I am of an age where just about every Tom Cruise movie I’ve seen in theaters has been an action film. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Mission: Impossible movies and Top Gun: Maverick just as much as the next fan. However, I also adore the other flicks Crusie has made that prove he’s more than an action star. So, yeah, I was yelling “Show me the [movie]!” when I found out one of his best movies from the ‘90s was returning to theaters this month.

That movie is Jerry Maguire, one of the best sports films out there, and I cannot wait to see it on the big screen! Tom Cruise is hyped about it too, as he posted the following message on his Instagram story:

As the projects on the 2026 movie schedule make their big screen debuts, Jerry Maguire will be returning to theaters on April 12, 14, and 15, per Variety. This is in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary, and it means you can see great performances from Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renée Zellweger on a very large screen very soon.

This movie about a sports agent trying to stay in the game is very deserving of a big-screen return, too. In 1996, it was a commercial and critical hit. It found major box office success. Meanwhile, it also picked up four Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for Cruise, Best Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Cuba Gooding Jr. also took home the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (which makes sense; to this day, I still yell “Show me the money!”)

Along with being a hit at the time, Jerry Maguire has stood the test of time, too. It’s been 30 years, and it's still cited as one of the best movies for Cruise, Gooding and Zellweger as well as its director, Cameron Crowe.

Putting Jerry Maguire in theaters again also gives new generations the chance to see it for the first time (or for the first time on a big screen). As someone who grew up with parents who are massive fans of Tom Cruise, I watched this movie and his other classics, like A Few Good Men, at home. However, I’ve never seen him in a film like those in the cinema before. So, yeah, I can’t wait to finally see Jerry Maguire on the big screen.

Along with this being a great throwback for Cruise, it’s also a fun way to hype up his other work that will be released in theaters soon. Later this year, the actor will star in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest movie, Digger. This project, which has been compared to Dr. Strangelove, is being marketed as “a comedy of catastrophic proportions.” It will follow the most powerful man as he goes on a quest to “prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.”

Now, while Digger sounds literally nothing like Jerry Maguire, I feel like these two films will show off Cruise’s range as an actor this year. That’s notable because between 2018 and now, the movies he’s released have been: Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning and Top Gun: Maverick. Again, I love action hero Tom Cruise and all these projects. However, I’m stoked that the next two times I go to the theater to see something he’s in, I’ll be watching wildly different projects that show off some of his other skills.

So, you best believe that when the time comes in April, I’ll be headed to the theater to see Tom Cruise back on the big screen as Jerry Maguire.

I don’t know about you, but I really don’t think there’s enough romantic comedies to watch in theaters on a regular basis. I know I didn’t have a single one to go out and see last year, and when I look forward to 2025 movies, I don’t see much hope there either. Universal had the opportunity to release the new Bridget Jones movie in U.S. cinemas and decided to make it an exclusive for those with a Peacock subscription instead. After seeing the numbers the movie pulled in theaters outside the U.S., I’m really bummed it didn’t play on the big screen first stateside too.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Is Actually Doing Great At Global Box Office

How exactly did Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy do? The movie has made a reported $95.8 million worldwide since coming out Valentine’s Day weekend in countries across the globe. No, that doesn’t make it one of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time or anything. However, its international numbers are relatively close to the last blockbuster rom-com, 2023’s Anyone But You, which made $132 million in international numbers, along with $88 million domestically.

I know we’re only in the third month of the year, but Bridget Jones currently sits as the third highest grossing movie of 2025 worldwide behind Captain America: Brave New World and Dog Man. That’s right, it’s done better than Universal’s latest monster movie, Wolf Man (which made a measly $34 million), and Ke Huy Quan’s action comedy Love Hurts ($17 million). That’s not a surprise to me, because Bridget Jones is such a beloved name in cinema across nearly 25 years. If any romantic comedy was going to do box office numbers it would be a franchise title like this.

These Numbers Makes Me Wish The Movie Went To Theaters In The U.S. Before Peacock

Now that I’ve seen Mad About The Boy, I absolutely wish it had gone to theaters so I could have made a date with my mom to cry in the theater over the movie together. Because the movie was on the calendar for Peacock release and I knew Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy is dead in the movie, I automatically figured that it wouldn’t be very good (and let’s be honest, on par with the last sequel). However, when I did turn it on at home, I was impressed with how it was just about exactly what I would want from a theatrical romantic comedy experience.

I watched the movie alone, but I think if Universal had really played up the marketing and had reviews out ahead of time enough for word to get out (it has an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes by the way).

SPOILERS are ahead for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, now streaming with a Peacock subscription. No reading ahead in the diary until you’ve seen it yourself!

2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary is not only one of the best romantic comedies I’ve ever seen, it’s also such a comfort movie for me. While the quality of the sequels have certainly been debatable, I was very excited to see Renée Zellweger back in the role after nearly a decade. I was, however, unprepared to learn that the premise of the movie includes Bridget coping with the death of Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy after having two kids together. But, I really wasn’t prepared for Mr. Darcy to be done dirty like this – especially for what is likely the conclusion to the franchise. Lucky for the movie, I really enjoyed it, and I’m beginning to forgive it for the lack of Darcy for a few key reasons.

Now, for some context, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is based on the 2013 novel of the same name from Helen Fielding. Just like the movie, it takes place two decades after the events of the first Bridget Jones storyline, where she is in her 50s and has been a widow for four years. It should also be noted that the events of the story are inspired by Fielding’s own experiences dealing with the death of her partner, TV writer Kevin Curran, who died at the age of 59 of cancer. They had two children together as well.

Between Fielding's motivations and the execution of Mad About The Boy, it’s not so much that I’m upset that Mark Darcy died at all, but more so the lack of Colin Firth. Here, I’ll share my complete thoughts on the subject.

How Do You Hire Colin Firth To Play Mark Darcy Again, And Give Him Zero Lines?

So, here’s my main issue with how Mark Darcy was handled. It’s one thing to make a plot decision to kill off a character in order to tell the story about grief and moving forward amidst it – which, by the way, I think Mad About The Boy does tell well. But it’s another to literally hire Colin Firth and bring him on the set of the movie alongside Renée Zellweger after 20 years of legacy with the beloved rom-com character, and not give him a single line.

I understand the character is dead, but even awarding audiences one more flashback sequence of the last year of their life or some funny quippy line to break the tension would have been most welcome. Instead, all we get is him standing next to her for a moment and then clapping from across the room later in the movie. Don’t get me wrong, his presence was effective, but it feels a bit wasteful for the Oscar winner, doesn’t it?

I’m Making Peace With The Blunder For One Big Reason

The main reason I can think of to forgive the movie for having Firth’s Mr. Darcy only being seen and not heard in his last appearance in the franchise is pretty heartbreaking. From a story perspective, if it’s been four years since the death of Darcy. So perhaps having him not talk to her from the other side is there to symbolize that at this point in the loss she only imagines and misses his presence rather than it being so vivid that she imagines him talking to her.

I’m also not necessarily fond of those movies where the dead character talks to them from the other side, or the widow and dead person have full-on conversations in one’s imagination – especially since it’s become such a cliché. That goes back to the frustration I have over there not being a little flashback scene with dialogue to at least give fans more closure on the character.

And, I Wouldn't Trade One Emotional Scene For A Bigger Darcy Moment

Another reason why I’m starting to make peace with Darcy being majorly short-sighted comes back to a scene in between Bridget and her father, Colin (played by Jim Broadbent). In the scene early in the movie, Bridget looks at a picture of herself and her late father, and looks back to a time when he was in the hospital and he asked her to promise him to “live.” I think it’s the scene that made me tear up the most because I could relate to my own experience with my grandfather imparting his own wisdom on me before passing away.

There was something powerful about Bridget’s flashback scene that inspired her to move forward in her life being from her father rather than from Darcy, so I wouldn’t necessarily choose a Darcy scene over that if I had to pick between the two. It makes me think that maybe there was a flashback scene with Darcy that was filmed, but the filmmakers cut it in order to balance out the emotions of the movie, which could lean heavy sometimes. But I also can't imagine poor Colin Firth being cut from a Bridget Jones movie!

At Least The Movie Dealt With Darcy’s Death In A Careful Way

While I’m still upset that Darcy didn’t get his own last word in the franchise, I was happy to see the storyline carefully handle Bridget and her kids’ grief in a way that felt true to life. Because it was four years after his death, it made sense to be somewhat removed from the characters being so in the middle of it that it turns into a drama film. I was especially touched by the ways in which the movie handled the kids’ storylines. I am not surprised at all that Fielding was pulling from experience considering the conversations within the movie about keeping Darcy alive within the family.

And, Hugh Grant Clearly Had A Blast Adding Some Humor To It All

Then, there is what we did get out of the romance of Mad About The Boy. I did really enjoy the movie keeping the lighthearted fun of a Bridget Jones movie as the character navigates online dating and attempts to put herself out there in the ways of love and romance. I was totally in regarding Bridget Jones’ love story with Chiwetel Ejifor’s Mr. Walliker. When she kissed him in the snow, my heart fluttered, and Ejifor's character was so sweet and earnest. But I especially loved seeing at least Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver get to have some memorable scenes throughout! Another Bridget Jones just wouldn’t have been the same without one of them interacting with Bridget. I got such a kick out of Daniel coming over to babysit and teach the kids to make a “Dirty Bitch”.

All in all, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is one of my favorite 2025 movies thus far. I just wish I wasn’t so mad about the piping hot lack of Mr. Darcy.

While the majority of the Bridget Jones cast is British, the film's star, Renée Zellweger, is American. However, you'd probably never know it, because her British accent is on point. To that point, we got to see her in the titular role again as Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy premiered on the 2025 movie schedule. She had some new co-stars too, including Chiwetel Ejiofor. Now, the actor is opening up about working with the film's star and how he didn't really meet the ‘American’ actress until after they wrapped the film.

The Love Actually alum caught up with Vanity Fair about the film that's available to stream with a Peacock subscription. While some of the great Chiwetel Ejiofor films breached the conversation, it was his experience on the threequel set and his thoughts about Zellweger’s commitment to Jones that took center stage.

He noted that the Jerry Maguire actress was already in character when he got to the set, and it was only after they wrapped that he got to know the real her, including her accent, saying:

It’s not a surprise that Ejiofor met the triple threat in that manner. Zellweger’s accolades and career have an impressive range, from hit musicals to period pieces and from comedy to kids' projects, so she knows no bounds. The dedication the Judy star commits to is nothing short of impressive, and honestly, half of the time I forget that she isn’t a British person while watching any of the Jones movies.

The 12 Years A Slave actor then explained how he processed the whole experience, saying hearing Zellweger use two accents was something that took him a minute to take in. He also shared that it was like remeeting a person he already half knew, while reaffiming why her performance is so good:

Hearing the Doctor Strange actor expand on his experience with the A-List Texan is surprising, but it makes Renée Zellweger’s best flicks all the better. She's so excellent in films like Bridget Jones and Chicago, and hearing about her commitment to her accent and performance is incredible. (Honestly, I had to go watch a video of her accepting an award to remember she does have a pretty distinct Texas accent.)

If you haven’t dove into the world of the dorky yet lovable British reporter, watching Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is 100% a move you should make. Both stars have films that are considered the best rom-coms ever, and their relationship in Mad About The Boy delivers some great performances that easily compare with their former roles. It also doesn’t hurt to have a lot of returning cast members, including Hugh Grant and a glimpse of Colin Firth alongside newcomer Leo Woodall.

As for Chiwetel Ejiofor’s eventual official meeting of the ‘American’ Renée Zellweger post-filming Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy–better late than never! Hopefully, he’s wrapped his head around it by now, and I follow suit and work through remembering that she is from Texas and not British.

When I saw Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy on the 2025 movie schedule, I wanted to do my homework and watch its predecessors. However, while my colleague Mike Reyes did go back and watch the Bridget Jones movies, I did not. That didn’t stop me from giving Mad About the Boy a chance, though. Now, I’m pleased to report that you can have a splendid time watching Renée Zellweger’s latest outing as her beloved character with little to no knowledge about what happened in the three movies that came before it.

Now, obviously, you’ll probably have a more meaningful experience if you’ve seen the great rom-com Bridget Jones’s Diary and its sequels, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones’s Baby, first. However, if you don’t have that kind of time and just want to watch a sweet film with your Peacock subscription, I can almost guarantee you won’t be lost or uninterested in this story without prior knowledge of Ms. Jones’s love life.

Personally, before I watched Mad About the Boy, all I remembered was that Colin Firth and Hugh Grant played Zellweger's love interests. Honestly, that’s all I needed to know too, to have a grand old time with the series' fourth film, and here’s why:

The Love Story In Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Is Totally New

This isn’t a spoiler, it’s established in the Mad About the Boy trailer, Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy – Bridget Jones’s love interest through the first three films – died before the events of this movie. So, this fourth installment follows Bridget as she handles her grief, learns to live without her love and moves forward.

Part of that moving forward is her getting back into the dating game, which is where Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mr. Wallaker and Leo Woodall’s Roxster come in. They’re completely new characters in this universe, who are learning about and falling for Bridget in this film.

Like these two men, I was also essentially learning about Bridget for the first time. So, it was easy to follow along, because most of the main characters were also just getting to know Zellweger’s character.

By having this story focus on two new love interests and a completely new chapter of Bridget’s life, it separated itself from the first three films – which all feature Firth in a starring role. While Mark was still essential to this fourth installment, knowing his and Bridget’s full story was not 100% necessary. And thankfully, the flick also did a marvelous job of cluing this clueless viewer into the necessary lore needed from the past to understand the present.

While There Are References I’m Sure I Missed, This Bridget Jones Movie Does A Wonderful Job At Explaining The Necessary Lore

While I’m fully aware that knowing all the best Bridget Jones quotes and scenes would have made this viewing experience even better, I also want to scream from the rooftops that I loved Mad About the Boy and was so emotionally invested in it without that knowledge.

That was because the film gave us everything we needed to know. Without spoiling anything, I was so emotional because I could clearly see how much Bridget and her kids love and adore Firth’s late character. They talk about him all the time, and we get to see Bridget’s other old love interest, Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver in all his flirty and sassy glory.

I was immediately connected to both these old characters and understood why Bridget loves them. That was because the movie meaningfully worked them and their pasts into the plot without it overtaking everything or being boring exposition.

Therefore, as she explored relationships with Mr. Wallaker and Roxster, I knew the bare minimum lore needed to understand just how big a deal it was that she was moving forward.

Overall, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is a lovely tale about a woman learning how to live with a devastating loss, trying to be a single parent and working to find love again. It’s a joyous tale that feels like a great continuation of this series. However, it also stands boldly, proudly, and lovingly on its own, making for a film I think anyone can watch and adore.

How To Watch Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Online

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – Synopsis

Nine years on from our last run-in with Renée Zellwegger's Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones' Baby, we return to the life of Helen Fielding's brilliant and charming leading lady. After finally – finally – ending up with the dashing Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and having two children together, the new movie finds Bridget widowed and looking to find her spark again. Getting a theatric release around the world, the fourth instalment is available to stream now on Peacock exclusively in the States. We explain how to watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy online and from anywhere with the help of a VPN.

First embodying the big-knicker-wearing, do-it-for-the-plot helming heroine in the original 2001 movie, Bridget Jones's Diary, two-time Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger returns for her fourth outing as the loveable, quintessentially British character. Now well and truly in her middle age era, we find Bridget ready to get back in the saddle by way of the dreaded apps after losing the love of her life, Mark Darcy, four years prior.

A single mother of 9-year-old Billy and 4-year-old Mabel, it's fair to say Bridget has been struggling – even with the unlikely help of one Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) (turns out he didn't die after all) to help raise her children. Bolstered by her Urban Family (Shazzer, Jude, and Tom), as well as gynaecologist Dr Rawlings (Emma Thompson), Bridget ends up meeting Roxster (Leo Woodall, The White Lotus, One Day), a boy twenty-years her junior, while also getting mixed up with her son's science teacher (portrayed by Chitwetel Ejiofor).

Promising plenty of heart and outrageous humor, much like the previous three films diehard fans will also be happy to learn the screenplay for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was in part written by Helen Fielding, ensuring the authenticity of a beloved character shines through from page to screen once again.

Releasing in cinemas internationally, the movie is going straight to streaming in the US. Read on for how to watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy online from anywhere.

How to watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy online in the US

The US is the only country where Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is going straight to streaming. It premiered exclusively on Peacock on Thursday, February 13, a day before its international release on Valentine's Day. That means you can stream it right now!

You can purchase a Peacock subscription from $7.99 a month. Alternatively, pay more and skip the commercials by opting for its Premium Plus plan, which costs $13.99 a month.

Although Peacock doesn’t currently offer a free trial (and hasn't for some time) you can save 17% when signing up to its annual plans ($79.99 or $139.99 a year respectively).

Currently traveling abroad? Americans temporarily out of the country can download a VPN to access the same services you’d enjoy back home. We explain how to unblock Peacock below.

How to watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy from anywhere

If you're a US citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy online just as you would at home.

While services like Peacock block access from IP addresses outside of the US, there's a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address to make it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.

For example, US citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a US-based server and access their subscription from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.

Step-by-step of using a VPN to unblock:

1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN, costing from under $3.99 a month with its 2-year plan

2. Connect to a server – for Peacock, you'll want to connect to a server based in the US.

3. Go to the stream you wish to access - for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, head to Peacock.

Can I Stream Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Outside of the US?

Outside of the US, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy released into movie theaters around the world on February 14. That means you can't currently stream the fourth Bridget Jones movie from the comfort of your own home unlike those lucky sods in the States – you'll need to head out to the movies to see the latest in this series of romantic comedies that has become something of a British cult classic.

American oversea? Use a VPN to join a US server and access your Peacock subscription from anywhere.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Trailer

Who Is In The Cast Of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy?

• Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones
• Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver
• Emma Thompson as Doctor Rawlings
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scott Wallaker
• Leo Woodall as Roxster
• Colin Firth as Mark Darcy
• Jim Broadbent as Colin Jones
• Gemma Jones as Pamela Jones
• Isla Fisher as Rebecca
• Josette Simon as Talitha
• Nico Parker as Chloe
• Leila Farzar as Nicolette
• Shirley Henderson as Jude
• Sally Phillips as Shazzer
• Sarah Solemani as Miranda
• Celia Imrie as Una Alconbury
• James Callis as Tom
• Joanna Scanlan as Cathy

Where Can I Watch Bridget Jones' Diary?

Three movies precede Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. If you want to prepare for the fourth instalment, you might be wondering where you can watch Bridget Jones' Diary, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, and Bridget Jones' Baby. Here's where you can watch them around the world.

Almost nine years after having a baby, and nearly 25 years since she started her diary, Bridget Jones is returning to the world in a 2025 movie. As Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is set to debut for Peacock subscription holders this weekend, Renée Zellweger will be reuniting with fans of that adore Ms. Jones and her antics.

After watching Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy’s trailer, I was reminded how much I actually enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Diary when I first saw it. But seeing as this is the fourth picture in the lot, that reminded me of a deep dark secret: I had never seen either of the previous sequels to one of the best rom-coms known to humanity.

This meant I needed to run through both 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby in short order. Now that I’ve done just that, there are some things we definitely need to discuss before Movie 4 jumps in front of our eyeballs.

Renée Zellweger Doesn’t Get Enough Credit As A Rom-Com Ace

The world has always known that Renée Zellweger is an actor of great accomplishment, but what I think we’ve forgotten over time is just how talented she is in the field of romantic-comedies. Even though I didn’t like either of these sequels nearly as much as Bridget Jones’s Diary, my admiration of Ms. Zellweger’s craft has not waned. Which reminds me, you people need to go watch Down With Love! That’s a vastly underrated gem of hers.

Bridget Didn’t Nearly Deserve The Fat Jokes These Flicks Lob At Her

Oh, I was hoping this would be improved upon in the sequels. My vague remembrance of Bridget Jones’s Diary did include the often cited fat-phobia that’s present in the films based on author Helen Fielding’s creation. The back-to-back cocktail of The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones’s Baby certainly dug its heels a little deeper into this unfortunate trench.

I Draw The Line At Two Montage Needle Drops, Ms. Jones

In one short “Gotta Get Him Back!” sequence in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’s final act, we hear three different needle drops. Going from “Everlasting Love” to “You're the First, the Last, My Everything,” and landing on a “Crazy In Love” finale, it’s a bit much. So unless it’s a longer sequence or there’s more significance besides padding the soundtrack, let’s try to keep the jukebox to two needle drops max in a montage, ok?

How Does Bridget Distrust Mark, But Keep Letting Daniel Play Her For A Sucker?

I’d say 85-90% of the Bridget Jones series involves our modern woman protagonist presuming that Mark is cheating on her. Now I get that a number of factors inspire that, but after The Edge of Reason, Bridget should have realized this man, even after marrying and divorcing someone else in the process, does love her! My guess is because it keeps Mark Darcy in fighting shape since he's beat the ass of any guy who's tried to push him aside.

Bridget Should Have Considered Dating Rebecca

Speaking of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, there’s a reveal towards the end that Rebecca (Jacinda Barrett), the woman thought to be an admirer of Mark, actually fancies her. The two kiss, and Bridget actually doesn’t seem to mind in a very progressive moment for a 2004 rom-com. After seeing that, I think Ms. Jones should have at least considered trying a relationship outside of her heteronormative routine.

Bridget Jones’s Baby Really Doesn’t Feel The Same Without Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant’s reasons for ditching Bridget Jones 3 were absolutely valid, especially in light of my criticism of how Bridget loves to dive into temptation every time she and Mark break up. That being said, the temporary death fake-out was just as awkward as not having Grant’s Daniel Cleaver in the cast. So seeing back for Mad About The Boy makes me rather happy, while also giving me concern.

Mamma Mia Helped This Three-quel Go Into Production, Didn’t It?

Who doesn’t love a rom-com involving a case of uncertain paternity? Seriously, it feels like Mamma Mia’s hit status in 2008 helped get this one onto the board. Which, in turn, must have helped 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again come into being eventually. Either way, I’m glad to see Colin Firth working - even at the risk of my own sanity.

Patrick Dempsey And Colin Firth Need To Work Together Again

One of the bright spots of Bridget Jones’s Baby has to be the fact that Mark Dempsey and Colin Firth were a lot of fun to watch as squabbling suitors. Though I still missed Firth’s fights with Hugh Grant from the first two movies, his tussle with the Grey’s Anatomy cast alum was definitely magical. Perhaps they should be a couple in a future rom-com instead of just pretending.

Mark Darcy Should Have Run Off With Dr. Rawlings

I know it’s a moot point by the time we get to Bridget Jones’s Baby, but I’m sorry - Mark and Dr. Rawlings (Emma Thompson) felt like more of a match than he ever did with Bridget. If you’d have ended the story in Bridget Jones’s Diary, then maybe it would have made sense. And trust me, I’m not done arguing that point just yet.

