RENÉE'S LUCKY ESCAPE
New Zealand Woman's Weekly|October 21 2019
THE STAR REVEALS HER SCARY PARALLELS WITH JUDY GARLAND
RENÉE'S LUCKY ESCAPE

For 23 years Renée Zellweger has been the toast of la-la land, dating rock gods and movie stars, winning awards and glittering like a polished jewel on the red carpet. It’s the kind of fame that makes fortunes but also destroys lives – and for Renée it almost did both.

Thanks to a therapist, she’s managed to keep both her fortune and her sanity, but not all who’ve walked the same path have been so lucky.

In 1969, iconic actress Judy Garland became a casualty of the same Hollywood machine that almost broke Renée − and now, 50 years later, the Bridget Jones actress is bringing her back to life on the big screen.

The irony of playing a star who cracked under the pressure of fame is not lost on Renée, but when she was offered the lead role in the biopic Judy − which opens in New Zealand cinemas on October 17 − there was only one possible answer. Yes!

“It seemed to me to be a no brainer,” the 50-year-old star admits. “To be able to spend time exploring her, her life and her talent? What’s not to love about a project like that?”

It’s this attitude that many say is a sign the actress, who shot to fame in 1996 starring opposite Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, is well and truly back after a long career break some feared may be permanent.

Despite having three Oscar nominations and one win to her name, Renée walked away from her glitzy life nearly a decade ago with the words of a former colleague, a director, ringing in her ears. He had taken her aside as her star was on the rise and warned that her life was about to change forever.

This story is from the October 21 2019 edition of New Zealand Woman's Weekly.

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This story is from the October 21 2019 edition of New Zealand Woman's Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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