OVER THE RAINBOW

As she returns to the spotlight for her new role as Judy Garland, we look at the evolution of actress Renée Zellweger’s Hollywood journey

Derogatory terms like ‘Hollywood has-been’ and ‘faded star’ are recklessly bandied about all the time, but it’s rare that an actor who retreats from the spotlight can come back into favour years later, and find herself at the height of her powers. Then again, Oscar winner Renée Zellweger doesn’t tend to play by the rules of Tinseltown.

Born and raised in Texas by a Swiss father and Norwegian mother, her childhood epitomized American small-town living, where the bright lights of Hollywood were a world away. She decided early on that her dream was to be a writer, perhaps even a journalist, telling The Guardian earlier this year, “When the Easter bunny was coming, I would always wish for the same thing – I loved a tablet of ruled paper and sharp pencils. There’s nothing better – stories, poetry, the possibilities were endless.”

While that’s not exactly the career she ended up doing, her love of storytelling and the scope for imagination therein are an ever-present driving force in her life today.

In her junior year at the University of Texas, where she majored in English, Renée took an acting class and found herself scoring a role in a student film. “From that point, I didn’t care where it was going. I just knew I wanted to do that.”

Instead of continuing on to do journalism, she wrapped up her literature degree and headed to LA, without so much as a plan in place. Brushing off the impulsive move, she says, “I figured I could always go back and get a masters, and finally submit to the Daily Texan!” While reminiscent of the ‘small town girl heads to Hollywood’ cliché, in this case a star was born.

HER ACTING JOURNEY