These Sequels Are Awkwardly Topical For Rom-Coms

Bridget Jones’s Diary wasn’t a simple frothy rom-com, as she definitely needed to learn to stand up for herself and stop trusting the wrong man. So for The Edge of Reason to include a ridiculous moment where Bridget giving an entire women’s prison in Thailand wonderbras and chocolate as parting gifts was… a choice.

So was inventing a Pussy Riot facsimile for Mark to defend in court, as well as a storyline involving Bridget’s workplace evolving into a tabloid in Bridget Jones’s Baby. If it was worked better into the plot, I might have dug it, but here we are.

I Kind Of Wish Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Was The Only Sequel

My final criticism is purely from a plot standpoint, as I know that Helen Fielding's decision to kill off Mark Darcy was inspired by the untimely death of her own husband. That being said, I really wish that Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy was the only sequel in the group, as this unfortunate real-life twist makes those middle chapters feel unintentionally redundant.

It’d be the rom-com version of Sylvester Stallone’s preferred method for how to watch Rocky, in which you start with the original, and then skip to Rocky Balboa. We get the poignance of Bridget Jones losing Mark Darcy automatically and wouldn’t have to live through her constantly being fat shamed and seduced into farce.

With all of that in mind, I’m still hopeful for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. It’s not going to be long before we’re all read into the next chapter of this romantic comedy legacy, as it will be streaming on Peacock starting February 13th. Though if you're in an international territory, theaters should running the picture the next day.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to re-watch Kingsman: The Secret Service and pretend that Mark Darcy escaped his life to become a super spy. I don’t know how I’ll head canon him to not be a deadbeat dad, but I’ve got time.

The Academy Award for Best Actress has been handed out every year since 1929 — it was initially awarded to star Janet Gaynor for her roles in 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans — and in the near-century since, it's been presented 97 times to 79 actresses. Winning that coveted statuette is unsurprisingly a dream come true for many a big-screen performer, but the award does come with added attention on the actress's next projects. Will whatever they work on next be as critically acclaimed or commercially successful? Here are 32 films that Oscar-winning actresses did after taking home the Academy Award, and how they were received.

Emma Stone

The whole La La Land Oscars brouhaha at the 2018 ceremony was quite memorable, but clearly so was star Emma Stone's performance as aspiring actress Mia Dolen opposite Ryan Gosling's jazz pianist Seb Wilder. One of Stone's best movies, the role earned the star her first Best Actress win (she would strike gold yet again with her 2024 victory for Poor Things). Her next performance also stirred up awards buzz: she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for portraying tennis legend Billie Jean King in the sports drama Battle of the Sexes.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep's history with the Academy Awards is long and legendary: over her decades-spanning career, she's been nominated for a record 21 Oscar nominations, winning thrice. After taking home the Supporting Actress statuette for Kramer vs. Kramer, Streep got her first big Best Actress win for one of her most iconic performances: as the titular character of the devastating 1982 drama Sophie's Choice. Her next role was just as haunting: as Karen Silkwood in the 1983 thriller Silkwood, for which she earned yet another Best Actress nod.

Michelle Yeoh

Along with kicking major butt, Michelle Yeoh made history with her starring role as Evelyn Quan Wang in the 2022 action-dramedy Everything Everywhere All at Once, for she became the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Following that notable win in 2023, the Wicked star lent her voice to the sci-fi flick Transformers: Rise of the Beasts as Airazor, a Maximal warrior who transforms into a peregrine falcon. That title earned largely mixed reviews, and it currently sports a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jessica Chastain

After losing out on the Oscar for Zero Dark Thirty, Jessica Chastain took the Best Actress trophy home for her transformative role as televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in the 2022 bio-drama The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Her next project was far less successful with awards bodies — the action-spy thriller The 355 was both a critical and commercial bomb, reportedly losing Universal an estimated $93 million. Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Despite the strong cast, this is the film equivalent of a corn-syrup-based fizzy drink being passed off as chic in taller, slimmer cans."

Frances McDormand

Three-time Best Actress winner Frances McDormand took home her first Oscar in 1997 for her instantly iconic performance as Minnesota police chief Marge Gunderson in the classic Coen Brothers dark comedy Fargo. Later that year, the acclaimed performer joined a heavyweight lineup of actresses — including Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Ehle — in the World War II drama Paradise Road. However, despite that acting clout, the film received mixed reviews, with its approval rating at a lowly 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Brie Larson

Child actor turned Marvel superhero Brie Larson took her career to a whole new level with her performance as kidnapping victim Joy "Ma" Newsome in the 2015 survival drama Room, for which she swept the subsequent awards season and took home the Best Actress Oscar. In 2016, the Lessons in Chemistry lead starred in another survival drama, this time the Ben Wheatley-directed action-comedy Free Fire. CinemaBlend's own Gregory Wakeman wrote of the film: "Free Fire has enough gun blasts and violence to entertain, but ultimately lacks the requisite surprises or savvy to be anything more than a frivolous diversion."

Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman's Best Actress win for her portrayal of Queen Anne in the black-comedy period piece The Favourite was a deserved yet delightfully shocking moment at the 2019 Oscars. Her next role was equally strange, but less acclaimed: she appeared alongside Kaitlyn Dever, Jim Gaffigan and Walton Goggins as snake-handling fundamentalists in the horror mystery Them That Follow. Though it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, it earned mixed reviews from critics.

Cate Blanchett

One of the most versatile actors in the industry — she's played Queen Elizabeth I and Bob Dylan, for crying out loud! — eight-time Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett secured her first Best Actress win in 2014 playing a neurotic former socialite in the Woody Allen-directed dramedy Blue Jasmine. And speaking of versatility, the Aussie star followed that awards win with a voice role in the animated fantasy sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2, which got its own Oscar nod for Best Animated Feature.

Sandra Bullock

Rom-com queen Sandra Bullock received her first Best Actress nomination and win in 2010 for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in the biographical football drama The Blind Side. Her next film credit was the Stephen Daldry-directed 2011 drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which did manage to score a Best Picture nod but not without controversy. Chris Krapek of The Huffington Post called the film "not only the worst reviewed Best Picture nominee of the last 10 years, [but] easily the worst film of 2011."

Katharine Hepburn

Hollywood icon Katherine Hepburn earned four Academy Awards for Best Actress out of 12 nominations across her illustrious film career—a record for any performer. The leading lady's first Oscar win was in 1934 for the Pre-Code drama Morning Glory (the rest would come later in the star's life), which she followed up with John Cromwell's Spitfire. Some viewers found Hepburn miscast as "hillbilly" faith healer Trigger Hicks — the film has a 35% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman didn't win the Best Actress Oscar for one of her most beloved performances, as cabaret star Satine in Moulin Rouge! but she instead secured the big win only a year later for playing English writer Virginia Woolf in The Hours. The Babygirl star's first post-award project was the 2003 avant-garde thriller Dogville, written and directed by Lars von Trier. Though the film prompted quite a polarizing response from critics at the time of release, it did end up on several best-of-the-decade roundups, including The Guardian and Paste.

Jennifer Lawrence

If they didn't already love her from her work in the David O. Russell dramedy Silver Linings Playbook, the world certainly fell for Jennifer Lawrence when she charmingly tripped up the stairs to accept her Best Actress statuette in 2013. That fall, she would reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen in the second Mockingjay movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is widely considered the best installment of The Hunger Games film series (it's got a solid 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating) and earned Lawrence a Critics' Choice nod.

Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren is a regal onscreen presence no matter what the role, but her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 docudrama The Queen welcomed her among the Hollywood royalty known as Oscar winners. However, despite the film title, she didn't strike gold with her next project: the Nicolas Cage-led adventure flick National Treasure: Book of Secrets, alongside Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris and Diane Kruger. Per Rotten Tomatoes, critic consensus said of the 35% "Rotten" movie: "A talented cast goes to waste in the improbable National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Jodie Foster

One of Hollywood's most acclaimed child stars — she was only 12 years old when she starred opposite Robert De Niro in the Martin Scorsese masterpiece Taxi Driver, earning her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress — Jodie Foster successfully segued into more adult fare with the 1988 legal drama The Accused. As an assault survivor Sarah Tobias, Foster received a Best Actress win—it wouldn't be her last, with the star winning the same award for her next film release, one of the greatest horror movies of all time, The Silence of the Lambs.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry made Oscar history when she became the first African-American woman ever to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performance as a struggling widow in 2001's Monster's Ball. After becoming an Oscar winner, Berry became a Bond Girl — bikini-sporting NSA agent Jinx, to be exact — in the 2002 spy flick Die Another Day, opposite Pierce Brosnan as 007. However, the latter is widely considered to be the worst entry in James Bond's canon.

Julie Andrews

A legendary performer across both screen and stage, Julie Andrews won her Best Actress Oscar in 1964 for a truly iconic role: as the titular nanny extraordinaire in Mary Poppins. And she didn't stop there — the very next year, she would get yet another Academy Award nomination for an equally beloved character, as The Sound of Music's Maria, the sweet, singing governess to the Von Trapp family. Talk about an epic filmography!

Kathy Bates

One of the best Kathy Bates performances, as obsessive superfan Annie Wilkes in the 1990 Stephen King thriller Misery, earned the talented actress her first Academy Award nomination and win. (She would have three more Oscar nods across her decades-spanning career.) Bates' next film role was in the South African drama The Road to Mecca, based on the Athol Fugard play of the same name — the performer was praised for both her acting and her accent work.

Hilary Swank

Before there were transgender characters like Emilia Pérez (Emilia Pérez), Sin-Dee Rella (Tangerine), or Raymond Rayon (Dallas Buyers Club), there was Brandon Teena, the real-life trans man at the center of the 1999 drama Boys Don't Cry. Hilary Swank's harrowing, career-making performance as Teena earned the star her first Best Actress award, with critics like Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman calling the actress a "revelation" in the film. Reactions to her next movie, the 2000 supernatural thriller The Gift, were far more mixed. A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "The picture is saved from mediocrity by [director Sam] Raimi's smooth competence, and by the unusually high quality of the acting."

Renée Zellweger

After prior Best Actress nominations for two of her best movies, Bridget Jones' Diary and Chicago — plus a Best Supporting Actress win for Cold Mountain — Renée Zellweger finally got her big Best Actress win for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Rupert Goold's Judy. After taking a multi-year break from acting, Zellweger's much-anticipated next film credit will be a return to a beloved role, in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman was so convincing as a troubled ballerina in the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan that she thought the film was a docudrama while making it. So, it's no surprise, then, that her tour-de-force performance garnered the star an Academy Award for Best Actress. Ever one to keep you guessing genre-wise, Portman's next role was in the 2011 stoner fantasy-comedy Your Highness, which sadly was a box office bomb and received largely negative reviews from critics.

Cher

The "Goddess of Pop" Cher officially added the title of "Oscar winner" to her already legendary showbiz career with her 1988 Best Actress triumph for one of her best movies, the acclaimed rom-com Moonstruck. Her next movie role came two years later as Rachel Flax, the saucy single mom to young Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci in the 1990 dramedy Mermaids. The heartfelt title has been dubbed an "underappreciated 1990s coming-of-age gem" by The Guardian, which singled out Cher's performance as "nothing short of magical."

Kate Winslet

One of the greatest performers of her generation, it took Kate Winslet a whopping six Oscar nominations before she finally took home the Academy Award for Best Actress, for playing a former Nazi camp guard in 2008's The Reader. Her next onscreen role was in the 2011 black comedy Carnage, by disgraced director Roman Polanski. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the performances of the cast, including Winslet's — she earned a Golden Globe nod for Best Actress in a Motional Picture Musical or Comedy.

Julia Roberts

After a decade that solidified her as rom-com royalty, Julia Roberts proved her dramatic bonafides by winning the Best Actress Oscar for playing the title role in the 2000 legal drama Erin Brockovich, one of her best movies. America's Sweetheart returned to her romantic comedy roots with her next film, fittingly entitled America's Sweethearts, though critics weren't too sweet on the movie. It only holds a 33% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus reading: "Despite its famous cast, the movie lacks sympathetic characters and is only funny in spurts."

Susan Sarandon

After Oscar nominations for Atlantic City, Thelma & Louise, Lorenzo's Oil and The Client, Susan Sarandon was finally named Best Actress by the Academy for playing Sister Helen Prejean in 1995's Dead Man Walking. Her next film was the decidedly lighter kids' flick James and the Giant Peach, in which Sarandon voiced the character of Miss Spider. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Randy Newman's score earning an Oscar nod; however, the film was a box office failure, grossing $300,000 less than its budget.

Marion Cotillard

French movie star Marion Cotillard became the first actor to win an Academy Award for a French-language performance for her transformative turn as legendary singer Édith Piaf in the 2007 music biopic La Vie en Rose. Her next film credit was another biographical drama — this time, the Michael Mann-directed gangster film Public Enemies, alongside Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Though many critics praised the leading performances, reviews were mixed, with the title holding a 68% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Marlee Matlin

Marlee Matlin's acting debut in 1986's Children of a Lesser God saw the actress making Oscar history not once but twice: she became the first deaf performer to ever win an Academy Award, as well as the youngest winner in the Best Actress category. The CODA star followed up that momentous victory with the 1987 Western Walker, starring Ed Harris, Richard Masur and Peter Boyle. The historical drama was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival but received very polarized reviews and was a failure at the box office.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Fun fact: Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't initially supposed to star as Viola de Lesseps in the 1998 Bard-inspired romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love — Julia Roberts was. But Gwyn is no doubt grateful the latter ultimately left the production, as the role won her a Best Actress Oscar. Her next project was equally acclaimed: 1999's Anthony Minghella-helmed thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley scored five Academy Award nominations.

Audrey Hepburn

Screen legend Audrey Hepburn won her first Oscar in 1953 for her debut starring role, as Princess Ann in the classic black-and-white comedy Roman Holiday. The British beauty would later be nominated four more times for films like her first post-award project, the 1954 Billy Wilder-directed dramedy Sabrina, as well as The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Wait Until Dark.

Sally Field

The Academy likes her, they really like her — yes, Sally Field has won not one but two Best Actress statuettes, the first being for her inspiring performance in 1979's Norma Rae and the second five years later for another one of her best films, Places in the Heart. Following her first win, Field reprised her role as Carrie, or "Frog," in 1980's Smoky and the Bandit II opposite her real-life love Burt Reynolds. Though the sequel was a box office success, prompting a third film, it received almost entirely negative reviews from critics.

Charlize Theron

One of the best Charlize Theron roles was also the star's most remarkably unrecognizable: the South African-born actress earned a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of real-life prostitute and serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 crime drama Monster. Her next big-screen performance was the 2004 war drama Head in the Clouds, which saw Theron acting opposite her then-romantic partner Stuart Townsend. The film was a critical and box office failure; in the San Francisco Chronicle, Walter Addiego wrote: "If not for the presence of Charlize Theron, it's hard to imagine this film would have attracted anywhere near the kind of attention it's gotten."

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon proved she was more than just a musical sidekick with her Oscar-winning performance as June Carter Cash in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. The Legally Blonde star was next seen in the harrowing 2007 political thriller Rendition opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard. However, "the impressive cast cannot rescue Rendition, which explores complex issues in woefully simplified terms," reads the critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, with the film at a paltry 47% approval rating.

Elizabeth Taylor

Through much of the mid-20th century, celluloid icon Elizabeth Taylor was one of MGM's most bankable stars. In fact, her final film for the studio — 1960's Butterfield 8, playing glamorous call girl Gloria Wandrous — earned the movie star her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Her next performance was just as iconic: as the titular Egyptian queen in the 1963 historical epic Cleopatra, which received nine Oscar nominations and four wins, though, alas, none for Taylor specifically.

The 2025 movie schedule is full of exciting titles and big names, and that includes the next Bridget Jones movie and its star, Renée Zellweger. The actress, producer and writer will make her return to the big screen after more than half a decade away from Tinseltown. However, before she appears on the big screen again in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy this February, she got real about why she took a break from the spotlight.

The return of Bridget Jones feels like a homecoming of sorts for Zellweger, especially after she took a big break from Hollywood. To that point, she talked to British Vogue about the continuing of the exceptional rom-com franchise, her professional and personal highlights and her exciting path back to acting. Speaking about why she felt the need to take a six-year break in the first place, the Chicago star said:

Hearing that the Cold Mountain actress was feeling consumed with her various jobs in a bad way is surprising. After all, Zellweger has a stunning top 10 best films list. However, it’s understandable that even people with their dream jobs need to step away and take a breather sometimes.

The Jerry Maguire actress shared openly what she did during her acting sabbatical and how it led her back to Hollywood. She revealed:

It’s wonderful to learn that Zellweger did what she needed to do and found new interests and ways of life that helped her grow. All of her accomplishments and intentional time seem like they could be molded into their own little movie.

Also, during that time off, the Judy star notably started a relationship with Ant Anstead, a popular host of multiple car and mechanic shows in the UK in the Spring of 2021. While they generally stay out of the public eye, the couple seemed to get more serious after the reality star sold his home in 2023, and they are still happy together.

Overall, whatever Renée Zellweger is up to, whether it’s professional or personal endeavors, I’m so psyched to hear that she’s doing better than she was. It sounds like the six years did her a world of good, and I'm hoping that means this new Bridget Jones movie marks the start of a long and happy continuation of her acting career.

To watch the Bridget Jones franchise, you’ll need a Max subscription. And make sure to have a Peacock subscription ready by February 13th to watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Great actors don't need a lot of makeup or total body transformations to improve their performance, but when you get the combination of a great and those things, the effect can be amazing. Sometimes the effect is so good the actors become completely unrecognizable, like the examples in this list where actors like Jared Leto and Gary Oldman were completely transformed for roles.

Jared Leto - House Of Gucci

It's fair to say that House Of Gucci was, at best, an uneven movie. It was a daunting challenge for everyone involved and none more so than Jared Leto. Leto played the legendary Paolo Gucci, and while his accent was a little shaky, his look and his mannerisms were completely on point. It's one heck of a transformation.

Charlize Theron - Monster

There is no more intense transformation for a role than Charlize Theron's performance as real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Theron completely embodies the monster that Wuoronos was, while also subtly allowing the audience to understand how the killer became the way she was. Theron rightfully won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the brutal murderer.

Christian Bale - Vice

Christian Bale is one of the best actors of his generation and he's never been afraid to alter his look for a performance. The Machinist is one excellent example, but even that transformation pales in comparison to the way he completely became Dick Cheney in Vice. Not only does he look just like the former vice president, but he nails his speech pattern and mannerisms as well. It's remarkable.

Lily James - Pam & Tommy

When Lily James was cast as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy it raised a few eyebrows. The actress seemed like a complete opposite in every way, especially her looks, as the blonde bombshell. Yet, when the movie came out, people were amazed at how well James pulled it off. No, it's not the best movie, but James was the spitting image of Anderson.

Gary Oldman - True Romance

One actor who is truly a master of disguise is Gary Oldman. He seemingly looks completely different in almost every role he plays. One of the most astounding transformations was early in his career when he played a pimp in True Romance. He literally looks and sounds nothing like himself in the film, to the point where if you didn't know it was him, you'd never guess.

Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

You know when a film wins the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Best Actress, the role is going to be special. Such is the case for Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Chastain is completely unrecognizable in the role of the wife of the infamous Jim Bakker and is simply incredible in the movie.

Margot Robbie - I, Tonya

Turning Margot Robbie into a street tough figure skater like Tonya Harding is no easy feet. Through a combination of incredible makeup work and even better acting, Robbie completely disappears into the notorious skater made famous for her part in attacking her rival Nancy Kerrigan before the 1994 Olympics.

Glenn Close - Hook

Steven Spielberg's 1991 Hook isn't generally remembered as the legendary director's best work, but it is chock full of fun cameos and one of the hardest to spot is Glenn Close. The actress plays one of the pirates on Captain Hook's ship and if you don't look closely, you'll never notice the multiple Oscar nominee under the beard and makeup turning her into a male pirate.

Tilda Swinton - Trainwreck

The most remarkable thing about Tilda Swinton's transformation in the rom-com Trainwreck is just how conventional she looks. Swinton has one of the most unique looks in Hollywood and most of the time that look is enhanced by the roles she plays, it's part of what makes her so great. Her "normal" look in Trainwreck is made remarkable by that,

Mike Myers - Bohemian Rhapsody

Mike Myers took a long hiatus from acting in the 2010s and when he returned in Bohemian Rhapsody, audiences had to do a triple-check to make sure it was him in the role of a record executive arguing with Queen about the song that the movie is named after. With sunglasses and a full blonde beard, Myers looked nothing like his normal sense and his performance was excellent.

Colin Farrell - The Batman/The Penguin

When the trailer first dropped for The Batman, people were astounded at how Colin Farrell looked as Penguin. When the movie came out and we all watched his performance, it was even more shocking (in a great way). When he took the role to HBO for the TV show named after the character, we were all completely lost in it, because he was just so great. Though he says the suit and makeup aren't worth it, we have a feeling he'll be back as the Gotham-based villain.

50 Cent - All Things Fall Apart

50 Cent has proven to be quite the actor. The rapper has branched out into producing, even. Perhaps his best performance was as the fallen football star in All Things Fall Apart. His body transformation to play a pro athlete in peak physical condition who falls victim to cancer is incredible

Sarah Paulson - Impeachment: American Crime Story

Sarah Paulson knows how to completely disappear into a role. She was as incredible as Marsha Clark in The People Vs. OJ Simpson and she was even more remarkable as Linda Tripp in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Seriously, if you didn't know it was her, you'd never guess. She looks more like Tripp than Paulson in every way.

Billy Bob Thornton In U-Turn

Billy Bob Thorton is one of the most fun actors to watch in everything he is in. Take, for example, his role in Sling Blade, in which he looks completely different from himself. Another fine example is as the mechanic in U-Turn with Sean Penn. If it wasn't for his distinctive voice, you'd never know it was him.

Eddie Murphy - Coming To America

For a while there, Eddie Murphy made it his job to look completely different in his movies like The Nutty Professor, but at no point in any of those movies did he transform quite like he did to play the Jewish guy who hung out in the barbershop in Coming To America. Even his role as the barber in the movie was more recognizable. We also have to give props to Arsenio Hall for his various roles in the movie as well.

Mia Goth - X

Mia Goth playing the elderly Pearl in X is fantastic. Though you can tell it's her as Maxine, if you just walked in on the movie as those scenes of her as the older Pearl was playing, you'd never know who it is.

