The 'Two Weeks Notice' actor reveals he was left unimpressed at first by the casting of an American actress to play the lead role in the British rom-com.
- December 25, 2020
AceShowbiz - Hugh Grant thought it was a "stretch" for American actress to play British Bridget Jones in the film adaptations of the books at first.
When Renee Zellweger was cast in the titular role in the movie versions of Helen Fielding's beloved books, there was a national outcry over why a British actress hadn't been picked for the role.
And in a new BBC Two documentary titled "Being Bridget Jones", Grant - who played Daniel Cleaver in the films - admitted he also had doubts about whether or not Renee would do the role justice.
"There was a whole scandal about why isn't this a British actress?" he said. "I didn't know Renee Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character, it did seem like a stretch."
Renee worked hard to nail the British accent she needed to play Bridget, with Hugh adding he was "startled" at first to hear that she sounded just like Queen Elizabeth's sister Princess Margaret.
"She was told to kind of, well she thought she better loosen it up a bit," Hugh said, adding that a week later Renee's accent "was bang on."
Renee played Bridget in "Bridget Jones's Diary" in 2001, "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" in 2004, and "Bridget Jones's Baby" in 2016.
In a 2016 interview, the actress revealed she kept her British accent even when the camera was not rolling. "It's just really lazy. I don't want to do the work to get back into everyday," so she explained.
She also worked behind the scenes on the ITV breakfast show "Good Morning Britain" to perfect her portrayal as the unlucky-in-love TV producer.
