While Renée Zellweger and the “Bridget Jones” franchise have become something of a romantic comedy punchline in some quarters, it’s worth remembering that the actress gives a commitment to the title character worthy of Daniel Day-Lewis. And for “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” she’s done the same, physically transforming for the part, though it seems she’s made peace with the fact that her efforts may be overlooked.
“I put on a few pounds. I also put on some breasts and a baby bump. Bridget is a perfectly normal weight and I’ve never understood why it matters so much,” she told Vogue about the attention that Bridget gets for her looks. “No male actor would get such scrutiny if he did the same thing for a role.”
While Hugh Grant has decided not to return to the series, Colin Firth is back for the third film in the franchise, with Patrick Dempsey on board for Bridget’s new love interest, all while Bridget navigates a pregnancy. Here’s the official synopsis:
After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones’s (Zellweger) “happily ever after” hasn’t quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could possibly go wrong?
Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr. Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch…she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby’s father.
“Bridget Jones’s Baby” opens on September 18th.