Tom Hardy - Bronson

Tom Hardy has never been shy about taking on challenging roles that require him to transform completely. He changes so much, that you almost feel like you don't know what he actually looks like in real life. Bronson is one of his finest transformations as he looks way more like the notorious British prisoner than like himself in the movie. It's so much more than just a mustache, that's for sure.

Donnie Wahlberg - The Sixth Sense

Mark Wahlberg may be the more famous brother, but Donnie Wahlberg also has some incredible acting chops and his performance comes in his minor-ish role in The Sixth Sense. It's clear that the former (and current) New Kid On The Block lost a ton of weight for his haunting performance in the movie.

Steve Carell - Foxcatcher

Murderer John du Pont of the famous du Pont family was a unique-looking guy. In Foxcatcher, Steve Carell completely embodies that uniqueness, It's almost unsettling how much Carell looks like du Pont and not like himself in the disturbing movie about the murder the scion of the wealthy family committed in 1997.

Cate Blanchett — I’m Not There

The legendary Bob Dylan has been played on screen a few times and remarkably the actor that pulled off his look and mannerism best is the amazing Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There. Of all the actors who play a version of the folk singer, Blancett is the most convincing and she looks nothing like herself in the movie.

Zac Efron - The Iron Claw

Early in his career Zac Efron was kind of typecast as the goofy good-looking guy. In 2023's The Iron Claw he completely upends that as he embodied the late Kerry Von Erich in the fantastic biopic about wrestling's first family, the Von Erichs

Renée Zellweger - The Thing About Pam

After a little bit of a career lull that included a four-year break from acting, Renée Zellweger returned in a big way in the late 2010s, culminating in an Oscar-winning performance as Judy Garland in 2019's Judy, which completely revived her career. Her best was yet to come because despite not getting the same accolades in the press, her performance as murderer Pam Hupp in The Thing About Pam was a complete transformation

Jared Leto - Chapter 27

Turning someone as good-looking as Jared Leto into someone as despised as the man who killed John Lennon is no easy feat. Leto's performance as Mark David Chapman is incredible and even though the movie has flown under the radar for years, it's worth seeking out just to see how different Leto can look from himself.

Missi Pyle - Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

How do you take a beautiful woman like Missi Pyle and make her look like a deranged Eastern European dodgeball player? Ask the makeup department for Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The work they did, along with Pyle's acting, was amazing. There's no way to know it was her in any way unless you double-check the credits.

Sebastian Stan - A Different Man

A Different Man tells the hilarious and heartwarming tale of a struggling actor with a condition known as neurofibromatosis. Sebastian Stan plays the actor under a whole ton of wonderful makeup and despite the obvious limitation that makeup puts on the actor, Stan puts in a career-defining performance.

Chris Hemsworth - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

While it isn't the most extreme example on this list, Chris Hemsworth's look in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is amazing. The only reason you really know it's him is that he uses his natural Aussie accent in the movie, which he doesn't do all that much these days. He's even won awards for the performance!

Ryan Reynolds - Blade: Trinity

Okay, we'll admit this isn't the biggest transformation on this list, but you can't deny that Ryan Reynolds has a completely different, more sinister look in Blade: Trinity. It's way different from what you expect from a standard Reynolds performance.

Nicole Kidman - Birth

Nicole Kidman is an amazing actress, but she's not one of those actors you expect to completely change her look for a role. Her part in Birth shows that she certainly can do that, and do it in spectacular ways.

Robert De Niro - Raging Bull

Robert De Niro famously put on a ton of weight for his role as Al Capone in The Untouchables. He also got completely jacked for Cape Fear. He did both for his incredible performance in Raging Bull. As a young Jake LaMotta he was cut and fit and as an older version of the boxer, he was flabby and overweight. Either way, De Niro looks less like himself and more like the real-life boxer. He certainly deserved the Oscar he won for the role.

Margot Robbie - Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots had a unique look that was only enhanced by the odd style of 16th Century Scotland. Still, Margot Robbie nails the look of the queen in a way that leaves the audience squinted to see if it's really the Australian actress.

Gary Oldman - The Darkest Hour

No one transforms quite like Gary Oldman. He's completely different in every role he plays and in The Darkest Hour, he completely embodies his role as Winston Churchill. It's not just the makeup, though that is perfect, it's also the voice and mannerisms he brings to the role that makes you believe you're actually watching the legendary prime minister.

Charlize Theron - Bombshell

Bombshell is one of those movies where you might think you're watching the real-life characters that the cast of Bombshell are playing. Charlize Theron's portrayal of former Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly tops the performances. It's pitch-perfect in every way.

Some actors excel in dramas, others in action flicks; but there are also others whose best work happens to be in some of the best romantic comedies of all time. Nothing against Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, or Colin Firth’s more dramatic or action-oriented work, but let’s be real for a second and admit that Four Weddings and a Funeral, When Harry Met Sally, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as their other work in the genre, is why they’re so beloved.

That said, here are 32 actors whose best roles are rom-coms…

Hugh Grant

With movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Bridget Jones’s Diary to his name (and many, many more), it’s no wonder Hugh Grant’s name comes up rather frequently when discussing the best rom-coms ever made. Sure, his work in Paddington 2 and Remains of the Day is great, but the man knows how to anchor a romantic comedy with that signature charm and wit.

Renée Zellweger

Sure, Renée Zellweger won her two Oscars in dramas – Cold Mountain and Judy – but that doesn’t mean those were her best roles. Again, they were both great, but don’t hold a candle to her work as the titular character in Bridget Jones’s Diary or her star-making performance in Jerry Maguire. More than 20 years after first playing those iconic characters, Zellweger’s work is still received with heaps of praise.

Julia Roberts

One of the queens of the ‘90s rom-com, Julia Roberts bookended the final decade of the 20th century with legendary performances in Pretty Woman and Notting Hill. Those roles, which should be revisited annually if we’re being honest, helped pave the way for Roberts’ stellar career.

Meg Ryan

It’s impossible to put together a list of Meg Ryan’s best movies and not include the likes of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail, to name a few. The rom-com mainstay, who shared the screen with Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, and Kevin Kline over the years, has given us unforgettable moments and more beloved characters than just about anyone.

Cameron Diaz

My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, The Holiday, The Sweetest Thing, and countless other romantic comedies made Cameron Diaz one of the biggest stars of the past 30 years. The actress has shown off her more dramatic roles in everything from Any Given Sunday and Being John Malkovich, but her performances in those rom-coms can’t be touched.

Drew Barrymore

Long before Drew Barrymore became one of the premier names in the world of daytime talk shows, she held it down in the rom-com circuit. Fever Pitch, Never Been Kissed, 50 First Dates, and The Wedding Singer are just some of Barrymore’s best romantic comedies. And while she does have a killer scene in the opening minutes of Scream, these are her most memorable performances.

Colin Firth

As much as we love watching Colin Firth play Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice, his more modern take on the character in Bridget Jones’s Diary is the stuff of legend. Firth, a tremendous dramatic actor in his own right, has been a staple of the romantic comedy over the years thanks in part to those Bridget Jones movies, Mamma Mia!, and Love Actually. However, don’t let this take away from the greatness of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or The King’s Speech.

Billy Crystal

When Harry Met Sally is one of the first movies to come to mind whenever the topic of hilarious Billy Crystal movies comes up. Filled with some of the funniest lines (and others filled with heartbreak and emotion), Crystal’s work in the rom-com genre is absolutely fantastic, be it movies like America’s Sweethearts or Forget Paris. And The Princess Bride sort of counts, right?

Cary Grant

Few Hollywood leading men have a resume as great as Cary Grant, an actor who appeared in dozens of romantic comedies over the years. Charade, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, and so many others have long cemented Grant’s place in the annuls of rom-com history, and those hilarious and heartfelt performances are still cherished many years after his death.

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was the king of the silent film and an actor who could do anything from drama to slapstick to romantic comedy better than just about every single one of his contemporaries. Chaplin’s 1931 rom-com, City Lights, helped define the genre and has been a benchmark for nearly 100 years.

Nia Long

Nia Long has so many great movies to her name, including Friday, Boyz n the Hood, Big Momma’s House, and Soul Food. This also includes some all-time great romantic comedies from the ‘90s like Love Jones, The Best Man, and Hav Plenty. Though her name doesn’t come up as much as it should, Long is still in a league of her own.

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton won an Oscar for her titular in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, but the talented actress has several other iconic rom-coms to her name. Something’s Gotta Give, Manhattan, The Family Stone, and Baby Boom all show off the incredible skill and nuance of this once-in-a-generation actress. And this is coming from someone who thinks The Godfather is one of the top five movies of all time.

Audrey Hepburn

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, and My Fair Lady are all some of the funniest movies of the 20th century, and all happen to feature the unmatched talent of Audrey Hepburn in iconic roles. The late actress had a great number of dramatic roles over the years, but her charm and charisma seen in these rom-coms made her one of the all-time greats.

Constance Wu

Constance Wu has all kinds of great film and TV roles on her resume, but for some, she’ll always be remembered for her portrayal of Rachel Chu in Crazy Rich Asians. The massively popular romantic comedy about a Chinese-American NYU professor learning her boyfriend is a member of the richest and most powerful family in Singapore still hits more than a half-decade after its release.

Richard Gere

Though Richard Gere has killed it in dramas like An Officer and a Gentleman and musicals like Chicago, those performances don’t hold a candle to, at least culturally, to his role as Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman. Gere and co-star Julia Roberts would rekindle that spark less than a decade later with another great rom-com, Runaway Bride.

Reese Witherspoon

The Importance of Being Earnest, Sweeet Home Alabama, and Legally Blonde all allowed Reese Witherspoon to show off comedic skills in romantic comedies, and those roles remain some of her best. Sure, she won an Oscar for Walk the Line, but there’s no touching Elle Woods.

Henry Golding

Henry Golding had already had some success by the time he was cast as the uber-wealthy Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians, but his performance in the 2018 romantic comedy sent him to the next level. He’s found success in movies like The Gentlemen and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare since then, but his rom-com performance is still his best.

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes has long killed it in comedies, romance movies, and romantic comedies. Take Hitch for example. The 2005 rom-com starring Will Smith as a professional “date doctor” who meets his match in Mendes’ character was so much fun and allowed the actress to show off all of her skills in a fun and meaningful way.

Sandra Bullock

While You Were Sleeping, Hope Floats, The Proposal, and Two Weeks Notice are just a few of Sandra Bullock’s all-time great romantic comedies. The Academy Award-winning actress has long been one of the best to attempt the genre, and she’ll have a long-lasting legacy because of those strong, vulnerable, and incredibly relatable characters.

Michael Ealy

Over the years, Michael Ealy has put together a crazy good filmography, one that is filled with medical dramas and thrillers, action flicks and comedies, etc. But let’s not forget all the great work he’s done in the world of romantic comedies. Kissing Jessica Stein, Think Like a Man, and About Last Night have all shown what the talented actor is working with.

Adam Sandler

Though not the prototypical romantic lead, there are so many great Adam Sandler rom-coms out there. From The Wedding Singer to Punch-Drunk Love and 50 First Dates to Spanglish there’s so much variety and fun to be had with his stellar filmography.

Jennifer Garner

13 Going on 30, anyone? Jennifer Garner became one of the queens of the rom-com with the release of her 2004 comedy about a young girl who is transformed into a 30-year-old magazine editor and undergoes a massive transformation (both physically and emotionally). She’s also appeared in other great comedies of the era like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Love, Simon, to name a few.

Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s monologue in the opening minutes of Manhattan is honestly one of the best cinematic moments of the ‘70s and features some of Allen’s best writing. That’s saying something considering the writer-director-actor has been a part of so many great rom-coms over the years. Annie Hall, Midnight in Paris, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Hannah and her Sisters have made us laugh, cry, and feel everything in between over the past 50-plus years.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway’s name doesn’t come up in the rom-com discussion as much as it should, which is a shame considering the Oscar-winning actress has killed it in movies like The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Love & Other Drugs, and so many others. Yeah, she was great in Interstellar and Les Misérables, but there’s no denying her performances in these romantic comedies.

Morris Chestnut

Okay, Morris Chestnut was AMAZING in Boyz n the Hood with his portrayal of Ricky Baker, but the man has become a legend in the rom-com game over the past few decades. Two Can Play That Game, The Best Man, The Brothers, The Perfect Holiday, Breakin’ All the Rules are all classics, thanks in no small part to Chestnut’s performances.

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams’ career has been full of swirling tales of romance like The Notebook, The Vow, and Disobedience, but some of her best work has been in romantic comedies. Wedding Crashers and Midnight in Paris quickly come to mind, but her best performance can be found in About Time, an incredibly emotional and hilarious story of love, loss, and second chances.

John Cusack

Look at the best John Cusack movies and you’ll see iconic rom-coms like High Fidelity, Say Anything, Serendipity, Better Off Dead, and America’s Sweethearts. The vulnerability and likeability of the Hollywood star have made those movies, and the beloved characters he plays in each of them, such gems over the years.

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is amazing when it comes to roles in romantic comedies, and few could come close to her batting average in the early-to-mid 2000s. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, My Best Friend’s Girl, Something Borrowed, and A Little Bit of Heaven all come to mind in this regard.

Taye Diggs

Taye Diggs has done it all, but he’s excelled tremendously in the rom-com world. Movies like The Wood, The Best Man, Brown Sugar, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back have shown just how charming and funny the classically trained actor can be.

Ben Stiller

Though an unlikely leading man in the realm of romantic comedies, Ben Still has long excelled in the genre. Over the years, we’ve had sensational comedies like There’s Something About Mary, Along Came Polly, Keeping the Faith, and even Reality Bites that have allowed the comedian-actor-writer-director to show off what he’s working with, and it’s been great all along.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston will always be remembered for her portrayal of Rachel Green on Friends, but let’s not forget that she has also been a longtime staple of the romantic comedy genre. The Break-up, Wanderlust, Just Go With It, The Switch, Rumor Has It, and several others have been perfect movies for Aniston to show off her skills.

Patrick Dempsey

From Can’t Buy Me Love to Made of Honor and everything in between, Patrick Dempsey has been a tour de force in the world of romantic comedies. He’s done great work on TV and in big-screen dramas over the years, but he particularly excels in the rom-com genre.

Even the greatest actors have ups and downs in their careers. For some, it's more dramatic than others. John Travolta was virtually forgotten about before Quentin Tarantino cast him in Pulp Fiction, for example. Then there was "The McConaissance," when Matthew McConaughey roared back to prominence. Those two are hardly alone in finding roles that brought them back. Here is our list of 32 roles that saved actors' careers. 

Pulp Fiction - John Travolta

This was a big one. In the late '70s, there wasn't a bigger star than John Travolta. On the strength of a hit TV show (Welcome Back, Kotter), and two huge hits at the box office with Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Travolta was on top of the world. Then, almost all of a sudden, poof, he was gone. In the 16 years between Grease in 1978 and 1994, he appeared in only 11 movies, and three of those were Look Who's Talking movies and most of them bombed. Then Tarantino came along and cast him as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction and once again, Travolta was on top of the business and he's never looked back. 

Dallas Buyers Club - Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey exploded onto the scene in the early '90s in Dazed And Confused, where he delivered some of the most iconic quotes. In the mid-90s he started playing more dramatic roles in movies like A Time To Kill, Contact, and Amistad. By the early 2000s, he established himself as a popular lead in rom-coms. Then, after a few of his movies struggled to make an impact in the late 2000s, his star faded a little. That all changed in 2013 when he starred in, and won a Best Actor Oscar, for Dallas Buyers Club and The McConaissance was born. 

Stranger Things - Winona Ryder

With movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers,  The Age of Innocence, and Little Women, Winona Ryder was a superstar in the late '80s and early '90s. But in the early '00s, after some bad press for her shoplifting conviction, Ryder's star had fallen quite a bit and she even took a short break from acting. Though she never fell off the map completely, it wasn't until she starred in Stranger Things starting in 2016, that Ryder returned to the top. 

Judy - Renée Zellweger

Between Jerry McGuire in 1996 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2005, Renée Zellweger was one of the most popular and successful actors in Hollywood. With a slew of hits and awards,  Zellweger could do no wrong. Then, after a few less-than-successful movies, the industry showed how fickle it could be and she fell off the A-list. That all changed in 2019 with Judy, followed up with the TV series The Thing About Pam.

The Whale - Brendan Fraser

the 1990s were Brendan Fraser's decade. He had some massive hits, most notably The Mummy in 1999, but soon after, it's like everything dried up. He worked still, but barely and it left the world asking what had become of the heartthrob. He answered every one with his amazing performance in The Whale, winning the Best Actor Oscar and roaring back to the top. 

Birdman - Michael Keaton

In the 1980s, Michael Keaton delivered some of the funniest lines in some of the funniest movies. In the mid-90s and early 00s, his career slowed a bit. He was still working but wasn't the big star he'd been when he got the role in Tim Burton's Batman. That is, of course, until he starred as an actor much like himself in Birdman and brought the great actor back to the top of the A-list. 

House Of Cards - Robin Wright

When she burst onto the scene in The Princess Bride, the sky was the limit for Robin Wright. She reached new heights with her role as Jenny in Forrest Gump but found herself a tabloid regular with her marriage to Sean Penn. Ultimately, she found perhaps her greatest fame when she landed the role of Claire Underwood in Netflix's House Of Cards. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once - Ke Huy Quan

Has there ever been a feel-good story in Hollywood like Ke Huy Quan's return to fame after winning an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once? After decades of virtually not working in the industry, having found fame as a kid, Quan was once again the toast of the town. 

Halloween (2018) - Jamie Lee Curtis

She's been called the original slasher film "final girl" for her role in the original Halloween, and Jamie Lee Curtis rode that fame to the top of Hollywood. You might not remember, but in 2006 she actually announced her retirement from acting. Though she didn't give it up completely, she was very selective about roles, mostly playing supporting characters. That changed with 2018 Halloween when she roared back into the business head first. 

Sin City - Mickey Rourke

People forget just how huge Mickey Rourke was in the 80s. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him, as they say. Then, he decided he'd put acting on the back burner and become a boxer. After a somewhat successful run, he returned to acting, and with Sin City and The Wrestler, Rouke was back on top in Hollywood

Scream - Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore became a huge star as a kid in the 1980s with movies like E.T. and Firestarter. In her teens, some personal problems derailed things a little, but when she starred in Scream, it brought her completely back and she's never looked back. 

Wild - Reese Witherspoon

When Reese Witherspoon won the Academy Award for her performance in 2005's Walk The Line, she was on top of the world. Just a few years later though, after a string of poorly performing romance movies Witherspoon dubbed her "love triangle period," her career hit a valley. Then came Wild which marked not only her resurgence as an actor but her transition to big-time producer as well. 

Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr

There probably isn't a more famous comeback story than Robert Downey, Jr. After years of personal problems and addiction, his career looked like it was going to be completely wasted. Then Downey sobered up and landed the role of a lifetime as Tony Stark/Iron Man and the rest is history. 

Arrested Development - Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman has had quite a few ups and downs in his career. In the '80s, he was a teen star on the verge of big things, but then his career hit a serious lull. It really wasn't until the cult success of Arrested Development that Bateman once again commanded must-see TV. 

Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool

With big roles in 90s TV shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Two Guys And A Girl, Ryan Reynolds was poised for huge success. At first, that's what he found, but it started to fizzle out with a string of forgettable movies in the late '00s and early teens, including the disaster that was The Green Lantern. Then came another superhero movie in 2015 called Deadpool and now he will be doing that until he's 90. 

Yellowjackets - Christina Ricci

By no fault of her own, Christina Ricci's career hit a string of bad luck with projects that she shined in, but for one reason or another didn't capture the attention of audiences. That changed, obviously, with Yellowjackets starting in 2021. 

The Godfather - Marlon Brando

People forget that when Francis Ford Coppola cast Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, Brando was on the outs in Hollywood. It's well-known lore at this point that Coppola had to fight to get the legend in the movie, but we're all grateful he did. 

24 - Kiefer Sutherland

With roles in Stand By Me, The Lost Boys,  and the two Young Guns movies, the late '80s and early '90s were big for Kiefer Sutherland. The mid and late '90s saw a bit of a lull with some box office disappointments. In 2001, Sutherland took on the role of Jack Bauer in 24, which quickly became one of the most popular shows on TV and Sutherland rode it to a new level of fame. 

 Orange Is The New Black - Natasha Lyonne

Legal and personal problems almost completely derailed Natasha Lyonne's promising career in the '00s. Thankfully, she got the help she needed and cleaned up, she scored a role on the Netflix hit Orange Is The New Black and she's continued to crush in a number of roles since. 

This Is Us - Mandy Moore

Around the turn of the century, Mandy Moore was unstoppable, starring in hit movies and charting on the Top 40. It was in 2016, however, when she was cast as the matriarch in This Is Us that her fame shot to an entirely new level. 

The Town - Ben Affleck

After a big decade in the '90s, Ben Affleck's fame in the '00s was more about the tabloids than it was about his filmography. It took a few years, but eventually, he proved to everyone how great a filmmaker he was with The Town in 2010, and ever since, he's been crushing it. 

Monster-in-Law - Jane Fonda

There weren't many bigger stars in Hollywood than Jane Fonda in the '70s and '80s. Then, in 1991, she announced she was retiring from acting, coinciding with her marriage to Ted Turner. She returned, to everyone's delight, in 2005's Monster-In-Law alongside Jennifer Lopez and has scoring hits ever since. 

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - Neil Patrick Harris

Like his character on Doogie Howser, MD, Neil Patrick Harris was a prodigy. However after the hit show ended, he struggled to move into more adult roles. Surprisingly, it was playing a fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle that landed him back on audiences' radar screens, and then he landed his most famous gig on How I Met Your Mother

Bohemian Rhapsody - Mike Myers

Mike Myers was everywhere in the 1990s. From SNL to Wayne's World (one of the best movies based on an SNL character) to Shrek to Austin Powers, he was on top of the world. In 2010, after a string of box office misses, he retreated from the scene, only to emerge with a glorious role in 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody. 

John Wick - Keanu Reeves

After proving to be box office gold for a couple of decades, Keanu Reeves had a string of misses in the late '00s, but when he teamed up with director Chad Stahelski for John Wick in 2014, he helped launch a whole new franchise that continues to pump out hits. 

Unfaithful - Diane Lane

Diane Lane has always been selective about her roles, going back to her early days in Hollywood in the '80s. This has led to multiple career "revivals" but the most notable has to be her turn in the hit Unfaithful in 2002 which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars in 2003. 

Airplane! - Leslie Nielsen

For a generation of audiences, Leslie Nielson will forever be known for his roles in some of the best parody movies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun. But before Nielson was delivering hilarious lines in those movies, he was known for his dramatic acting., though his career had slowed before he reinvented himself in the first Airplane!  

