‘A mark is chalked on the floor and you’re told which elbow to land on’: Bridget Jones actress reveals how Renée REALLY pulls off those famous tumbles

  • Sarah Solemani stars alongside Renée Zellweger in the latest film
  • Says she believes Bridget's inherent clumsiness is part of her charm
  • She says a vast amount of effort goes into the 'physical aspect' of a fall
  • Actors are told when and where to fall, and which elbow to land on 

By Unity Blott For Mailonline

Published: 02:08 EST, 7 September 2016 | Updated: 02:08 EST, 7 September 2016

If there's one thing Bridget Jones is known for, it's her clumsiness.

And as the nation's favourite hapless heroine returns to our screens this month, one of her newest co-stars has an interesting theory about her comic tumbles.

Actress Sarah Solemani joins Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey in the latest installment of the franchise, Bridget Jones's Baby, directed by Sharon Maguire. 

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Actress Sarah Solemani at the London premiere of Bridget Jones's Baby on Monday night. Sarah joins Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey in the latest film

Actress Sarah Solemani at the London premiere of Bridget Jones's Baby on Monday night. Sarah joins Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey in the latest film

Sarah, 34, believes Bridget's inherent clumsiness is part of her charm - whether she's falling off an exercise bike or slipping over face-first into a puddle of mud.

'To fall in comedy is to fall at life,' she wrote in the October issue of Harper's Bazaar. 'It is to feel disappointed, inadequate, lonely and not without shame. These are the reasons we cherish Bridget.'

She added: 'We cherish Bridget Jones because if she can collapse into the earth and sink for a moment, before lifting her head, taking a breath, smoothing down the bunny outfit and entering the party, then maybe we can too.'

Sarah, who plays Bridget's friend and colleague Miranda, explained in the fashion magazine that a vast amount of effort goes into the 'physical aspect' of a fall

Sarah, who plays Bridget's friend and colleague Miranda, explained in the fashion magazine that a vast amount of effort goes into the 'physical aspect' of a fall

Queen of the fall: Bridget takes a tumble at a festival in the new Bridget Jones film, which hits cinemas in the UK this month. Sarah says stuntmen and mats are often used to break the fall

Queen of the fall: Bridget takes a tumble at a festival in the new Bridget Jones film, which hits cinemas in the UK this month. Sarah says stuntmen and mats are often used to break the fall

Sarah, who plays Bridget's friend and colleague Miranda, explained in the fashion magazine that a vast amount of effort goes into the 'physical aspect' of a fall - including specialist stuntmen and 'conversations about where to put mats'.

'Camera angles have to be considered,' she wrote. 'A mark is chalked on the floor, you're told which elbow to land on, how high to lift your face. 

'In the guise of Bridget Jones, Renée Zellweger has performed some spectacular falls.'

Sarah alongside Renée in Bridget Jones's Baby. Producers opted to keep Mark alive as Bridget's on-off beau as she learns she is pregnant - but cannot be sure who the father is

Sarah alongside Renée in Bridget Jones's Baby. Producers opted to keep Mark alive as Bridget's on-off beau as she learns she is pregnant - but cannot be sure who the father is

Sarah stars as Miranda. She believes Bridget's inherent clumsiness is part of her charm - whether she's falling off an exercise bike or slipping over face-first into a puddle of mud

Sarah stars as Miranda. She believes Bridget's inherent clumsiness is part of her charm - whether she's falling off an exercise bike or slipping over face-first into a puddle of mud

She goes on to praise Renée as being 'superb' at tripping over - while bemoaning how few global comic franchises there are in which a woman 'gets to fall'.

The first film in the series, Bridget Jones's Diary, hit cinemas in 2001 with a sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, following three years later. 

Renée Zellweger's turn as the heroine earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. 

In August, author Helen Fielding announced that the fourth book in the series will hit shelves on 11 October - just one month after the latest film adaptation comes out.

Sarah (fourth left) joins the cast of the latest Bridget Jones installment in London this week. She plays Bridget's friend and colleague in the new film which hits cinemas on September 16

Sarah (fourth left) joins the cast of the latest Bridget Jones installment in London this week. She plays Bridget's friend and colleague in the new film which hits cinemas on September 16

Her last installment, Mad About the Boy, proved something of a shock to fans who learned that her enduring love interest, Mark Darcy had been killed off.

The 2013 bestseller revealed that Bridget and Mark had had two children together, leaving her to raise their family alone as a widow.

However, the new upcoming book's publisher Jonathan Cape has confirmed that it will not be a sequel, with events set in between the second and third books - meaning Darcy might just make an appearance.

Confusingly, producers of the latest film adaptation opted to keep Mark alive as Bridget's on-again, off-again beau as she learns she is pregnant - but cannot be sure who the father is. 

Renée Zellweger takes a tumble in 2004's Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Author Helen Fielding announced that the fourth book in the series will hit shelves on 11 October

Renée Zellweger takes a tumble in 2004's Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Author Helen Fielding announced that the fourth book in the series will hit shelves on 11 October

Bridget is soaked after being splashed by a passing car. Sarah Solemani said: 'If [Bridget] can collapse into the earth and sink for a moment, before lifting her head, taking a breath, smoothing down the bunny outfit and entering the party, then maybe we can too'

Bridget is soaked after being splashed by a passing car. Sarah Solemani said: 'If [Bridget] can collapse into the earth and sink for a moment, before lifting her head, taking a breath, smoothing down the bunny outfit and entering the party, then maybe we can too'

When the new trailer was released in June, it was revealed leading actress Renée Zellweger's new love interest would be American billionaire Mark Qwant, played by Patrick Dempsey.

Bridget's new pregnancy diaries are set to be 'full of cheesy potatoes, outlandish advice from Drunken Singletons and Smug Mothers, chaos at scans and childbirth classes, high jinks and romance, joy and despair,' according to its publishers.  

Helen Fielding said: 'At heart Bridget Jones is about the gap between how we all feel we're expected to be and how we actually are and - as Bridget discovers with her somewhat bumpy pregnancy - how we expect life to turn out and how it actually does.' 

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