?' It was a repetition of the same emotional experiences."
Zellweger took a six-year break from acting, but remained active as an artist, writing music. She also studied international law.
"She built a house, rescued a couple of elderly dogs, created a partnership that led to a production company, advocated and raised funds with a sick friend, and spent a lot of time with family and godparents, riding around the country with the dogs. Then I became healthy," the actress said.
When she finally returned to acting, Zellweger was ready to reprise her iconic role as Bridget Jones in the 2016 film "Bridget Jones's Baby." Three years later, Zellweger received some of the best reviews of her career playing Judy Garland in "Judy." The film earned her a second Oscar, her first for Best Actress.
Grant also asked the actress if she ever reads reviews of her films or checks box office results. She said she doesn't.
"No. Why would I do that? I promise you. I've never looked at box office data or Rotten Tomatoes," she replied.
Zellweger and Grant are working together again on the upcoming fourth Bridget Jones film, which will hit theaters worldwide on February 14th.
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