Striptease - Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the '70s, but a few poorly received movies in the '80s knocked him off that lofty perch. While many might point to his role in Boogie Nights in 1997 as reviving his career, it was really his hilarious performance in Striptease from a year earlier that put him back on the map.

No Country For Old Men - Josh Brolin

After finding success as a young star in the 1980s in movies like The Goonies, Josh Brolin hit a career drought that lasted more than a decade and left him wondering if he'd ever regain his earlier success. He did so and more after his amazing turn in No Country For Old Men in 2007 and has been one of Hollywood's best ever since. 

Trading Places - Don Ameche

With an amazing career that had started in the 1930s, Don Ameche's bookings dried up in the 1970s. Luckily for all of his, he landed a role as one of the Duke Brothers in Trading Places and he once again was a huge star, this time with a whole new, younger, generation of fans. 

Sea of Love - Al Pacino

It is easy to forget that even the greatest sometimes find themselves in slumps. Such was the case with Al Pacino in the mid 1980s. After all the incredible success of the '70s, he learned how fickle Hollywood can be and it wasn't until 1989's Sea Of Love that Pacino regained his rightful spot among the elite. 

Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is responsible for some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood history, but even the great ones stumble. Stallone had a pretty rough run of bad movies in the late '90s and early '00s, but when he returned to his roots in 2006's Rocky Balboa, he once again found his footing and not only starring in Rambo, reviving his other monster franchise, but he launched a new one with The Expendables.

Over 20 years after the release of Bridget Jones’s Diary, it’s still one of the best romantic comedies of all time. So, it brought us a ton of joy when we learned a few months back that another one of Helen Fielding’s novels from the series was being adapted! Ahead of the rom-com joining the 2025 movie schedule, the production has finished rolling cameras, and now they're celebrating.

Working Title Films, which has been responsible for all the hilarious Bridget Jones movies, took to Twitter on Thursday to share an exciting photo from set to celebrate the production finishing up filming. Take a look:

How exciting! The post features an image of what we’d assume is Renée Zellweger’s chair on set alongside some monitors set up on the location of the new Bridget Jones movie. The company shared with audiences that we’ll see what they’ve made on Valentine’s Day. What a perfect date to venture back into the love life of the beloved British character who is inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

As we previously learned, Renée Zellweger will be playing Bridget Jones for the fourth time in an adaptation of Helen Fielding’s 2013 book, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. It will also see the return of Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver for the first time since 2004’s Edge of Reason. He didn’t want to be in the third movie, Bridget Jones’s Baby, but this time is a different story. Plus, the end of the 2016 movie showed Bridget finding out Daniel is alive, after all.

Emma Thompson is also reprising her role as Dr. Rawlings (from the third movie), plus Chiwetel Ejiofor and One Day and White Lotus’ Leo Woodall will make their debuts in the film series. Colin Firth is not expected to return, and as fans of the book may know, Mark Darcy actually tragically dies in the Mad About The Boy novel. Even so, we’re hoping the actor finds himself in the movie somehow. Firth has turned down a Bridget Jones movie before, only to change his mind, so who knows!

The Mad About The Boy novel, which is being adapted by Fielding herself alongside Abi Morgan and Dan Mazer and director Michael Morris, will follow Bridget as a 51-year-old single mother and widow who is navigating a sexual relationship with a younger man (who we imagine will be played by Woodall). This time Bridget also uses social media a lot more to express her feelings rather than an analog diary.

Unfortunately for American audiences, the new Bridget Jones movie is only going to those with a Peacock subscription on February 14th, whereas international fans will have the ability to check it out in theaters. However, we can't help but be thrilled about this film.

I don’t know about you, but seeing Bridget and Daniel’s reunion in Mad About The Boy just made the first draft of my 2025 New Year’s resolution.

HGTV star Christina Hall and her real estate agent husband Josh Hall surprised fans this summer when they separately filed for divorce in mid-July. While things with the former couple quickly became publicly contentious, there has been a rumor about Christina, her second ex-husband, Ant Anstead, and his girlfriend, Oscar winner Renée Zellweger. However, an insider just weighed in on that report and called it “laughable.”

What Is The Rumor About Christina Hall, Ant Anstead And Renee Zellweger And How Did An Insider Respond?

Just as fans of home renovation expert Christina Hall were getting excited for her upcoming HGTV reality competition series, The Flip Off, with her first ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and his Christina look-alike wife Heather, they were hit with the news that she was divorcing her third husband, Josh Hall. The following weeks saw a rumor begin that Renée Zellweger has become nervous about Christina since the divorce, but an insider recently spoke with People about the report and called it “totally laughable.”

As those who’ve followed Christina’s many personal ups and downs over the past several years will likely remember, she and Anstead split after a little less than two years of marriage in September 2020. They had just celebrated the birthday of their son, Hudson, a couple of weeks prior, as he’d turned one early that month. By July of 2021, Anstead had already had a meet cute with Zellweger on his show, Celebrity IOU: Joyride, and quietly began dating the star, while Christina had moved on with Josh.

But, their split took a turn in April 2022 when Anstead filed for sole custody of their son, leading to a public war of words and accusations about wrongdoing when it came to how Hudson was being raised.

In the days since news about the Halls' split, however, Christina appears to have made some moves to mend fences with Anstead. Not only did she re-follow him on Instagram and like a photo of their son, she also responded positively to a fan who suggested that Anstead be chosen to replace Josh in The Flip Off, which is currently filming without him even though he was originally scheduled to be a part of it.

When Life & Style spoke to a source who’s supposedly close to the situation in early August, they noted that the Judy star was “wary” of the interior designer in light of the divorce, and said “it’s hard not to be threatened” because of the contact they have to maintain as they co-parent their son and how “devastated” Anstead was when his marriage to the Christina on the Coast host fell apart.

Hopefully, Zellweger and Anstead are still going strong and there’s no reason for her to be worried about his former wife. The duo have kept their romance mostly private for three years now and have appeared happy when they do step out in public or acknowledge each other on social media. One would imagine that they’re already pretty well versed in ignoring rumors about their personal lives, so let’s pray that speculation about a possible rift doesn’t impact the couple at all.

Even the biggest and brightest stars of Hollywood have movies that they’d rather not mention being a part of in polite company. And the list you’re about to read has some of the most infamous examples of those types of projects making silver screen history…just not in the way one would have expected.

Tom Hanks - The Bonfire Of The Vanities

While we’ve seen Tom Hanks’ comments on why The Bonfire of the Vanities didn’t work, the movie’s infamy as a box office dud is something he probably doesn’t address all that often. And who could blame him, as the public considered America’s Dad to be the worst casting choice to lead a satire about the amorality of late ‘80s/early ‘90s stockbrokers.

Jamie Lee Curtis - Virus

The film adaptation of Dark Horse Comics’ Virus is uncompromisingly bad, no matter if you’re familiar with the book or not. But the most entertaining thing to come out of it was the fact that star Jamie Lee Curtis has taken every chance to roast this picture with the most cutting of remarks. It’s truly one of the best cases of entertainers who have trashed their own movies.

Michael Caine - Jaws: The Revenge

This is an example of using class and wit to politely stuff a movie like Jaws: The Revenge into the trash bin of life. Actor Michael Caine’s remarks about never seeing the film, but loving its payday, is something that always hits like the best line at a cocktail party celebrating the movies we love to loathe.

Emily Blunt - Gulliver’s Travels

History almost gave us an Iron Man 2 with Emily Blunt playing the role of Black Widow. And then contractual obligations forced Ms. Blunt to pass, in favor of starring in the Jack Black vehicle Gulliver’s Travels. So yeah, maybe it’s best not to mention this one to this star of A Quiet Place, no matter how much you think she might laugh.

Dennis Quaid - Jaws 3-D

All legendary actors have the gigs that make them, and the ones that they took so early in their career that they’d rather not think about them. Dennis Quaid’s role in Jaws 3-D more than likely falls into the latter bucket, as it’s one of the two Jaws sequels that failed to make the cut with even the franchise’s most devoted fans.

Viola Davis - The Help

Academy Award winner Viola Davis scored a nomination for her role in Tate Taylor’s film adaptation of The Help. Despite her performance’s excellence, Davis still maintains her opinion of regretting having taken part in the movie’s production, and the resulting product. 

Bill Murray - Garfield

No cinematic icon is immune to trickery, especially a trickster like Bill Murray. With his infamous Garfield casting story seeing the comedy legend mistake the movie’s writer for one of the Coen Bros, you can kind of see why he’d use his Zombieland cameo in 2009 to poke fun at the film being his only life’s regret.

Mariah Carey - Glitter

Glitter wasn’t enough of a disaster to kill Mariah Carey’s acting career, and to her credit, she went on to deliver some amazing performances in films like Lee Daniels’ Precious. But whoo-boy, does this musical drama still sting to think about from time to time? 

Elijah Wood - North

While there’s an interesting selection of beloved films Roger Ebert absolutely hated, North is one of the flops that the legendary film critic rightfully roasted. Though it definitely wasn’t Elijah Wood’s fault, it’s probably best if you don’t approach him about this one without some sort of care. 

Jennifer Lopez - Gigli

As a legendary turkey in the world of infamously bad movies, even Gigli’s director Martin Brest has pointed thoughts about that epic fail. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s colossal dud of a rom-com has more than earned its place on the bad side of history, and one could bet that even its mere mention would inspire the most withering side eye from J.Lo herself. 

George Clooney - Batman & Robin

If there’s a constant in George Clooney’s career as an entertainer, it’s his regret over Batman and Robin. Stepping in after Val Kilmer bolted on Joel Schumacher’s second Gotham-based tentpole, you can bet the ER heartthrob wishes he could use a time machine to go back and prevent this experience from ever happening. 

Renee Zellweger - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

Out of the Oscar-winning pair of Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, it’s a safe bet that Ms. Zellweger would be the one who’d want to keep Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation off the table of discussion. Then again, she might be a bit more relaxed on the subject since so much time has passed. 

Robert Downey Jr. - The Shaggy Dog

Early on in his mid-Aughts comeback, Robert Downey Jr. diversified his acting portfolio with everything from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to Good Night, and Good Luck. And mixed in with the lot was his role as the antagonist in Tim Allen’s remake of The Shaggy Dog. Downey would probably talk about the movie if asked, but one has to wonder what he’d say? 

Emma Watson - The Circle

For someone like Emma Watson, an actor who chooses their projects with a level of mindfulness and message in mind, The Circle must have seemed like a good choice. But the eventual public reaction to the film may have caused the Harry Potter vet to think twice even before approaching source material with names as storied as author Dave Eggers and director James Ponsoldt attached. 

Eddie Murphy - The Adventures of Pluto Nash

The Adventures of Pluto Naash is a habitual punching bag when folks choose to talk about the most infamous disasters in movie history. And thanks to that distinction, even the very open Eddie Murphy wouldn’t be mistaken for keeping this sci-fi/comedy flameout away from the conversation. 

Lucy Liu - Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is an infamous movie without even taking into account that it somehow managed to snag the star power of Lucy Liu into its clutches. Admittedly, so few people remember this one that it doesn’t feel like she’d have to be on guard for random fans mentioning its existence. 

Matt Damon - The Great Wall

You might think that the “white savior” worries of Matt Damon’s character in The Great Wall are the reason he might not want to talk about this massive box office dud. But the fact of the matter is, he’d probably politely decline any discussion on the matter because it was a thundering failure that didn’t really win him any new fans.

Jennifer Lawrence - Dark Phoenix

How much did Jennifer Lawrence distance herself from the X-Men movies by time she made Dark Phoenix? Well, not only was her time in makeup severely reduced/scaled back in quality, but she died quite early in the final X-Men prequel from the Fox days. Maybe that's part of why the two-part structure was abandoned prior to its release. 

Sylvester Stallone - Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

It’s the movie so bad that Arnold Schwarzenegger tricked Sylvester Stallone into starring in it. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is still a punch line for the Rocky franchise star/director, even decades after the film was released and tanked. One has to wonder how awkward some of those Planet Hollywood openings were, thanks to this awkward piece of history existing.

Lily Collins - Rules Don’t Apply

Actor Lily Collins is a talent that has the old Hollywood look down to a tee and isn’t afraid to show it. That confidence is probably what got her cast in Warren Beatty’s misguided rom-com Rules Don’t Apply, and to be fair, she and co-star Alden Ehrenreich are two of the only bright spots in this mostly forgettable throwback. 

Eddie Redmayne - Jupiter Ascending

If anyone is ready to admit Eddie Redmayne’s Jupiter Ascending performance is bad, it’s the man himself. While some might be inclined to give him more credit for his work in the Wachowski’s far-flung space opera, Redmayne’s criticisms of his role do come with some important caveats. 

Jennifer Hudson - Sandy Wexler

Adam Sandler is a talent who’s able to draw a wide range of actors into his orbit, and his Netflix movie Sandy Wexler was no exception. Playing a talent agent who knows a good client when he sees one, Jennifer Hudson is one of the people he rightfully tries to fast-track to fame. By no means does that proper judgment mean that this movie is something she, or most viewers, would even remember.

Hugh Jackman - Pan

Some flops crash and burn with very little trace of the wreckage. Others, like the Hugh Jackman starring Peter Pan adaptation Pan, collapse under ill-fated ambitions that don’t end up adding up in the end. But at least we got Jackman’s Captain Hook singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” in a totally bonkers musical number.

Pedro Pascal - Wonder Woman 1984

Pedro Pascal is almost universally recognized as one of, if not the best part of Wonder Woman 1984. That still feels like a far cry from something The Mandalorian star would even want to discuss, as its infamy is something that still echoes pretty strongly so close to its initial execution.

Dame Judi Dench - Cats

You can always count on an acting talent as iconic as Dame Judi Dench to tell it like it is. And whether it was reacting to her Razzie award nomination or the final look of her character in 2019’s Cats, she certainly hasn’t left any of her thoughts to the imagination. 

Daisy Ridley - Chaos Walking

One would probably think that Daisy Ridley would merely not want to remember Chaos Walking because of its unsuccessful bid for box office success. However, the protracted production and crazy amounts of reshoots and edits have probably ensured that the Star Wars vet has actually forgotten the ins and outs of this failed YA franchise.

Ben Kingsley - A Sound of Thunder

You don’t get to be an actor as legendary as Ben Kingsley without logging some seriously wild projects like A Sound of Thunder on your resume. This 2005 sci-fi disaster is so ill-regarded that its Game Boy video game adaptation is seen as a more favorable experience. That’s both terribly unique and just plain old terrible. 

Brendan Fraser - Monkeybone

Brendan Fraser is a lovable actor who knows how, and when, to get goofy. It’s just a shame that a project like Monkeybone never understood how to use those skills to its advantage, saddling The Mummy star with a movie that he more than likely hasn’t thought about for some time. 

Scarlett Johansson - Ghost In The Shell

There are some who might defend the live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson. Considering how much the movie has been rejected by even the source anime’s fans, and the kerfluffle that came from her casting as Major Mira Killian being seen as a bit of whitewashing, this project is probably one that the Marvel veteran would reasonably remain silent on.

Keanu Reeves - 47 Ronin

It’s not Keanu Reeves’ fault that 47 Ronin was a stinker for the ages. Although if one were to mention the movie to him in passing, he’d probably just smile and laugh, charmingly admitting defeat in that particular case of cinematic disaster. 

Will Smith - Gemini Man

What’s worse than a movie failing with one Will Smith in the starring role? Apparently, a technologically advanced picture like Gemini Man, which saw Smith playing against a CGI de-aged younger version of himself. Finally, a movie that rivals Wild Wild West for infamy on Mr. Smith’s resume.

Jack Nicholson - How Do You Know?

Jack Nicholson has been comfortably retired ever since making 2010’s How Do You Know? One has to wonder if he’d be equally as comfortable if he were to be prompted to remember the experience and the fallout that came from its release into theaters. 

As you can see, even the most talented of actors have their potential sore spots in conversation. Maybe they're not as shy about discussing these films as we'd think, and you can get a good story out of the deal. In any case, if there was a class of losers that the best and brightest of Hollywood wished they could forget, this is more than a formidable crop of titles that would fit that bill for good reason.

Everything is bigger in Texas, they say, and that certainly includes the star power of its homegrown celebrities. From the biggest stars in music to the biggest on the silver screen, the biggest celebs in the squared circle, and almost everywhere else, Texas has bred them all. 

California may be home to Hollywood, but there might not be a Hollywood without its biggest legends who hail from the Lone Star State, so here is our list of some of the biggest stars from Texas

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, raised mostly in Longview, TX, went to college in Austin, and got his first big break in show business in Dazed & Confused, which was, of course, filmed in Texas. McConaughey still lives in Austin. It makes sense that the proud Texan wants to see more movies made in his home state. McConaughey has also sparked rumors in the past that he might be interested in running for political office in Texas, though he's usually brushed them aside. Politician or not, the man sure loves his home state. 

Renée Zellweger

She may have won accolades for playing an English woman, but Renée Zellweger is Texas through and through. The Bridget Jones' Diary star was born outside Houston in Katy, TX, and grew up there before attending the University of Texas. It was in Austin that she discovered her love for acting and she landed her first on-screen role as an extra in Dazed & Confused. 

Owen Wilson

Dallas-born Owen Wilson has played a lot of fantastic roles over the years, but none better than his many roles in the films of Wes Anderson. Wilson and fellow Texan Anderson have been friends since their college days at the University of Texas. It's also worth noting that both of Owen Wilson's brothers, Luke and Andrew, also hail from Texas, of course. 

Jim Parsons

While some people ooze "Texas," Houston native Jim Parsons doesn't, really. You might guess he'd be from New York or Chicago, but nope, he's a Texan. Born and raised in the suburbs of Houston, he also attended the University of Houston before striking out for Hollywood and making it big. 

Carol Burnett

Comedy legend Carol Burnett grew up in California, attending high school right in Hollywood, but the Annie star was born deep in the heart of Texas, in San Antonio in 1933. Though her vast career has taken her far from Texas, the state can still call her one of its own. 

Beyoncé

If the stars are brighter and everything is bigger in Texas, then it only makes sense that one of the biggest stars would come from Houston. There is no bigger star on the planet than Beyoncé, who was born and raised in Texas along with her sister Solange and her Destiny's Child bandmate, LaTavia Roberson. 

Selena Gomez

Like many other native Texas, Selena Gomez is proud of her Mexican heritage. The Only Murders In The Building star was born in Grand Prairie, Texas, near Dallas, and although her many acting roles and career took her to California early in life, her family's roots are firmly in the Lone Star State. Gomez is named for another Texas native as well, the late Tejano superstar Selena, who was murdered in Corpus Christi in 1995. 

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson first got famous playing a farm boy-turned-bartender from Indiana on Cheers, and while he moved to Ohio as a teenager, Harrelson was born in Midland, Texas. He's also tight with his occasional co-star and fellow Texan, Matthew McConaughey, and, according to McConaughey, the two could even be brothers! 

Tommy Lee Jones

Sure, he was roommates at Harvard with Al Gore, but Tommy Lee Jones is all Texan. The No Country For Old Men star was born in the small town of San Saba, Texas, and raised in Midland. He's never really strayed far either, as he has resided in Terrell Hills, TX, near San Antonio, for years. He's also a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the Texas Film Hall of Fame. There really isn't another actor who screams "Texas" like Jones, is there?

Steve Martin

Waco-born Steve Martin is one of the funniest people in film history. While he grew up mostly in Southern California, his roots are originally in central Texas, where he was born in Waco, on August 14th, 1945, the same day that the Japanese surrendered in World War II. 

Jamie Foxx

The multi-talented Jamie Foxx started acquiring his many skills as a kid in Terrell, TX, outside Dallas, where he was born and raised. As a kid, he played piano and excelled at sports at Terrell High School. He moved to Southern California after school and in 1991, scored a role on In Living Color, and the rest is history. 

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner moved to West Virginia when she was just three, so she probably doesn't remember much of anything from her early life in Texas, but the Daredevil star was born in Houston. 

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson exploded into show business by winning the first-ever season of American Idol and she's been a star ever since. It's a journey that started when she was born in Forth Worth, TX, and raised in the suburb of Burleson, just outside the city. While her career may have taken her to LA and New York, her heart (and sports allegiance) has stayed in Texas.

Wes Anderson

People love to debate what the best Wes Anderson movie is, but if you are wondering what is his most personal, it's probably Bottle Rocket, which was filmed almost entirely in Anderson's home state of Texas. It stars a couple of fellow Texans as well, Owen and Luke Wilson. While the Wilsons are from Dallas originally, Anderson hails from Houston. 

Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion is a triple threat. She proved herself on the mic, and on the dance floor, first, then she started taking over TV and movies by starring in her first film in 2023. Before all that happened, though, she grew up in and around Houston. The “H-town Hottie” even got her nickname, Stallion, in the city. 

Michelle Rodriguez

Michelle Rodriguez has been in some huge film franchises, like Fast & Furious and Avatar. She kind of grew up all over, including in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, but she was born and lived for a few years of her life in San Antonio, TX. 

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke's parents were high school sweethearts who had Ethan shortly after they were married. Born in 1970 in Austin, TX, Hawke moved to the Northeast with his mother but spent his summers in Fort Worth with his dad. His grandfather even served in the Texas House of Representatives for 10 years. He has deep Texas roots that he is proud of. 

Hilary Duff

Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff is another Texas girl. Born in Houston, her family also spent time in San Antonio before moving to California when Duff was still young to pursue her acting career. Boy did that pay off quickly! 

Jennifer Love Hewitt

From a young age, Jennifer Love Hewitt was showing off her talents, singing and dancing across Texas, where she was born in 1979. Eventually, even the Lone Star State could not contain her and she moved to LA with her family, where she soon landed her first starring role on the legendary Party Of Five, after having roles on the Disney Channel and elsewhere as a kid. 

Eva Longoria

Born in Corpus Christi, TX in 1975, Eva Longoria has always been proud of her Tejano roots. In fact, her ancestry and culture are so important to her that she returned to college to earn a Master's degree in Chicano studies from Cal State-Northridge.

Forest Whitaker

Though he went to high school in Los Angeles, Forest Whitaker's life began in Longview, Texas. Every summer of his youth, he spent time with his grandparents in Longview and still has family all over Texas. 

Taylor Sheridan

It's no surprise that Taylor Sheridan is from Texas. While he was actually born in North Carolina, the Yellowstone creator is the definition of a true Texan. Not only did he grow up in Fort Worth, but he owns a working ranch in the Lone Star state called 6666 Ranch. He and his family live in Weatherford, Texas.

Farrah Fawcett

She might have had the reputation of being the all-American blonde from California, but Farrah Fawcett was born and raised in Texas. After high school in Corpus Christi, she attended the University of Texas before heading to Hollywood where she immediately started landing acting and modeling jobs. Once she scored her role on Charlie's Angels, the rest is history. 

Isaiah Washington

Controversial actor Isaiah Washington's most prominent role was in the first three seasons of Grey's Anatomy. Since then, he's worked on numerous films and TV shows, before announcing his retirement in 2023. He was born and raised in Houston. 

William Jackson Harper

Star of The Good Place William Jackson Harper is a native Texan, born in Dallas and raised in Garland, TX, where he first started acting in high school. His Texas-sized determination kept him going when he struggled early in his career, before finding a starring role on the Kristen Bell-led sitcom. 

Dakota Johnson

It might be surprising to learn that despite being the daughter of Hollywood royalty, Dakota Johnson was born in Texas. She was born to Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson in Austin while her father shot a movie in the Lone Star State. The star was then raised in Los Angeles, of course, but Austin will always be where she came into this world. Since then, she's built a great career. 

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Steven James Anderson loves his home state so much, that he took a name based on its capital, Austin. Better known as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the WWE superstar was, in fact, born in Austin, though he was raised mostly in Edna, TX. The wrestler still owns property in the state, Broken Skull Ranch, near Tilden, TX. It's not like he hides his love for the state either, as one of his many nicknames is "The Texas Rattlesnake."

Gary Busey

People sometimes forget that Gary Busey was once nominated for an Oscar for playing Texan Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story, and the actor also hails from Holly's home state. Busey was born in the Houston area; Baytown, Texas, to be exact. He moved to Oklahoma in elementary school and it was in Tulsa that the enigmatic actor began his show biz career. One of his first big breaks in Hollywood was a TV show that was set in Texas called, appropriately, The Texas Wheelers.

Gina Carano

Gina Carano was controversially dismissed from The Mandalorian and whether you agree with the decision or not, it's hard to argue that the MMA star brought a little bit of that strong individualism Texas is known for to the role and her career. Something that might be inherent in her, as she was born in Dallas County Texas.

Shaquille O'Neal

Texas is a huge state, with a lot of personality, so it only makes sense that a celebrity who's physically large and has a personality to match would hail from the state. Shaquille O’Neal is an Army brat, so he moved around a lot as a kid, including being born in New Jersey. It's in Texas, however, where the world started to pay attention to O'Neal as he became a standout basketball star, eventually becoming a top college recruit and going to LSU for school. He was drafted into the NBA as the #1 overall pick in 1992, and the rest is history.  

Robin Wright

Robin Wright might be best known for playing a Washington insider on House Of Cards and a Buttercup in The Princess Bride, but before all that, she was born in Dallas in 1966. Her parents divorced when she was young and her family moved to Southern California, but for those two years, she was a Texan. 

Michael Strahan

He first made a name for himself playing football in New York, and now he's known for hosting Good Morning America in New York, but Michael Strahan is a born and bred Texan. He was born in Houston, and went to high school there, though for a little while he lived with his family in Germany where his father was stationed in the Army. 

There you have it, a list that proves everything is, indeed, bigger in Texas. The toast, the steer, the plains, and the stars. Not just the stars in the sky, but the stars in Hollywood and beyond. Few states can compete with the Lone Star state when it comes to star power. 

It’s been over two years since Ant Anstead wooed Renée Zellweger on the set of Celebrity IOU Joyride, but you’d barely know it with how quiet they keep their relationship. However, just because the love birds aren’t blasting their love for each other from the rooftops of every social media platform, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a good thing going. In fact, those close to the two-time Oscar winner apparently have only positive things to say about the car enthusiast, especially when it comes to comparing him to the men she’s dated in the past.

Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead have seemingly been going strong since they started dating in April 2021, after the actress appeared on an episode of Property Brothers stars Jonathan and Drew Scott’s Discovery+ series. There’s been speculation for a long time about if and when the couple will take things to the next level, given how good Zellweger’s friends say they are for each other. A source for OK! Magazine said: 

Getting friend approval is vital, so way to go, Ant! The Bridget Jones’s Diary star’s relationship history includes dating Bradley Cooper, an engagement to Jim Carrey, and a brief marriage to Kenny Chesney before they filed for annulment just four months later. She and Ant Anstead seem to have found happiness in their quiet life together. The source continued: 

Ant Anstead shares 3-year-old son Hudson with his ex-wife Christina Hall, and also has a 19-year-old daughter Amelie and 16-year-old son Archie from his marriage to Louise Anstead. While his three kids are featured prominently on the Celebrity IOU Joyride star’s Instagram page, he’s tried to keep his relationship with Renée Zellweger low-key since the beginning. 

Even after their “secret relationship” was exposed a few months after they started dating, he kept it low-key, with just the rare peek at a date night out together. Even this past Christmas — nearly two years into their romance — Ant Anstead didn’t make a big deal of the fact that Renée Zellweger had traveled with him and the kids to the U.K., with eagle-eyed fans pointing out the actress in her signature orange ball cap in the background of some of his photos.

The two have apparently been talking about their long-term future together at least since the fall, and it’s possible the couple either has moved in together or plans to, after Ant Anstead sold his bachelor pad in April. Regardless of if big moves are being made, though, it sounds like this is a good situation for the actress — as her friends allegedly said — and that’s what really matters. 

Master mechanic and Celebrity IOU: Joyride host Ant Anstead has had some tumultuous times in his personal life over the past few years. He and HGTV star Christina Hall split in fall 2020, and eventually became embroiled in a contentious (and very public) custody case over Hudson London, their now 3-year-old son. One thing that’s been a constant comfort for him during much of this time, however, is his romance with Oscar winner Renée Zellweger, whom he began dating in the summer of 2021. Now it appears the couple is even more committed, as Anstead has sold his bachelor pad.

How Are Ant Anstead And Renée Zellweger Supposedly Committing Even More Now That He’s Sold His Home?

It was just a few months after they started seeing each other, in November 2021, that we heard that the former Christina on the Coast star was renovating his Laguna Beach, California home, with the Chicago actress renting a house across the street and both staying in her new pad as he worked on his own house. However, the TV star recently sold that oceanfront property in Orange County, and a source to the Daily Mail has told the outlet that they’ve apparently “found a house that they both love” and have plans to move in together.

The host spoke to People in early April of this year about selling his home (which he dubbed the “Temple House”) after having originally put the house up for sale in October 2022, then taking it off of the market in February. He noted that a buyer contacted him about the property once it was no longer for sale, and he accepted the offer, adding:

About a month earlier, a source to the same outlet said that the duo was already living with one another in his home prior to the sale, so it’s possible that him referring to a pleasing change in his personal life was them deciding to buy a home together and then making the purchase.

Even though the Judy lead and Anstead have kept their relationship relatively quiet for nearly two full years now, fans are still treated to occasional peeks at their romance. There was the initial episode of his Discovery+ series that brought them together and showed the beginnings of their attraction, along with a few comments from him about their “secret” relationship after it first started, and a look at one of their date nights, but the duo mostly avoid publicizing their time together. 

If they have bought their first house as a couple, we might not hear an official word about it from them, but at least it’s good that everything seems to be going great for the twosome.

There’s been plenty of drama over the past few months between Ant Anstead and his ex-wife Christina Hall regarding their young son Hudson being featured on social media. However, the multiple photos and videos on the proud dad’s Instagram page that showed off the adorable 3-year-old weren’t the reason fans were flocking to see the posts from his family’s holiday trip to the U.K. Instead, the followers were excited about another figure who appeared briefly in the pics, as eagle-eyed fans spotted Anstead’s partner Renée Zellweger, seemingly proving the low-key lovebirds spent the holidays together.

While the two-time Oscar winner and Ant Anstead have apparently been an item since June 2021 — when they met on the set of Celebrity IOU Joyride, which he co-hosts — the couple maintain a pretty low profile. They kept their relationship a secret for months, before paparazzi photos exposed them, which makes it all the sweeter when one of them does provide a peek inside their private lives. Anstead did just that with a recent Instagram post of Hudson learning to play cricket, although, many fans were preoccupied with the woman in the background: 

Apparently, it was the orange baseball cap that gave it away, as the accessory is said to be a favorite of the University of Texas alum. Renée Zellweger appears to be trolling us by hiding in plain sight, thus proving that she made the trip across the pond to spend holiday time with her beau and his three children.

She appeared to pop up again in a video Ant Anstead posted of a family hike with Hudson and his two older kids, Amelie and Archie, who he shares with ex-wife Louise Storey. As he panned his phone around to show off the view, a fourth person appeared standing near his children — wearing that same orange ball cap. Check out the image: 

Hopefully, this family trip together is a sign that Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead are still going strong. Back in October sources reported that the couple was taking their time to plan a long-term future together, continuing to live in separate houses. Despite both parties being extremely private about their plans, their friends reportedly said they wouldn’t be surprised to see the couple taking the next step with an engagement. 

This apparent confirmation of a holiday trip abroad was welcome news for fans of the couple, who so rarely give their followers a look at nights out together. Renée Zellweger has always maintained a very private home life, and it’s understandable that Ant Anstead might play things closer to the vest after the custody battle he’s been engaged in with Christina Hall. 

The Celebrity IOU Joyride host said in court documents in October that he feared “public ridicule” for Hudson, saying Christina Hall had “already exploited” him for “numerous paid promotions.” The two went back and forth with accusations, before ultimately settling their custody issues in December, and they each apparently felt more comfortable featuring their son on social media. Perhaps with that issue (hopefully) behind them, Ant Anstead will continue to feel comfortable sneaking his partner into more of his family’s social media posts. I know I’ll be keeping an eye out for that orange cap! 

Ant Anstead has had a difficult few months, as he’s spent most of it embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-wife, former Flip or Flop host Christina Hall, whom he alleged was both an absentee and unsafe parent who also “exploited” their three-year-old son for “numerous paid promotions.” But, he hasn’t been alone in his fight, as he’s had his girlfriend of a little over a year, Oscar-winner Renée Zellweger, with him through it all. And, it seems like the couple might now be ready to think about their “long-term future together.”

What’s Being Said About Ant Anstead And Renée Zellweger’s Romantic Future?

Fans were certainly surprised in late June 2021, when word came out that the Judy star and the Celebrity IOU: Joyride co-host had met on his show and, apparently, hit it off. It wasn’t long before their meet cute aired and they eventually gave fans a peek at a dressy date night they shared with another couple. A source who spoke to Us Weekly is now saying that the famous twosome could be ready for some future planning, and noted:

Though we’ve seen several pictures of the couple out and about, and they sometimes show snippets of their life together on social media, they’ve both been relatively private about the romance, especially when you consider Anstead’s time on his ex’s HGTV show, Christina on the Coast. One thing that does seem relatively clear, however, is that he did a wonderful job of wooing the actress, as they appear to only be getting closer, which does make it easy to see how their friends and family would feel that they’re ready to move the relationship forward.

It was last fall that the TV host began renovating a home in Laguna Beach, California, and it was reported at the time that the celebrated actress rented a home across the street, with the plan being for both of them to reside there as the rehab took place. We don’t know if that actually happened for a time or not, as the source noted that they’ve been living separately and “not rushing” their romantic connection, but those close to them seem to think they could still be ready for a big milestone soon, as the insider continued:

The pair seems to be going strong, so whether or not they do become engaged before much longer, I’m sure they’ll make the best decisions for their romance as time goes on.

It’s easy to focus on the glitz and glamor of the rich and famous, but there are also aspects of Hollywood that are less-than-desirable. At this point, many notable actresses and actors (like Brendon Fraser) have shared stories of inappropriate acts they've experienced during their careers. Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger has now recalled being pressured by a producer to drink wine before filming a nude scene.

Renee Zellweger is a proven powerhouse of an actress, and she's been in some pretty iconic films going back to her breakthrough performance in Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire. Yet the early years of an actresses’ career can sadly include uncomfortable prompts and, in her feature interview for Harper’s Bazaar, Zellweger got candid about being asked to consume alcohol ahead of an intimate scene. Here it is in her own words:

Although I’m far from a seasoned actor, I can only imagine how uncomfortable nude scenes are to film in general. (Jamie Lee Curtis can attest to how embarrassing they can be). I would understand someone handing a man or woman a drink in order to get their nerves under control if they ask for one, but to offer a drink in order to insure an actress will go through with doing a scene and not change her mind is honestly gross.

Renee Zellweger doesn’t reveal how old she was or when in her career the unwanted offer of wine occurred, but it does seem that it happened pretty early on in her career. But even if it wasn’t, Zellweger’s decision to make a phone call was pretty ballsy. You have to appreciate the fact that she's willing to do what she can to keep herself out of uncomfortable situations.

Many around Hollywood today agree that such on-set interactions are not to be tolerated, and the MeToo Movement and other entities are making efforts to improve things. While there's definitely still plenty of work to be done, things are changing for the better. Some productions like Outlander have enlisted intimacy coordinators to ensure that people are comfortable during certain scenes.

Some actors and actresses are perfectly comfortable going nude for a film (one Dune star asked for plenty of them and for a good reason). Of course, consent is super important in cases like this, though, and the offer of wine appears to have been used to take that away to some degree in this case. The situation aside, though, Renee Zellweger is thriving and back in the acting game -- and still not putting up with any nonsense. You can see Zellweger in her new NBC series, The Thing About Pam, which you can stream with a Peacock Premium subscription.

Playing a real-life person can be a challenge for any actor, but Renée Zellweger is more than up to the challenge. For the NBC miniseries The Thing About Pam, Zellweger became infamous murdering mother Pam Hupp. Of course, the actress looked nothing like the murderer, so some television magic came together to transform her into Hupp, which included putting on a prosthetic bodysuit. Zellweger explained why the bodysuit was so important in becoming the murderous suburbanite.  

The two-time Oscar winner was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight, where she opened up about her transformation into the murderous mom. Renée Zellweger was amazed the first time she saw herself as Pam Hupp. She admitted to having no expectations when it came to the prosthetics before calling the results “remarkable.” Renee Zellweger spilled why the face and bodysuit were important to nailing the role of the manipulative friend:

Portraying a real-life person can be difficult, so nailing the look can strike the right chord for an actor. The prosthetic suit did that for Renée Zellweger in channeling Pam Hupp. In the same interview, the Judy star (who had to sing for that particular role) recalled how putting on the bodysuit was key to a better understanding of Hupp’s mindset and personality.

Taking on someone so infamous required Zellweger to become Hupp from every angle, including her appearance. The actress’ commitment to take on the mom-turned-murderer was nothing new for her given her reputation for changing every inch of personality for the part.

Changing her body for a role – fake or otherwise – wasn’t new for the two-time Oscar winner. One of her most beloved roles was British reporter Bridget Jones in the popular Bridget Jones franchise, which was too real for her boyfriend Ant Anstead. Zellweger would gain weight every time she did another film, but as soon as filming was over, she had to lose the weight for the next part.

Pamela Hupp is just the latest real-life personality Renée Zellweger has taken on. Of course, Zellweger won her second Oscar for playing music and screen legend Judy Garland in the biopic Judy. She took on the role of children’s author Beatrix Potter in the 2006 film Miss Potter. For both roles, the Bridget Jones’ Diary star even went as far as to channel both women’s distinct accents.

While Renée Zellweger’s look nailed down Pam Hupp physically, The Thing About Pam will see her tackling the story of the suburban mom who allegedly murdered her friend and neighbor Betsy Faria (played by Katy Mixon) and framed Faria’s husband Russ (played by Glenn Fleischer) in the process. The miniseries is based on the murder mystery podcast of the same name.

The series is one of many TV premieres set to happen this spring. It will premiere on March 8 on NBC at 10 pm EST.

The phrase, “I knew them BEFORE they were famous” is usually reserved for people you knew back in high school who made it to the big leagues. You know, the girl who sat in the back of the room and doodled all day who eventually went on to work for Marvel. The boy who was a theater nerd who eventually went on to star in Rent. That sort of thing. But, if you’re a movie geek like myself who grew up watching schlocky stuff like Return of the Killer Tomatoes, which featured a very young George Clooney, then you can say “I knew them BEFORE they were famous,” because you actually did. Well, sort of.

And that’s the thing. Everybody has to start somewhere, right? In a recent article, I mentioned how Mustafa Shakir was in an early horror movie called The Cavern long before he became Jet Black in the recently (and sadly) cancelled Cowboy Bebop. This got me to thinking about other big-name actors who started out in much, Much, MUCH smaller roles only to eventually become household names. How many of these early roles have you seen these actors in?

Return of the Killer Tomatoes (George Clooney)

As far as self-aware sequels go, you’d have a hard time finding one more self-aware than the sequel to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (Well, other than Gremlins 2, I suppose). In Return of the Killer Tomatoes, a mad scientist named Professor Mortimer Gangreen (played by John Astin) wants to avenge the tomatoes that lost the battle in the first movie, as they were defeated by the worst song in the world, “Puberty Love”. In this wacky sequel, Professor Gangreen wants to use music as a force to empower the tomatoes rather than weaken them, and if that plot sounds too unbelievable to be real, then you desperately need to be introduced to the “Tomatoes” franchise, ASAP.

The movie came out in 1988, and George Clooney was 27 when he played the role of Matt Stevens, who’s the main character’s best bud and roommate. One of Clooney’s funniest moments in the movie is when his character shamelessly advertises different products because the film ran out of money (and no, I didn’t make that up. That’s an actual plot point in the film).

George Clooney would of course later go on to be an amazing actor, even winning an Oscar for his role in Syriana. He also arguably became an even better director, making movies like Good Night, and Good Luck, The Midnight Sky, and most recently, The Tender Bar. But, if you ask me, Return of the Killer Tomatoes is still my favorite role of his. And I’m not even joking.

Leprechaun (Jennifer Aniston)

1993’s Leprechaun, starring Warwick Davis and Jennifer Aniston in her very first leading role, is about a leprechaun that is taking revenge on a family that he thinks has taken his pot of gold. A plot like that could have possibly been scary, but Warwick Davis is a hoot instead, cracking jokes like Freddy Krueger and being an overall goofball. It’s the kind of movie where a four-leaf clover is the equivalent of a deadly stake driven into Dracula’s heart. So, yeah, it’s definitely the kind of movie that would have sequels in the Hood (twice!), and in outer space (Because why not?)

Jennifer Aniston is only in the first movie though, and she plays a stuck-up teenager who runs and screams a lot until she finally develops a backbone and helps take on the leprechaun. Riveting stuff. Aniston would of course go on to mega stardom as Rachel on Friends, as well as do other movies like Horrible Bosses, We’re the Millers, and Murder Mystery, with Adam Sandler.

The Little Shop of Horrors (Jack Nicholson)

I know what you’re thinking. Jack Nicholson isn’t in Little Shop of Horrors, and you’re right. He’s not. He was, however, in 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors (Emphasis on the “the”), though, which is a Roger Corman movie. The plot is pretty much the same as the 1986 classic musical, which is based off of this story—a florist helps sprout a blood drinking plant. But this one is not a musical. It’s still funny, though.

But here’s the thing. It does NOT star Jack Nicholson. In fact, he plays the masochist in the dentist seat that Bill Murray plays in the musical version. In total, Jack Nicholson’s probably in this movie for less than 5 minutes. But, if you find any DVD copies of the film, you’re still likely to see the name Jack Nicholson -- who went on to star in such films as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Shining, Terms of Endearment, Chinatown, The Departed, jeez, the list goes on and on -- right smack dab on the cover. Because hey, when you have star power like Jack Nicholson in one of his early roles, you floss it, baby. 

Critters 3 (Leonardo DiCaprio)

Critters, as a series, has sometimes been referred to as a “poor man’s Gremlins,” which I don’t think is entirely fair. While yes, it does feature rabid little monsters, kind of similar to the what the Mogwai eventually become if you feed them after midnight, Critters has always intentionally been a lot campier, and Critters 3 is no exception. In this 1991 direct-to-video gem, which is Leonardo DiCaprio’s first movie role, the Critters start to lay eggs and terrorize a family. Leo’s character accidentally (?) kills his mean stepdad by locking him in a room with the Critters. Fun times all around!

But seriously, Leo looks very young in the role, but he was actually around 17 at the time the movie came out. Now that’s acting. He would later go on to be in such classics as The Aviator, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street, and he won an Oscar when a bear mauled him in The Revenant. See him next in the comedy, Don’t Look Up. 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (Matthew McConaughey AND Renee Zellweger)

While yes, both Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger both make appearances in Dazed and Confused, I thought The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation would be a more interesting film to end on since it’s probably the worst film ever made with not one, but TWO eventual Oscar winning actors in it. The 1995 film is about a prom night gone awry as four teenagers end up in a night from hell with Leatherface and a deranged tow truck driver, the latter played by McConaughey. Zellweger plays one of the teenagers, and she can give it just as much as she can take it. You go, girl. 

As mentioned, McConaughey won an Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyer’s Club, and also starred in films like Magic Mike, Interstellar, and The Gentlemen. Hear his distinguishable voice next in Sing 2. Renee Zellweger has won two Oscars, one in a supporting role for Cold Mountain, and another in a leading role in Judy as Judy Garland. She’s also been in popular films like Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Chicago. So, yeah, this low-budget horror film has quite a bit of clout.

And that’s the list. Have you seen all of these films? For news on some of the best horror movies or other cool stories, make sure to swing by here often.

A lot of fans were surprised when word came out that Oscar winner Renée Zellweger had started dating Christina On the Coast’s Ant Anstead back in late June. The two had met while Zellweger appeared on his new show, Celebrity IOU Joyride, hit it off, and started taking walks where they were spotted smooching publicly not long after, though they haven’t said much about their relationship. Now, it sounds like the new-ish couple is getting even closer as Anstead prepares to renovate his home, because Zellweger has moved into a house near him.

By the few mentions and publicly acknowledged glimpses we’ve gotten of Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger’s romance, it already seemed like things were going just swimmingly for the two. They’ve mostly remained mum on the state of their romantic affairs, with the recently divorced Anstead only giving fans a couple of looks at his time with the acclaimed talent on his social media, so far. According to TMZ, though, we shouldn’t count their silence as anything like a relationship cool-off, because Zellweger is now renting a home across the street from Anstead’s place in Laguna Beach, California. 

And, not only is Zellweger now installed in the luxurious, five bedroom home (which she’s reportedly renting for a cool $30,000 a month), with all of her belongings being moved in, but the plan is for the two to live in the space together while Anstead has his own house renovated. We’re not sure how extensive those renovations will be, or how long they’ll take, but moving in together even just for a couple of months could certainly be seen as a big step.

Even though both Anstead and the convincingly British actress have been in very public relationships in the past, Anstead’s most recent relationship saw a surprising end just last fall. After less than two full years of marriage (and one child, son Hudson) to Flip or Flop and Christina On the Coast star Christina Haack, she announced their plans to divorce, with Haack and her kids from her first marriage moving out of the home they shared with Anstead this July, about a month after their divorce was finalized.

It would appear that Zellweger rented a great place that would be easy to share with both Anstead and Hudson (who’s now two years old). Not only will it, obviously, allow for the master mechanic to easily check in on the work at his home, but the rental boasts 4,900 square feet, and several amenities, including a pool and a backyard that looks out over the Pacific Ocean.

Seeing as how Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger seem committed to keeping their relationship as private as possible, we may never know if this temporary living arrangement is just for convenience, or if it’s really a trial run for a full-time situation once his renovations are done. But, there is a slight possibility that we’ll be seeing more of the twosome because of the work being done on Anstead’s home, as it will be documented for HGTV’s hit series, Property Brothers. Whether they decide to live together after this or not, at least things appear to be going well for them, and that’s good to see. 

We all know that it can be difficult to bounce back from any kind of major disappointment in life, and that includes those of a romantic kind. Such a situation can be even harder when you're a celebrity, especially if your romantic life has already been the subject of gossip or topic of conversation whenever you happen to be interviewed. Celebrity IOU: Joyride co-host Ant Anstead surprised fans when word started circling that he'd begun dating Oscar winner Renée Zellweger earlier this summer. Now that the duo has (sorta) gone Instagram official, though, Anstead seems to have a strategy for handling all those questions about dating Zellweger: dodging them altogether.

As those of you who pay attention to news in the world of either celebrity relationships or HGTV stars will know, Ant Anstead is just a about a year removed from his breakup with Flip or Flop and Christina on the Coast star Christina Haack. So, while fans are surely glad to see that he seems to have found someone else to complete his romantic life, that doesn't mean that dealing with questions about the new relationship is easy, particularly when there have been multiple paparazzi shots of Anstead and Zellweger out, about, and kissing.

When Anstead spoke with Page Six recently about his Discovery+ show, he had this to say when peppered with questions about his personal life:

I mean, I don't hate that Anstead just shut down this line of questioning, seeing as how he wasn't willing to talk about it right then. In late August, after several of those shots of he and Zellweger came out, he did open up a bit and say that "Renee and I have become quite close" during another interview, but, so far, that's the most we've gotten from either of them on the matter.

It must be a hard thing to be in the public eye, but still want some privacy, especially when you're embarking on a new relationship after a very public (and probably very hard) divorce, so dodging questions makes just as much sense as anything.

While Zellweger has been in several high profile relationships before, and likely learned long ago not to discuss her romances in public too much, Anstead is coming off of his first really public whirlwind romance with Haack. The two began dating after she split from her Flip or Flop co-host, Tarek El Moussa, and married not long after. Then, in late September 2020, they split after having one child and being married less than two years.

Anstead had made several appearances on Christina on the Coast, and the couple had been pretty open about their relationship, so it's easy to see why he'd want to keep some of his time with Zellweger between them and their close friends and family. In fact, Anstead went even further in his comments to Page Six, when asked if he's the happiest he's been in a while, and noted:

Maybe, at some point, Ant Anstead will talk more about both his highs and the lessons he learned from his lows, but, for now, he's keeping both aspects of his relationship with Renée Zellweger to himself as much as possible.

Romance novels and rom-com feature films have taught us that love can pop up in the most unexpected places, so you better be ready in case your soul mate is waiting around the corner… or appearing on a reality show of which you host. If you follow Ant Anstead on social media, or are anticipating his new program Celebrity IOU: Joyride, you might know that he’s dating two-time Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger after the two met through the show. Now we are getting a little more detail about the meet-cute that happened in TV land, courtesy of the Property Brothers, themselves, Jonathan and Drew Scott.

ET caught up with the brothers recently and talked about Jonathan’s relationship with The Celebrity Dating Game co-host Zooey Deschanel, a real-estate program they might collaborate on, and their role in setting up Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger. Jonathan and Drew Scott executive produce Celebrity IOU: Joyride, and told ET about the moment Anstead met Zellweger, and felt the sparks. Jonathan told the entertainment network:

The show Celebrity IOU: Joyride is a reality fixer-upper program where a famous participant dives into an automotive project and fixes up a clunker of a car in order to pass it on to someone special in their lives. Renee Zellweger is one of the celebrities featured in the upcoming season, alongside Danny Trejo, Tony Hawk, Octavia Spencer, and James Marsden. As you can imagine, the emotions run pretty high on a show like Celebrity IOU, because it really ends up being about one person helping out another who is in need. Anstead wouldn’t confirm that he cries on camera during the show, but I think that’s a safe bet. I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about the reveals that will happen on the show, and the way someone’s life can be improved through this simple gesture.

At an earlier point, Ant Anstead, whos is divorced from Christina Haackwas, opened up about the moment he met the Jerry Maguire standout, explaining to ET:

Now we’ll see if the relationship lasts. If anything, Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel are role-model examples of a relationship forged on a reality program that can work. Maybe the Scotts can double date with Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger, just to take the pressure of those first few dates off of them. In the meantime, you can tune into Celebrity IOU: Joyride on Discovery+ now, since it made its premiere on August 23.

Most of us would, pretty naturally, assume that when celebrities get together, they already know a fair amount about one another. The very public nature of their work and much of their lives generally means that they've been interviewed a lot and even gossiped about quite frequently, and it can seem easy to put together some of the pieces of their lives before actually meeting them. Well, it turns out that Celebrity IOU: Joyride host Ant Anstead may not have known much about Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger before they met and started dating, because her Bridget Jones's Diary performance might have been too real for him.

As most people who enjoy thinking about the dating lives of celebrities will know by now, Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger met in early June when she filmed an episode of his new show, Celebrity IOU: Joyride, for Discovery+. The series premiered just yesterday, and finally gave fans their look at the new couple in action restoring two cars for the brothers who acted as caregivers to Zellweger's late publicist while she battled ALS.

During the episode, Anstead's co-host, Cristy Lee, is prepping him for their meeting with the movie star, and tells him that Zellweger spoke in a British accent during her entire time filming Bridget Jones's Diary and even through the wrap party so she could nail the accent. This prompted a slightly confused look from the master mechanic, who replied:

After his initial shock, Lee informed her co-host that Zellweger is, in fact, from Texas, which is what led to Anstead's "dream crusher" comment. While it's hard to say whether or not Anstead was totally serious about previously believing that the Bridget Jones star was actually from England, I suppose it's not that hard to imagine that he was unaware of the truth.

Sure, Renée Zellweger has been starring in major motion pictures for nearly 30 years, and has (as mentioned above) been interviewed and talked about widely for much of that time. Even though it's hard to remember, not everyone is as committed to knowing any and everything about famous people as we are (We're a team now, you and I. Enjoy it while it lasts.), so this basic information about where Zellweger grew up could have slipped right past Anstead during this time.

Plus, he was busy becoming a master mechanic, and it's likely he had to focus on that for a long time, which could have eliminated brain space for things like where a random celeb spent the early years of her life.

Not only that, but actors adopt accents that aren't their own for roles on a regular basis, and some of them take on the speech patterns of the same country so much that it seems impossible that they aren't actually from that place. Remember when you finished watching all of The Wire and then heard Idris Elba and Dominic West speak with their real accents? That's exactly the feeling that Anstead could have had upon meeting Zellweger for the first time.

Luckily, his potential shock at her true nature didn't dull the sparks that must have flown between them as they filmed Celebrity IOU: Joyride. Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger seem to be going strong, with him having recently spoken about how close they've become, and that's good for both of them.

You can watch Celebrity IOU: Joyride on Discovery+, but for more to watch, check out our 2021 fall TV schedule!

Unexpected hookups aren’t unusual in a town like Hollywood that's filled with good-looking celebs, but some left-field relationships still do stand out every so often. That seemed to be the case with two-time Oscar winner Renee Zellweger and television host Ant Anstead, who shocked fans as one of the most undercover celeb couplings out there. The pair flew under the radar for months before paparazzi photos came out, and never really addressed anything publicly after being exposed. But now Anstead has finally opened up a little about his and Zellweger’s growing relationship.

Coming out of a public divorce with ex Christina Haack, it’s understandable that Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger would want to keep their relationship on the down-low. Not to mention Zellweger being known as fiercely hands-off when it comes to her personal life. But just because she and Anstead seemed to be kindred spirits in that respect doesn’t mean the press would automatically sidestep asking a million questions about their relationship. Speaking with E! News, the Celebrity IOU: Joyride host said this about his and Zellweger relationship.

Given the nature of the couple’s relationship, the television host seemed fairly reluctant to answer with anything more specific. But when you look at it, both Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger have been in public relationships before, and both have also been been burned by personal life details being publicized. So, maybe they wanted their relationship to grow organically to a certain point without the pressure of the Hollywood spotlight. Plus, Zellweger and Anstead might not have wanted fans to judge their relationship in connection to their careers and other ventures. On the plus side, it’s nice to know Anstead is a gentleman when it comes to protecting the actress’s privacy.

When news first broke that Anstead and Zellweger were dating, some were a little thrown off by the news, while others were curious about how they met. It was while he was hosting his new Celebrity IOU spinoff, which she guest-starred on, that sparks began to fly between Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger. Meeting your significant other on a Property Brothers-adjacent show is apparently the way to go (just ask Drew Scott).

While Ant Anstead seemed bashful about sharing all kinds of relationship details, he and Zellweger have given fans a small peek into their date nights, or at least one of them. A moment like that is a nice way to quell fans' thirst for some PDA on their own terms, without tabloid interference. Hopefully, Hollywood’s new couple will continue to give more and more romance-heavy peeks as time goes by.

From the way Ant Anstead gushed about the Oscar winner, they seem to be a good match with some shared interests, not that it's our business what all those interests are. Until the couple decides to make their red-carpet debut, viewers can watch how Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger’s relationship began when Celebrity IOU: Joyride premieres on Discovery+ on Aug. 23.

While breakups are almost always difficult, there's added pressure when you're part of a celebrity couple. And, once said breakup does occur, people are then on the lookout to see when and how each member of the former couple moves on. HGTV star Ant Anstead surprised many fans when word surfaced that the master mechanic and host of the upcoming Discovery+ series, Celebrity IOU Joyride, had started dating Oscar winner Renée Zellweger. Now, Anstead has given fans a peek at his date night with Zellweger.

It was just toward the end of June that rumors started to swirl about Ant Anstead and award-winning actress Renée Zellweger having a meet cute on the set of his new show and hitting it off enough for them to start hanging out. While the duo has been spotted out and about since then, neither party has addressed their relationship publicly. Now, though, those rumors appear to be confirmed, as Anstead has shared a photo of a recent date night on his Instagram Stories. Take a look!

Awww! They make a cute couple, right? As you may have noticed, this is actually a repost of a photo from one of Anstead's friends that he decided to share with us. Clearly, things have been going well enough with the new couple for him to think it was cool to go Instagram official with Zellweger by both having his friend post this shot of them at an event, and for Anstead to then put it in his Stories for all of his fans to see.

And, if you're thinking this shot of them together isn't a real sign of anything, please note the "We are so happy for you @ant_anstead" that his friend put right above the picture. While this is also not a romantic smoking gun, necessarily, it does seem as though she would have been more specific if talking about a professional accomplishment or something. Plus, I'm sure that Ant Anstead, Renée Zellweger, and members of their inner circle know all about our interest in them dating, so this likely seemed like a good way to make things official.

Of course, Anstead has been through a lot in the past year when it comes to romantic relationships. He and his ex-wife, Christina Haack, split last September after less than two years together, and also have one young son, Hudson, who will turn 2 next month. While Haack spoke a lot about some of the circumstances surrounding their whirlwind romance and what led to the breakup (as well as how she's been coping afterward), Anstead stayed mostly silent on it publicly.

Shortly after Haack revealed that they were headed for divorce, Anstead opened up to his Instagram followers and noted that he waited to speak up because he thought it best to remain "silent while holding on to hope" and "never gave up on us," while deciding to "pray Christina’s decision brings her happiness." So, it seems that he wasn't ready to move on from their marriage when Haack was, which makes it especially nice to see that he's recovering from the split and moving on with his romantic life (as Haack has with her new boyfriend).

I mean, just look at these smiles:

While this post from Ant Anstead doesn't automatically mean that he'll walk the red carpet with Renée Zellweger at the next splashy awards ceremony she attends, maybe their fans can hope we get at least a few more tiny looks at their new lives together via social media.

Celebrity IOU Joyride, which started the love connection for Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger, premieres on Discovery+ on August 23. If you need more to watch in the coming weeks, check out our 2021 fall TV schedule!

Christina Haack and Ant Anstead had to deal with going through a surprising and very public divorce last year during a time which was likely already pretty difficult. While Anstead mostly dealt with it by staying quiet about what led them to break up, and Haack has been pretty vocal about how she's coping, both are moving on with their lives. Anstead has been linked with Oscar winner Renée Zellweger in recent weeks, and as the show they met on is quickly approaching its debut, Haack and her kids are now moving out of the home they shared with him.

Reports came out just about a month ago that master mechanic, car designer, and TV host Ant Anstead may have started dating Renée Zellweger, after she filmed an episode of his upcoming Discovery+ series, Celebrity IOU Joyride. The show features Anstead and his co-host helping celebrities as they surprise the important people in their lives with custom vehicles, and Zellweger and Anstead are said to have hit it off during filming. The trailer for the new show recently came out, revealing that Celebrity IOU Joyride will debut in August, and gave fans some snippets of the episode which will feature the award-winning actress, just as Anstead's ex-wife left their former home behind.

Take a look at the tweet that shows off the new trailer, so we can discuss the situation, below:

I'm sure that the eagle-eyed among you will notice that we barely got to see any of Renée Zellweger in that trailer, but considering the fact that neither she nor Anstead have publicly talked about their new romance, that's hardly a large shock. While it appears to now be more than a rumor (with them being spotted kissing during a walk over the weekend) that Zellweger and Anstead are an item, it seems that they want to keep things at least semi-private. Plus, I doubt that the producers of Celebrity IOU Joyride want people to tune in to see them together, and nothing else.

Even though fans will soon get to watch Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead interact on the small screen (and potentially see the seeds of something romantic), the chapter of his life that he shared with Christina Haack has closed further. Haack talked last month about selling the Newport Beach, California home she and her kids (Taylor, 10, and Brayden, 5, with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa, and Hudson, 22 months, her son with Anstead) once had with the British television personality, and this weekend also saw Haack post on Instagram about finally moving out of the house, which sold for $5.35 million, according to People.

Haack and her kids look pretty happy, so it's good that there didn't seem to be much by the way of moving day stress for them. This is good for many reasons, but especially nice to hear for Haack, as she reportedly had to deal with a recent on-set tirade during the filming of Flip or Flop with her ex, El Moussa, which was directed at her and allegedly got very nasty. It's also worth noting that going through a divorce (and with young children involved) is never easy, so Haack is probably even more glad to be able to close out this chapter of her life by physically moving on with her kids, particularly as she's now gone Instagram official with her new boyfriend.

Celebrity IOU Joyride will hit Discovery+ on August 23, Flip or Flop Season 10 is filming right now, and Hacck's other show, Christina on the Coast premiered Season 3 on HGTV this summer.

For more to watch, check out our 2021 summer TV schedule!

It's not infrequent that celebrity couples come together and have fans wondering how they hit it off, on top of how they even met. Well, Oscar winner Renée Zellweger is now, apparently, dating an HGTV star who's been in the news quite a lot lately, and they met because of the Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, and a brand new series of theirs.

According to TMZ, fans might soon be able to see Renée Zellweger out and about with none other than Christina Haack's ex-husband, Ant Anstead. Apparently, the movie star met the master mechanic and car designer when Zellweger appeared on Drew and Jonathan Scott's new Discovery+ show, Celebrity IOU Joyride. Anstead is the co-host of the series, which sees celebrities have Anstead and his co-host, car guru Cristy Lee, assist them in creating "automotive masterpieces for special people in their lives."

The duo met earlier this month, and sources noted that after filming the Celebrity IOU Joyride episode, Renée Zellweger returned to the set at some point, in order to drop off some work boots she had for Ant Anstead. It's not clear why she had the item for Anstead or when they decided to begin dating, but it's said that they made quick work of their short time filming the series together, and have been enjoying each other's company since then.

Ant Anstead and Christina Haack's divorce was officially finalized just a few days ago.

HGTV fans who've been paying attention to Christina Haack since her divorce from former husband (but still current Flip or Flop co-host) Tarek El Moussa, will know that she went on to create her own home renovation series, Christina on the Coast. Haack then appeared on that series with her second husband, Ant Anstead, after the two wed in a surprise ceremony in December 2018.

Unfortunately, the marital bliss was not to last, and after less than two years of marriage, Haack announced their split in late September 2020. Anstead and Haack have a 1-year-old son, Hudson London, and according to the divorce agreement will share both legal and physical custody of him.

A lot of people would probably feel that becoming romantically involved with someone who's very recently divorced is a tricky proposition, so it might be fair to say that Ant Anstead made quite the impression on Renée Zellweger during her (probably pretty short) time filming Celebrity IOU Joyride with the host.

As you may recall, though, Zellweger is no stranger to either high profile romances or unfortunately short marriages. She was engaged to Jim Carrey from 1999-2000, and married country superstar Kenny Chesney in May 2005, only for that union to be annulled four months later. So, Zellweger probably understands how two people can enter into a marriage with the best of intentions, only for it to become clear very soon that they simply aren't meant to be. Who knows, maybe Zellweger and Anstead were actually able to bond because of their experiences in this area, and, if so, good for them!

Celebrity IOU Joyride is also set to feature stars like Octavia Spencer, James Marsden, Mary J. Blige, Danny Trejo, and Tony Hawk, and will air on Discovery+ sometime this summer. If nothing else, it seems like it'll be worth a watch to see if we notice any sparks flying between Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger. As of right now, neither party has confirmed the romance, but if it's true, happy dating, you two!

I have no idea who the most charming actor is, but I suspect if fans were asked to choose, Hugh Grant would pick up some votes. The handsome and talented Englishman has always been able to blend a good-natured demeanor with witticisms that are sometimes just the right level of cutting. In short, he’s always struck me as someone I’d love to hang out with (especially after watching Paddington 2), and apparently, his former co-star Renee Zellweger feels the same way. The two have stayed in touch over the years and still exchange emails, hers being a lot longer and a lot more cryptic.

Hugh Grant discussed the email exchanges during an interview with Sirius XM. He was asked about his wonderful chemistry with Zellweger, and it was clear from his answer he has a great fondness for the actress. You can check out a portion of his quote below…

The actor offered a wry little smile when he said she’s one of the few actresses he hasn’t fallen out with, as well as another one when he said her emails need to be deciphered. Clearly he gets along with other co-stars and clearly he doesn’t actually need a Turing Machine to figure out what she’s saying, but I think there’s also likely a lot of truth in what he’s saying too. As an actor, you work with so many people throughout your career. You can’t remain close to all of them. Obviously, both he and Zellweger have continued to put in the effort, and there’s not a single part of me that’s surprised that she writes wonderfully long emails filled with references and emotions that aren’t always easy to understand. She seems like that person, which is absolutely a compliment.

Grant and Zellweger, of course, worked together making Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (but not the third one). Their chemistry throughout is great, whether they’re flirting or fighting. That chemistry came up in the interview, as well, and Grant admitted he gave his character an entire backstory that was never used in the movie. Here’s his take…

Long story short, Hugh Grant is the absolute best. I want to be best friends with him, but unfortunately, that hasn’t happened, probably because his other options to hangout include Renee Zellweger. It’s wonderful to know they made such a connection they’re still emailing almost twenty years later, and while I’m not actively rooting for another Bridget Jones movie, I’d gladly watch it, especially if Grant brings back Daniel Cleaver, who, according to the last movie, has been found alive.

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It should come as no surprise, but Renée Zellweger is one of the most prestigious and prolific actresses of her generation. With two Oscars, four Golden Globes, and literally dozens of other awards to her name, the actress from Katy, Texas, has remained to be a force to reckon with ever since she made her on-screen debut in the early 1990s. And with no fewer than 10 different awards for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy, it doesn't look like Zellweger will be stopping her reign anytime soon.

All of this got me thinking - what are the 10 best movies featuring Renée Zellweger? With someone with as many acting credits as Zellweger, deciding on just 10 was no easy task. I mean, her career ranges from small indie comedies and low-budget horror movies to large studio productions and everything in between. She's played a housewife arrested for the murder of her husband, a waitress who experiences a mental breakdown and thinks she's on a soap opera, and even a beloved children's author.

Those are just a few of the characters this talented and diverse actress has brought to the screen. Without any further ado, here are Renée Zellweger's 10 best movies.

10. Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

Six years after the Farrelly brothers and Jim Carrey first got together for Dumb and Dumber the writer/directors and comedy legend in the making teamed up once more for the 2000 dark comedy about a polite police officer with a second personality in Me, Myself & Irene. Renée Zellweger co-stars as Irene P. Walters, a fugitive who later becomes the love interest of Charlie Baileygates and Hank Evans (the two personalities brought to life by Carrey).

Although Me, Myself & Irene isn't everyone's favorite Jim Carrey movie, this tale of a cop with dual personalities on the run from the law with a fugitive makes for one hell of a comedy. This is partly due to the innocent demeanor and dry delivery of Irene's character that is brought alive by Zellweger's amazing performance.

9. One True Thing (1998)

Coming off the success of Jerry MaGuire (more on that later), Renée Zellweger gave a heartbreaking performance of woman who returns home to take care of her dying mother (Meryl Streep) in One True Thing. After putting her career at New York magazine on hold, Ellen Gulden (Zellweger) returns to her childhood home to her cancer-stricken mother and the fractured relationship with her father (William Hurt).

Zellweger was not yet the superstar she would become in the years following the release of One True Thing, but her performance as a woman trying to mend ties with her parents is so realistic and refreshing that it's no surprise that she would shoot up to superstardom a few years later.

Stream One True Thing here.

8. Miss Potter (2006)

Renée Zellweger had already been awarded an Oscar and several Golden Globes by the time she brought her portrayal of Beatrix Potter in the 2006 biopic Miss Potter. This period drama, which was also executive produced by Zellweger, tells the story of the the beloved children's author as she works on The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

If you didn't know any better you would be convinced that Zellweger is actually from England after witnessing her stunning performance in this feel-good story, which also stars Ewan McGregor. The way that this Texas native brings one of the literary world's most shining figures is top notch and proves that Zellweger is one of the best to ever do it.

Stream it here.

7. Cinderella Man (2005)

When she's not the main character, Renée Zellweger still finds a way to be a shining attraction, which is exactly what she accomplished in Ron Howard's 2006 biopic Cinderella Man about a washed up boxer who gets back in the ring. Playing against Russell Crowe's portrayal of James J. Braddock as the boxer's wife, Mae Braddock, Zellweger brings a loving and conflicted wife to life in this beautiful cinderella story.

There's a certain look in Zellweger's eyes that comes out during the drama's most emotionally difficult scenes that would be hard to pull off by someone without her nuanced approach to acting. She doesn't overshadow her co-stars, instead brings them up to the forefront. It's just a shame Zellweger didn't receive all the recognition she deserved for this role.

Stream it here.

6. Nurse Betty (2000)

In addition to putting on some of the most captivating dramatic performances in recent memory, Renée Zellweger can also hold her own in more comedic roles. She proved this and then some with her Golden Globe-winning performance in the 2000 dark comedy Nurse Betty. In this hilarious farce, Zellweger plays Betty Sizemore, a waitress who assumes the identity of a nurse on a soap opera after a traumatic event.

Even when she's paired up with someone as funny as Chris Rock (who was in his prime, may I add), Zellweger holds her own throughout this dark comedy. Her timing, charm, and commitment to the role brings the laughs without patronizing victims of mental illness. No wonder Zellweger's performance are still talked about today, 20 years later.

Stream Nurse Betty here.

5. Judy (2019)

Upon seeing the first trailer for Judy, the 2019 biopic about an emotionally and physically distressed Judy Garland in her final days, it was easy to tell that Renée Zellweger, who portrays Garland, would be recognized at every award show. And by pulling off the acting and singing better than anyone else, she earned all the recognition she received.

This heartbreaking and gut-wrenching tragedy about the final year in the life of one of Hollywood's saddest stories could not have been brought to the screen with anyone but Zellweger in the lead role. Almost unrecognizable in the makeup and scars of an emotionally spent woman, Zellweger brings Garland's persona to life one final time.

Stream it here.

4. Bridget Jones Diary (2004)

If I were to make a list without including Bridget Jones's Diary, I think, no, I know my wife would disown me and make me sleep in the doghouse upon reading this. Based on the novel of the same name, which is a reinterpretation of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice, this 2001 romantic comedy features a star-studded cast consisting of Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant.

It's only fitting that a girl from Texas could star in one of the quintessential British romantic comedies of the 21st Century and have as much dry wit and self assurance as the very English character on which her role was based. Anyone who has read or watched this adaptation, and its two sequels, knows just how charming Zellweger is as the titular Bridget Jones.

Stream it here.

3. Cold Mountain (2003)

Renée Zellweger took home her first of two Academy Awards for her role in the 2003 Civil War epic Cold Mountain. Based on the novel of the same name, this sprawling drama centers around the odyssey of a wounded Confederate soldier (Jude Law) who leaves the war to find the woman he loves (Nicole Kidman). Zellweger comes in as a rough around the edges woman with a heart of gold by the name of Ruby Thewes who is brought it to support Kidman's Ada Monroe.

Even though Cold Mountain is mostly about Law and Kidman's characters' undying love for one another, Zellweger steals the scene whenever her character is shown. From good time and bad, fits of sorrow and fits of laughter, Zellweger's Ruby Thewes is one of the most captivating characters in the movie and the actresses' extensive filmography.

Stream it here.

2. Jerry MaGuire (1996)

You had me at hello. Those five words took Renée Zellweger from a relatively unknown actress to an overnight star following her portrayal of single mom Dorothy Boyd in Cameron Crowe's 1996 Jerry MaGuire. It seems that anytime anyone brings up the best romantic comedies of the 1990s and beyond, this film about a struggling sports agent, Jerry MaGuire (Tom Cruise) is near the top of the list.

Zellweger's delivery in that amazingly shot and acted scene is one that aspiring actors and actresses strive to replicate. Despite only uttering five short words, Zellweger brings so much emotion to the key scene in the movie and carries it in her eyes, her brow, and the rest of her face. Little did we know how much the actress would get out of this scene and use it to propel herself to superstardom.

Stream it here.

1. Chicago (2002)

Long before Renée Zellweger gave audiences a touching rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in Judy, the actress proved she could sing and dance with the best of them in the 2002 film adaptation of the Broadway hit Chicago. This critically acclaimed musical about two murderesses fighting for stardom in prison cells would take home six Academy Awards at the 75th Academy Awards.

Although Zellweger didn't receive the Oscar for her portrayal of housewife and aspiring vaudevillian Roxie Hart, she took home several trophies for her well-rounded performance, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy. By performing all of her own songs and dance numbers, Zellweger proved that she was just as talented as the rest of the star-studded cast which including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and more than a dozen other singers, dancers, and stars of the silver screen and Broadway.

Those are just 10 of the best Renée Zellweger movies. Do you agree with the list, or do you think we did the actress a disservice by not including the horror classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation? Make sure to let us know all about it in the comments.

With the Academy Awards in the rear view, Awards Season has officially come to an end. It's been a whirlwind series of months, as ceremonies like the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards recognizing some of the best film projects of the last year. Renee Zellweger basically swept them all this year, winning a variety of awards (including an Oscar) for playing the title character of Judy. This is her second Academy Award, and Zellweger recently reflected on how much has changed since she wont her first Oscar for 2003's Cold Mountain.

Renee Zellweger has had a long and successful career in the film world, and Cold Mountain happened at the height of her fame. Following a nomination for Chicago, Zellweger took home the coveted statue the following year. After winning her second Oscar for Judy, she was asked how she's changed in the decades and change between awards. As she put it,

It looks like the years have put Renee Zellweger's career into perspective, especially when it comes to Award Ceremonies like the Oscars. When she won Best Supporting Actress in 2003, she was hustling and balancing other projects. But this year she was able to be much more present as she collected various trophies and accolades.

Renee Zellweger's comments to ET show how much has changed for the 50 year-old actress in the decade and change since she last took home an Academy Award. In the early 2000s, Renee Zellweger was at the height of her fame, with one or two major movies hitting theaters every year. So when she accepted the Best Supporting Actress award for her work on Cold Mountain, she was a bit distracted because she was working on

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason at the same time.

But last weekend's Oscars was quite different, and represent a different point in the acclaimed actress' life. Zellweger pumped the breaks on her career for a while, taking some time away from the public eye. Judy marks the first big film project she's had in years, and it seems she was able to be more present this time around. What's more, the Oscar itself means something very different nowadays.

You can watch Judy on demand now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

After months of ceremonies and acceptance speeches, Awards Season has finally come to a close. Last night was the annual Academy Awards, which dealt out the most coveted trophy in the film world. The host-less ceremony had lots of memorable moments, but there's so much that we folks at home don't get to see. There's plenty of backstage antics, as well as meetings in the green room and bars. Luckily one of those cute moments was caught on camera, when Oscar winners Renee Zellweger and Parasite director Bong Joon-ho hung out at a bar.

Renee Zellweger and Bong Joon-ho both had big years this Awards Season, and therefore must have met a number of times. Zellweger swept every acting award for her performance in Judy while Joon-ho's movie Parasite made history by winning Best Picture as an International Feature. Somebody caught a moment between the two artists backstage, and it's enough to make your day. Check it out below.

I mean, how cute is that? Obviously Awards Ceremonies like the Oscars are high stakes for the filmmakers involved, so it's nice to see a moment of levity and comradery backstage. Especially for two artists who didn't even have the privilege of working together.

The above video comes to us from Variety, as the outlet was reporting live from the Academy Awards. This includes the red carpet and ceremony, as well as the backstage antics of its A-listers. The green room is a place for the talent to unwind, and maybe even grab a cocktail along the way. Or in the case of Renee Zellweger and Bong Joon-ho, take a breather and let their new Academy Awards make friends.

In the backstage Oscars video, we first see Renee Zellweger whetting her whistle, Oscar in tow. That's when Bong Joon-ho and his collaborators and translator enter, ad the filmmaker instantly zeroes on his new friend Renee. The two lock eyes, and joke about "meeting again" at another one of these ceremonies. This time they both did quite well, and you can see how happy they are.

This cute moment actually happened at the engraving bar, which is no doubt why cameras were positioned there to film all the action. This is where the lucky winners hand over their statues, to have them properly engraved with their named on it. Lucky that Renee Zellweger got their first, because Bong Joon-ho had a ton of statues to get engraved by the end of the night. After all, Parasite won some of the biggest awards of the night. Zellweger even jokes about this in the video, saying she needed to "make room" for all of Parasite's trophies.

Buzz about Parasite had been steadily building since the movie premiered at film festivals like TIFF. The reviews were glowing, and it got a ton of nominations from the other ceremonies before getting a whopping four Oscar wins last night. It is the first South Korean film to ever receive an Academy Award nomination, and the first non-English to win the coveted Best Picture.

It should be interesting to see what type of projects come next for Renee Zellweger and Bong Joon-ho after these wins. Check back with CinemaBlend for all the details. And check our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

In Judy, Renée Zellweger took on the almost insurmountable task of paying homage to one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures. In order to bring Judy Garland’s last years to life on screen in a way that was both respectful and honest, she had to immerse herself in the details of the late actress’ life. But even she still has questions about Judy Garland that she wishes she could ask.

Though anyone who follows movies at all has likely heard of Judy Garland, much of her life has become something of a legend. We know as much about the trials and tribulations of her personal life as we do about her career highlights. Renee Zellweger has made it clear that she spent quite a bit of time delving deeper into the singer’s life, to learn more about who she was. And despite all the attention to detail, the Judy actress told Forbes she still has at least one big question she'd ask Garland if she could:

Judy Garland was married five times -- to David Rose, Vincente Minnelli, Sidney Luft, Mark Herron, and finally to Mickey Deans just a few months before her death at age 47 in 1969. Garland had three children, including fellow performers Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.

While Judy is a tried and true biopic, in that it covers the full spectrum of Judy Garland’s life and career, it does not focus much on her love life. Rather, it pays particularly close attention to her final years, when she moved from the US to the UK to try and revive her career. And in doing so, it pulls back the curtain on aspects of her life that have been gossiped about for decades -- namely, her addictions. While those aspects of her life are undoubtedly sad, Renée Zellweger has also gained respect for Judy Garland after realizing how much she went through:

Though it’s impossible to ever know exactly what life must have been like for Judy Garland, Renée Zellweger was able to draw from her own experiences while she was portraying the actress. She, too, has faced public scrutiny for her appearance, her personality, her love life, and her career choices. So she knows what a challenge it can be (via People):

Renee Zellweger is nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards for her performance in Judy and she's considered a favorite to win.

We are now just a couple of days away from this year’s Academy Awards, and heated conversations and debates continue to be had about many of the categories – and Best Actress is no exception. The competition for the esteemed prize this year is seriously impressive, with all of the stars up for the prize delivering performances worthy of the nominations received. At this point it’s not terribly easy to pick an absolute frontrunner for the award, but the folks here at CinemaBlend have thoughts on the matter.

In the weeks since the Oscar nominations were announced, we’ve been polling members of our staff about the eight major categories, and have calculated rankings for our favorites in each one. Only those who had seen all of the movies up for a particular prize could vote, and nominees were ranked from one (the favorite) to five (the least favorite). We’ve averaged all of the rankings, and these are the results we came up with for Best Actress:

#5. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

Average Rank: 3.8333333

In CinemaBlend’s survey, the Best Actress category turned out to be the most competitive of all those that we polled for, as evidenced by Cynthia Erivo’s performance in Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet earning the highest average rank of anyone who ended up in the #5 slot. It’s a real testament to the work done by the performer, as Erivo really does do some magnificent work portraying an American icon.

History and stories of Harriet Tubman’s incredible bravery helping to free slaves through the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century have essentially deified the woman in the minds of everyone who learns about her, but Cynthia Erivo’s turn in the biopic adds an important level of humanity to the hero that is really remarkable. This is the first time that the actress has been nominated for an Academy Award (she only made her big screen debut in 2018), and it definitely won’t be the last.

#4. Charlize Theron, Bombshell

Average Rank: 3.5

Charlize Theron is a remarkable chameleon capable of mind-bending transformation. It was 17 years ago that she shocked and horrified audiences with her turn as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ Monster – a performance that resulted in her winning her first Oscar – and she has continued to do remarkable work since. Most recently we saw her simply become anchor Megyn Kelly in Jay Roach’s Bombshell, and it was no surprise weeks ago when it was revealed she had earned her third Academy Award nomination.

In the story of the sexual harassment scandal that rocked the world of Fox News a few years back, Kelly finds herself trapped between trying to protect her career and her family, and feeling the need to speak out about rampant misconduct, and it’s a line that Charlize Theron walks with grace and intensity. The work may not be CinemaBlend’s top pick for the Best Actress prize, but it’s work worth celebrating all the same.

#3. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

Average Rank: 3

With Little Women having been adapted many times in the last century, the role of Jo March has been played by some remarkably talented actresses, including Katharine Hepburn, June Allyson, and Winona Ryder (who actually earned an Academy Award nomination of her own for her turn in the 1994 version), but Saoirse Ronan’s work in the Greta Gerwig adaptation still must certainly be considered one of the greatest. The Irish actress captures every ounce of the character’s bold and determined attitude, and delivers a performance that ensures readers for years will think of her face while reading Louisa May Alcott’s novel.

Though she is only 25 years old, this marks the fourth time that Saoirse Ronan has been up for an Academy Award, and while she hasn’t won just yet, it’s surely only a matter of time. This might not be her year, and she isn’t CinemaBlend’s top choice for the Best Actress prize, but there’s still plenty of love felt about Little Women and Ronan’s work in it.

#2. Renee Zellweger, Judy

Average Rank: 2.3333333

It was about 16 years ago that Renee Zellweger last earned recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, her turn in 2003’s Cold Mountain earning her the award for Best Supporting Actress, and few would be surprised if she returns to the Oscar stage this year to accept yet another trophy for her performance in Rupert Goold's Judy. After all, the work been screaming for Oscar attention ever since it made its debut in front of audiences last fall, because Zellweger really is phenomenal in the movie.

Judy Garland was an immensely complicated person who lived a life filled with both success and hardship, and Judy is a beautiful tribute to her – with Renee Zellweger doing a remarkable job capturing the legend’s essence. It’s really a heartbreaking story, following Garland as she does her final set of performances before her death in 1969, but it’s also lovely and emotional, with the star hitting every note perfectly.

#1. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

Average Rank: 2.3333333

As you can tell from the numbers, we actually had a statistical tie in this category, but having received more #1 votes than Renee Zellweger (three versus two), we are calling Scarlett Johansson our top choice to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards. We also loved her in Jojo Rabbit, declaring her our second pick to win in the Best Supporting Actress category, but we really want her to hit the stage on Sunday holding a trophy for her work in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

Starring opposite Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson is at her most emotionally engaging and empathetic in the story of a divorce unraveling a family. It’s clear that Nicole doesn’t want to hurt Charlie, but she has also felt stifled in their relationship, and needs the freedom to express herself. It’s a special turn from the actress, and most definitely deserving of acting’s highest honor.

Who do you think should win Best Actress at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday? Rank the nominees in the comments section, answer our poll below, and stay tuned as CinemaBlend continues to break down the eight main categories before the big show.

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Awards Season is in full swing, with just a few days left before it finally comes to a grand finale. Following Awards Ceremonies like the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and SAG Awards, they all lead to the biggest night in Hollywood: The Academy Awards. Some of last year's best films are being recognized, competing to win a coveted Oscar. Renee Zellweger is a favorite to win Best Actress for her performance in Judy, and she recently explained why the musical biopic needed to include Garland's gay fans.

Rupert Goold's Judy tells the story about Judy Garland's life shortly before her sudden death. Renee Zellweger has been getting a ton of praise for her performance, especially how she manages to physically and vocally transform into Garland. One of the most touching scenes in Judy comes from the title character's (fictional) dinner with her gay fans, Burt and Dan. Zellweger explained why that scene was so important to the movie, saying:

Well, that certainly clears things up. Judy Garland is a gay icon, and the filmmakers involved in Judy would be remiss to not include this in the biopic. Especially since her allyship to the queer community was so groundbreaking for her time.

Renee Zellweger's comments to Insider help to show one of Judy's most emotionally impactful scenes came together. Judy was based off the play End of the Rainbow, which didn't include the characters Burt and Dan. But the scene where Garland has dinner with her fans was added to show how she supported and loved her gay fans.

You can see part of that sequence from Judy below.

In the full theatrical cut of Judy, this scene is much longer. After trying to find an open restaurant, Garland ends up at Burt and Dan's as they attempt to make the iconic singer some eggs. They open up about the anti-gay legislation, and she eventually sings to them as they weep. It's one of the movie's highest points, and one that definitely helped its overall quality.

We'll just have to see if Renee Zellweger manages to take home her second Oscar at this year's Academy Awards. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Throughout this year’s awards season, one thing has remained clear: Renée Zellweger is the Oscar frontrunner for Best Actress. After taking a six-year hiatus from Hollywood, Zellweger has memorably embodied Judy Garland during the last year of her life for Rupert Goold’s Judy. However, Garland’s famous daughter, Liza Minnelli, has treated the movie with a deafening silence.

Back in 2018, Liza Minnelli made it clear to the public that she was not in support of Judy. The EGOT winner said straight out that she did “not approve or sanction” the biopic “in any way.” Here’s what she says now:

It’s not a lot to go on. The inflection in which she said it is not described during her Variety cover interview, and she doesn’t say anything else besides this about the Oscar-nominated film. All we know is that Liza Minnelli has no interest in seeing it and she wishes Renée Zellweger well. Given her prior feelings expressed on the film, this is an elegant response from the daughter of Judy Garland.

Judy follows the showbiz icon during her last series of concerts in London. The movie sheds light on Garland’s alcohol and drug addiction onset by being forced to pop pills by MGM during The Wizard of Oz. She was embroiled in a custody battle over her younger children, and Liza Minnelli was 22, starting to make a name for herself in the industry.

The movie has proved to be big for Renée Zellweger’s career considering the actress has won a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG award for the role. On the Oscars trail, of course, she’s been asked about Liza Minnelli. Here’s what Zellweger previously said:

Judy’s director Rupert Goold has also responded to Liza Minnelli’s concerns over the drama with these words:

Rupert Goold also shared his hope that one day Liza Minnelli would decide to view the film and find it as “celebratory” as he intended it to be. When the Cabaret star first spoke about the film, she said she hoped Hollywood wouldn’t do “what they always do.” Since Judy was released, she still won’t associate herself with it to give audiences her perspective on the movie.

Renée Zellweger is nominated alongside two others based on real-life people: Cynthia Erivo for Harriet Tubman in Harriet and Charlize Theron’s Megyn Kelly in Bombshell. Scarlett Johansson for Marriage Story and Saorise Ronan for Little Women round out the Best Actress nominees.

The 92nd Academy Awards air this Sunday, February 9 on ABC.

Playing a real person, let alone a Hollywood icon, is a challenge few actors are willing to take on. But Renée Zellweger rose to the task when she portrayed Judy Garland in this year’s biopic Judy. The singer and actress’ former co-star Margaret O’Brien has seen the film, and she offered her opinion about how accurate the portrayal was.

A movie legend in her own right, Margaret O’Brien is one of the few living actors who worked with Judy Garland during her career. They both starred in 1944’s Meet Me in St. Louis, in which they played sisters. And while Judy mostly covers the time period after they filmed the holiday classic together, she told Entertainment Weekly that she still felt that Renée Zellweger was a fitting tribute:

Based on the Broadway play End of the Rainbow, Judy briefly addresses Judy Garland’s early career before focusing on the last few years of her life. The film tackles the issues she had with anxiety, as well as the substance abuse that led to her death at the age of 47. Renée Zellweger has received critical acclaim for her compassionate and moving portrayal of the late actress. And Margaret O’Brien was so impressed with her performance that she was happy to lend a voice to the growing buzz about an Oscar nomination. In fact, she said she hopes the actress will win an Academy Award for her work in Judy:

Judy Garland was honored with an Academy Juvenile Award for her work in The Wizard of Oz. But she famously never won an Oscar, despite being nominated for both A Star is Born and Judgement at Nuremberg. Renée Zellweger has been nominated for three Academy Awards, and won for a Best Supporting Actress trophy for her work in Cold Mountain. It seems likely that she’ll be nominated for Judy -- and if she wins, it would be her first Best Actress Oscar.

Keep up with everything still headed to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

As this year draws to a close, award season is starting to play its opening tune. In the Best Actress category, Renée Zellweger seems to have found herself a sure seat, following her tour-de-force performance as the iconic Judy Garland biopic, Judy. Now that the seasoned actress seems to be this year’s early frontrunner, it’s about time to get a bit into the craft of how she pulled it off. According to the actress, the role always kept her on the tip-top of her ruby slippers. In Zellweger’s words:

No day was the same playing Judy Garland. As the actress explained to THR, there was tons of experimentation during the production of the filmm but their headspace was very much in paying homage to the Hollywood legend’s life. It’s apparent in her Judy performance – Renée Zellweger approached playing Garland from a place of love. It benefits the movie vastly, because the audience isn’t lost in the exactness of her imitation, but instead swept up in the emotion of her story. Zellweger continued:

The actress was constantly immersed in the late Judy Garland throughout the production, often informing her performance through actual recordings of the Wizard of Oz star. The movie follows her later life as she headlines a show in London and deals with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as a custody battle and financial struggles.

Judy’s director Rupert Goold has said Renée Zellweger was the right actress to play her because of her “incredible emotional immediacy” and “hopefulness” in her spirit that he felt he wanted to bring to life in the biopic. Perhaps her methods to capture her essence instead of going too technical with it is part of her claim to fame here. Zellweger’s role in Judy comes shortly after she took a long break from the spotlight to focus on herself.

Other actresses surrounding this year’s Best Actress category early on is Awkwafina in The Farewell, Cynthia Erivo for Harriet and Lupita Nyong’o for Us. Depictions of actual people certainly seem to have an edge during awards season and Renée Zellweger has been a long beloved actress, previously in roles such as Chicago and Jerry Maguire and winning in the Supporting Actress category back in 2004 for Cold Mountain.

What did you think of Renée Zellweger’s performance in Judy? Sound off in the comments below and stay tuned with us for more award season coverage

Biopics have always been a tried and true genre in filmmaking, one capable of plenty of awards and nominations. We saw this to great length with last year's Bohemian Rhapsody, which took home a ton of statues. The newest musical biopic to hit theaters is Rupert Goold's Judy, which arrived in theaters last week. The movie is a joyful and honest look at the infamous signer's later life, with Renee Zellweger playing Garland. And now Goold has explained why the Oscar-winning actress was the right choice for the part.

Judy Garland is an iconic American treasure, so finding the right actress to play the role was no doubt a challenge during Judy's inception. Renee Zellweger had previously taken a break from Hollywood, but the Chicago actress stepped into Judy Garland's skin, including a ton of vocal work for the musical numbers. Rupert Goold spoke to the processing of casting Zellweger, saying:

Having met Renee Zellweger for Judy at the Toronto International Film Festival, I can attest to the sentiment Rupert Goold is offering. The 50 year-old actress has an vulnerability, warmth, and softness to her. And she was able to bring that to her performance as Judy Garland.

Throughout Judy, the movie is certainly buoyed by the title character's charm and sense of hope. While the story is a dark one and the Garland struggles through her residency across the pond, she brings joy to everyone she meets. What's more, you see the mother who is just working to try and support her children.

Related: Judy Director Responds To Liza Minnelli’s Concerns Over The Biopic

Renee Zellweger is an acclaimed actress, who consistently got Oscar nominations at the height of her career. But following Bridget Jones' Baby in 2010, she took a break from the public eye. There were a few years of purposeful inactivity, before Zellweger came back with projects like Judy and her Netflix series What/If. And it looks like Rupert Goold's biopic might get her another set nominations this season.

Later in the same long interview with The New York Times, Renee Zellweger explained how breaking up her work schedule was beneficial, especially for a demanding shooting movie like Judy. As she explained it,

This makes a great deal of sense, and these feelings about fame and being a public persona are also at the heart of Judy's story. She gave so much to her fans, sometimes to the detriment of her well-being. The toxic side of the movie business affected Garland from an early age, and resulted in her substance and trust issues. Perhaps if she was able to take a break while still supporting herself, the legend's story might have turned out differently.

Judy is in theaters now, with Renee Zellweger getting plenty of early Oscar buzz for her tour-de-force performance. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

This year marks 50 years since the death of beloved showbiz icon, Judy Garland. The life of the actress and singer was cut short back in 1969 due to a drug overdose, but her memory lives on a half a century later as two filmmakers helm odes to her life ridden in troubles, amidst her glitzy stardom. Following early Oscar buzz about Renée Zellweger’s performance in Judy, a Showtime documentary titled Sid & Judy is set to premiere, Friday.

The 95-minute doc about Judy Garland will offer an additional look at the life of The Wizard of Oz star, namely through the lens of rare recordings of Garland’s voice and passages from Sidney Luft, her third husband. Luft’s words come from his memoir and will be read by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Sid & Judy touches upon topics such as Garland’s troubling up-bringing, history with addiction and life in the spotlight through an additional lens, just as Rupert Goold’s Judy gains momentum with audiences.

In the new documentary, interviews of Judy Garland opening up about growing up with a “stage mother” who would threaten her to go out and sing of she’d wrap her around a bedpost, a USA Today reports ahead of the television premiere. She also calls being famous “lonesome”, comparing herself to the Statue of Liberty.

Sid & Judy will also feature footage from a celebration of the star in Hollywood Forever Cemetary in 2017 when her remains were transferred there. Her arrival brought in a swarm of fans dressed in Dorothy’s checkered blue dress were interviewed. They call her “timeless”, “the epitome of hope” and touched upon her status as a gay icon.

Fans of Judy Garland certainly have no shortage of content surrounding the late singer on the year on this 50th anniversary. Or to those who have always wondered about who Judy Garland was, Sid & Nancy looks like it will delve deeply into her life. Sid & Judy follows the biopic starring Renée Zellweger, which also tracks many accurate happenings in her life as the narrative tracks her on her last tour in London as she deals with her addiction and losing custody to her young children.

While Judy places the spotlight on her fifth husband Mickey Deans (played by Finn Wittrock), Sid & Judy will offer up some perspective from her third husband. Her and Sidney had two children together, Lorna and Joey. Lufts was her longest marriage, they were husband and wife for 13 years between 1952 and 1965 before they divorced, Garland accusing him of being an alcoholic and abusing her.

Renée Zellweger incredible transformation as Judy Garland is certainly expected to be in conversation as award season begins to take shape. Check out our exclusive interviews with the cast of Judy, see it in theaters & check out Sid & Judy premiering on Showtime Friday, October 18.

It's a bit early for Awards Season, but there are already some contenders being spoken about for the coveted nominations that will come in 2020. Todd Phillips' Joker is one such movie, with Joaquin Phoenix seemingly guaranteed to get some nominations. But then there's Rupert Goold's musical biopic Judy, and specifically Renee Zellweger's tour-de-force performance as the title character. The Oscar winning transformed her voice and body to become the beloved Judy Garland, specifically during the last few months of her life. But how accurate was the movie?

Countless movies have begun with "based off true events", with real-life stories adapted onto the screen, and filmmakers often taking some creative liberties in the process. The end of Judy Garland's life isn't necessarily well-known, so moviegoers might be confused as to how much was fact vs fiction. After all, Judy was based off the stage play End of the Rainbow, which ran on both Broadway and The West End. We've got the real story, but obviously spoiler alert for the contents of the movie.

Judy Garland Was Given Drugs By MGM As A Kid

Judy opens with some serious movie magic, as a young Garland is shown walking on the set of The Wizard of Oz. This was the movie that would make Garland a household name, as the teenage actress used her incredible vocal talents to wow the public. And while that performance and her time at MGM might have a special place in the hearts of her fans, they were decidedly dark from the inside. Namely, because the studio kids like her were given drugs by their employer. This is a true aspect of the story, adapted on the screen throughout various flashbacks. When there was concern over her weight, Judy Garland was given "pep pills" which suppressed her appetite and kept her energetic. And at the end of shooting days, she was given downers to help her sleep, resulting in a dependency on pharmaceuticals that would plague her throughout the rest of her life.

Her Marriage To Mickey Deans

Renee Zellweger stars in every scene of Judy, and the second biggest character is Finn Wittrocks' Mickey Deans. Deans was Judy Garland's fourth and final husband, and they met in the final stages of the legend's life. While that was an accurate plot point, exactly how the pair met was changed for the fictionalized version of the story. In Judy they meet at a party, which is also attended by Garland's daughter Liza Minelli. But in Deans' book Weep No More, My Lady, he tells another story. Namely, that they met at her hotel, when he was delivering stimulants to the singer/actress. Other than that, their relationship seems to play out accurately in Judy, down to the wedding dress she wore, which was recreated for the movie.

The Dinner With Her Fans

Around halfway through Judy, the title character wraps up one of her shows, and heads to the stage door to meet her fans. There are just two, a gay couple named Dan and Stan. She asks them to a late dinner, which they are thrilled to host. What results in a night of music and laughter, and even some tears, as they reveal the anti-gay laws of the time. The sequence is one of Judy's most powerful, but is purely fictional. Director Rupert Goold added it to show what Garland meant to her fans, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community who felt seen and validated by the icon.

Getting Booed Off Stage

This one really happened. Judy Garland's personal demons, including her substance abuse problems, often resulted in the legendary singer showing up to her London gigs very late. This was shown a few times during Judy, where ticket holders were dismayed to see Garland arriving on the The Talk of the Town so late. One such real-life occasion made it into the film, where Garland arrived an hour late, and the audience threw rolls and other items at her and booed her off the stage.

Money Problems

This one is accurate, too. The very plot of Judy is very much focused on the financial hole the late singer found herself in during her final years. That's why she traveled across the pond for her sold out concert series; because she needed the money to provide for her family. Ultimately she never really crawled out of that financial hole. At the time of her death, she still owed money to the IRS and her personal estate was valued at just $500,000. Her daughter Liza Minelli and family friend Frank Sinatra reportedly helped pay her debts off.

The Sing-Along

Judy's gut wrenching final scene features Garland performing at her concert one last time, after closing her tenure early. She gets on stage in all her glory, much to the joy of Stan and Dan. And while attempting to sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", she become too emotional to get through the song. The audience sings along with her, in a moment of hope and solidarity. But it's unclear if this group sing actually happened. There's no record of a specific performance where this happened, including her closing night. So while it might have been possible, there's no guarantee that this emotionally satisfying moment happened in real life.

Judy is in theaters now, and it'll be interesting to see how Renee Zellwegger's Oscar chances are as the Awards Season gets closer. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

After a few years away from the public eye, Oscar winning actress Renee Zellweger is having a serious resurgence. After starring in her own Netflix series What/If, Zellweger returned to theaters in a big way with Rupert Goold's Judy. The biopic focuses on the later life of the iconic Judy Garland, with Zellweger tasked with transforming into the beloved actress/singer. The Chicago star lent her singing voice to the screen once again, although she didn't need the same vocal range as Garland.

Renee Zellweger sang some of Judy Garland's most iconic tracks in Judy, including the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "The Trolley Song". Zellweger trained extensively to transform her singing voice, although she doesn't hit some of those big money notes that Garland was known for. But this was all purposeful, as Garland was older and more erratic during her London concert series. As director Rupert Goold explained it:

Well, that certainly makes sense. Judy Garland is shown struggling to maintain her health and voice throughout the course of Judy. The years have not been kind to the the actress, and taking a serious toll on her vocal health. As such, she was singing in lower keys, rather than the original versions. This assisted Zellwegger's process, and also informed the way she approached each musical number as an actress.

Rupert Goold's comments to Classic FM show how methodically the work in Judy was approached, with the director attempting an honest portrayal of Judy Garland's life in 1969. The film follows Judy Garland as she does a residency across the pond. She's struggling with money, attempting to make enough in concerts to buy a home for her family. Throughout it she balances love and personal struggles, while continuing to entertain and charm on stage.

Related: How Renee Zellwegger Changed Her Voice To Play Judy Garland

The movie features some of the most iconic songs fro Judy Garland's catalogue, with Renee Zellweger singing a whopping twelve songs for Judy's soundtrack. She sounds distinctly different from how her voice worked as Roxie Hart in Chicago. Her vibrato is slowed down, and even her placement feels different. So in addition to singing some truly beloved standards, Zellweger was tasked with the additional task of adjusting her voice to more closely resemble Garland at age 47.

Renee Zellweger clearly put her all into Judy, and its an effort that has paid off critically. Her performance as Garland has been universally acclaimed, and early talks indicate she might have Oscar chances this coming Awards Season. It'll be interesting to see what her chances at the various film awards could be like as we get closer to the individual ceremonies. But we may be seeing the start of a Renee-ssance.

Judy is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

With the Renée-Zellweger-led Judy currently playing in theaters (to great reviews), behind-the-scenes anecdotes and tidbits have begun making their way onto the internet, giving audiences fun glimpses of how and why the film has been such a success. This is common, even expected, for any new release, but with Rupert Goold's Judy Garland biopic, we're actually getting insights into one of Hollywood's earliest, most iconic stars. Renée Zellweger's stunning performance as the eponymous actress has attracted some crazy attention, and not only because she transforms completely. That even included changing her voice. Now, we've gotten some information from the director himself that definitely helps explain her incredible turn as Garland. If you haven't seen her yet, do yourself a favor and do so!

During an interview with TheWrap, director Rupert Goold explained why Renée Zellweger had to show off her musical chops and what he felt that brought to the production as a whole. Speaking to the outlet as part of the film's promotion at TIFF 2019, Goold said:

Based on Peter Quilter's Tony-nominated play End of the Rainbow, Judy follows a depressed Judy Garland as she travels to London to perform five weeks' worth of concerts. The film depicts her drug and alcohol abuse with a rawness that stunned our critic Jessica Rawden, who called Renée Zellweger's performance as a whole “charming, delightful, broken, funny, in-the-moment, and unstoppable.” Surprisingly, it's a tragic story that actually avoids being outright depressing. What Rupert Goold did with this film was unbelievably impressive, and everyone seems to agree that he hit a home-run with this beautiful, ambitious, raw portrait of one of Hollywood's greatest stars.

Rupert Goold has directed countless stage productions, some of his more well-known efforts being Othello, The Tempest, Hamlet, The Glass Menagerie, and MacBeth. He also functioned as the artistic director of Headlong Theatre Company from 2005 to 2013. Comparatively, his background in television and film is much more limited, but I expect that will change after people discover how beautifully he directed Judy. He really did do a bang-up job adapting Peter Quilter's play.

What did you think of Judy? Did Renée Zellweger completely kill it or what? What did you think of Goold's direction? Comment below and remember to check out what else is slated to hit theaters in 2019!

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most iconic movies in American film history, one that is consistently passed down across the generations and able to entrance all ages. It's perhaps the most iconic role for the great Judy Garland, who was just 16 years old when she played Dorothy Gale. Garland was a public figure for the rest of her life and beyond, and the end of her life has been explored with Rupert Goold's new biopic Judy. Renee Zellweger stars as the title character, and recently explained why the fictional characters Stan and Dan were added to the Oscar hopeful film.

In Judy, Stan and Dan are a gay couple who are massive fans of Judy Garland, going to see multiple performances during her sold-out run in London. She also shares a dinner with the two men, in one of the movie's most powerful scenes. I had the chance to speak with Renee Zellweger about Judy at the Toronto International Film Festival, where she explained the meaning behind those characters.

You can see my conversation with Renee Zellweger below, specifically related to the inclusion of Garland's gay fans in Judy.

Judy is a movie that tries to look at its title character honestly, balancing both her faults and greatest strengths during the film's 118 minute runtime. But director Rupert Goold did take some creative liberties, including adding the characters of Dan and Stan to represent what Judy Garland meant to her fans at the time.

Stan and Dan are supporting characters introduced in Judy's second act. As she struggles to find begin her sold-out run of concerts, she's buoyed by the joy she brings to her fans. Chief among them are Stan and Dan, who attend multiple showings, and are the only two ticket holders at the stage door during one particular performance. Judy asks them for a late dinner (very late), ultimately landing in their flat for a night of friendship, laughs, and tears.

Aside from being fans of Judy Garland's talents, the couple represents how much the late singer meant to her LGBTQ+ fans. Judy acknowledged her gay fans when so few would, with Stan and Dan explaining Britain's former anti-gay laws. And while Judy is largely focused on its subject, the character's dinner with these fictitious characters presents one of the films most heartbreaking scenes. And it's surprisingly not a scene about the struggles in her life, but that of the queer community in the 1960's.

Renee Zellweger clearly knows the history behind her character all too well, and understood the importance of those new characters in Judy's story. Zellweger gives the credit to director Rupert Goold for making that sequence pack such an emotional punch. Judy's legacy is still upheld by her LGBTQ+ fans, who have continued to pass down the traditions to future generations.

Related: Judy Director Responds To Liza Minnelli’s Concerns Over The Biopic

Indeed, Judy Garland's influence and affect on her queer built into the language of LGBT people, and has been present years after her untimely death in 1969. The term "Friend of Dorothy" was an underground way for queer people to identify themselves when it was still illegal to be openly gay. It's been reported that Garland's death was an underlying reason behind the Stonewall Riots, as her fans were grieving when the police raid happened at the New York City bar, leading the patrons to fight back.

Judy has been getting some great reviews, especially praising Renee Zellweger's performance as Garland. There's even some early Oscar buzz, so it should be fascinating to see how it stacks up as we get closer to Awards Season.

Rupert Goold's Judy is in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Biopics are a tried and true genre in the film world, especially around Awards Season. Plenty of actors and filmmakers have been praised for telling a real-life stories on the big screen, often leading to nominations and trophies. Just look at last year's Bohemian Rhapsody, which made a ton of movie and won countless awards. The next musical biopic heading to theaters is Judy, starring Renee Zellweger as the beloved icon Judy Garland. It's a role that required the Chicago actress to whip out her singing voice again. But this time, she had to change her voice to sound like the "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" singer.

Cinephiles will already be familiar with Renee Zellweger's singing voice ahead of Judy, as Rob Marshall's Chicago was a huge success that earned plenty of awards nominations and wins. She earned an Oscar nomination for playing Roxie Hart, and sounded killer in the soundtrack. I had the chance to speak with Zellweger about Judy at the Toronto International Film Festival, where I asked how she changed her singing voice to inhabit the great Judy Garland. She told me:

While Judy isn't the first movie requiring Renee Zellweger to sing, the Oscar winner did have to drastically change her singing voice in order to inhabit the world of Judy Garland. Her voice had to be deeper and stronger than what we've previously heard from Zellweger, and it required a ton of work on her part.

Renee Zellweger might have a lovely voice, but attempting to imitate the iconic and stunning voice of Judy Garland is another beast entirely. What's more, she was playing Judy in the final months of her life, where the beloved film icon had aged quite a bit. So she didn't need to just sound like Judy, but sound like an older version who was struggling with her health. And that's no easy task.

Related: Judy Review: A Tour De Force Performance From Renee Zellweger Is Just Enough

You can see my conversation with Renee Zellweger below, where she discussed the vocal regimen she was put on during and before filming Judy.

That's certainly a lot of work, but it seems to have paid off for the actress. Renee Zellweger has been getting almost universal praise for her portrayal of Judy Garland. Judy tells a dark story about the title character's life, but Zellweger plays it with joy and hope, helping to buoy the biopic and ensure it isn't judging its subject. And she's an early favorite for a possible Best Actress nomination this year, as so much of the film is on her shoulders.

You'll be able to hear Renee Zellweger belting out Judy Garland's biggest hits when Judy hits theaters September 27th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Rupert Goold's Judy is the latest in a series of movies featuring actors shifting into the skins of other great performers. We’ve recently seen Rami Malek do it in Bohemian Rhapsody, Taron Egerton do it in Rocketman, and even some famous character cameos in the alternate-reality film Yesterday. That creates a high standard for Renee Zellweger to meet starring in a swinging sixties story about the final and fated months in the life of popular actress and singer Judy Garland.

Judy is a little bit different than other movies in the trend, however. Renee Zellweger’s Garland is living in the era of rock ‘n’ roll by the time the film kicks off, but she’s not representing rock 'n' roll. She’s been broken by a bygone era of movie-making and performing, tarnished by drugs, alcohol and too little food — and yet somehow her personality hasn’t dulled one bit.

Despite the fact Judy follows Zellweger’s Judy Garland during a tumultuous period in the singer’s life – through a short-lived marriage, a custody battle and a series of concerts in London in 1969 in which Garland suffered terrible stage fright – the famous voice from The Wizard of Oz and other classics is still a mesmerizing character, played to perfection by the star.

Thanks to its subject and the specific moment in time Tom Edge’s screenplay (and previously Peter Quilter's musical drama) hones in on, Judy does something a lot of movies about people going through tumult are not capable of achieving. Judy is a maddening mess, but she’s also often likable.

Yes, she’s a woman who takes her kids (Bella Ramsey, Lewin Lloyd) on the road with her and doesn’t give them a proper home – but they love her and she’s trying.

She’s a woman who can’t talk with her ex (Rufus Sewell) without having a drink or four to take off the edge —but she still holds a certain appeal to people she often doesn’t treat well.

She’s a woman who sometimes can barely get it together enough to perform onstage – but she still remains captivating. (And Zellweger is doing the singing to boot!)

In between these botched efforts and personal failures, Zellweger’s take on Judy Garland is charming, delightful, broken, funny, in-the-moment, and unstoppable. She never quits trying to make the right decision, even when she’s in the middle of making a bad one. I don’t know if she was this delightful in real life, but for a movie that’s as much to take in as Judy is, I found myself surprised at how much sympathy I was able to muster for the doomed star.

The plot of a film typically deserves more discussion, this one focusing on Garland during her final Talk of the Town nightclub shows in 1969, but there isn’t much of it here. While Rufus Sewell, Wild Rose actress Jessie Buckley (who plays the woman looking after the actress and singer), and Andy Nyman (who plays Garland superfan Dan) get to chew some scenes with Zellweger and hold their own in individual moments during the film, this project is first and foremost a one-woman show.

Here in the States, director Rupert Goold may only be known for directing the little-seen James Franco movie True Story or an episode of The Hollow Crown. There's not a ton in this movie to compare to those, but taken on its own, this film is very neat and tidy. Any character who briefly sashays into Judy’s drug-tinted life is brought in for a reason, and is given closure by the time the credits roll. Even with its well-known story, the number of personalities introduced into it could have created a mess, and narratively manages them all.

Ultimately, whether or not Judy deeply resonates with you, it will likely make an indelible impression in regards to your perception of a legend: Once, as a young girl, Judy Garland was handed the role of Dorothy and told to tap her sequined red shoes together three times, reciting “There’s no place like home.” The only thing is, the only home she ever really embraced was the stage, and it wasn’t always kind to her.

Biopics are a tried and true genre in filmmaking, usually coming up every Awards season and garnering oodles of nominations. We saw this last year with Bohemian Rhapsody, and there are a handful of biopic contenders coming down the pipeline. In fact, a few contenders are premiering at this year's Toronto Film Festival. Chief among them is Rupert Goold's Judy, starring Renee Zellweger as the legendary Judy Garland. Garland's story is one of great sadness, but what the movie miraculously does is not present it as a joyless tragedy.

Judy Garland is one of the most iconic American film stars of all time, and one that continues to be a household name thanks to her work in beloved films like The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Easter Parade. Garland had an infamously difficult life in the public eye, struggling with personal issues and substance issues. Renee Zellweger had the lofty task of playing the late icon, in her first big movie musical since Chicago.

Judy focuses on the title character's sold-out run in Britain during 1969, just six months before her infamous tragic death. Rupert Goold doesn't hold back in showing Garland's flaws, as a professional, a mother, and an addict. But she's also not vilified or admonished for her choices. Instead, the movie shows how much happiness she brought people, and the movie itself will no doubt spark plenty of joy for moviegoers when it gets its upcoming release.

Judy Garland's difficult life is presented from the film's opening sequence, but it's not inherently obvious at first. We see glimpses of a younger Judy on the set of The Wizard of Oz, with a set that will instantly delight even the most casual cinephiles in the audience. It's this duality that Rupert Goold masters so well. Because even as we see Garland depend on her vices and make mistake after mistake, the biopic also highlights her quick wit, empathy, and ability to capture a room.

Related: Renee Zellweger’s Judy Reviews Are In, Is This The Start Of A Renee-ssance?

This is a dynamic that really moves Judy forward as a movie, and helps buoy the project. Rather than simply being a downer and making its subject into a figure to pity, the movie inspires audience to have hope, despite the grim fate of Judy's subject. We see how much she wants to do the right thing, even if Renee Zellweger's character so often fails to do so. Flashbacks into Garland's backstory help to illuminate her sordid history, and inform her decisions throughout the film's runtime.

As for Renee Zellweger, she provides another career best performance. This is especially impressive considering her hiatus from the film world. Zellweger uses the pipes she showed off in Chicago, but transforms her voice (singing or otherwise) and physicality to becoming Judy Garland herself. It's a stellar outing, and one that I imagine will get plenty of nominations come awards season.

Judy will get its wide theatrical release September 27th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.