'People stop noticing you': Renee Zellweger 'loved being anonymous' during six-year acting break before returning for Bridget Jones's Baby
Renee Zellweger has said she enjoyed the anonymity that came with her six-year hiatus from acting, before returning to appear in Bridget Jones’s Baby.
The actress was one of the star guests on the first episode of the new series of The Jonathan Ross Show, alongside her co-star Patrick Dempsey which will air on Saturday night.
Renee, 47, talked to host Jonathan about her time away from the limelight, explaining that she enjoyed spending time on herself and also learning new things after returning to school.
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Talking the talk: Renee Zellweger told Jonathan Ross she enjoyed the anonymity that came with her six-year hiatus from acting, before returning to appear in Bridget Jones’s Baby
Buddies: The actress was one of the star guests on the first episode of the new series of the show, alongside her co-star Patrick Dempsey which will air on Saturday night
She said: 'There were a lot of things, mainly I just wanted to shift my focus a little bit and keep some promises that I had made to myself a long time ago.
'There are some things that I wanted to learn and see if I had aptitude for.
'I wanted to go back to school I wanted to do things that you can’t really make time for when you’re in the cycle of making films because if you’re not preparing for one, then you’re preparing for another and while you’re filming you’ll be getting ready to start what comes next.'
Changing: Renee, 47, talked to Jonathan about her time away from the limelight, explaining she enjoyed spending time on herself and also learning new things after returning to school
Ace in lace: Renee looked great in a claret coloured mini dress which showed off her toned legs
All stars: (L-R) Tom Odell, Aisling Bea, John Malkovich, Renee Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey, Jason Kenny, Laura Trott and Maddie Hinch
She explained that she had to 'commit to breaking that cycle for a little bit so that I could grow as a person' and that she was 'boring herself' by working so much.
When asked by Jonathan if she found she could be anonymous during those years away from the silver screen, Zellweger admitted she was thrilled at not being noticed.
She said: 'When you go away and you’re out of people’s consciousness, they stop noticing you. It’s fantastic, you order your coffee and you get a coffee and leave.
Mixing it up: When asked by Jonathan if she found she could be anonymous during those years away from the silver screen, Zellweger admitted she was thrilled at not being noticed
Not just a pretty face: Patrick showed off his juggling skills on the show
'It’s really nice because I’d meet people authentically, you’d have authentic conversations on the street and I enjoyed that, that’s something that I had missed.'
Prior to her movie comeback in the third film in the Bridget Jones franchise, Zellweger had not appeared on-screen since 2010’s My Own Love Song.
She also appeared in thriller The Whole Truth this year, alongside Keanu Reeves and Jim Belushi.
Awkward: A Jeremy Corbyn lookalike made the group laugh as he parodied the famous Virgin train stunt
Walking tall: A cheerful Renee topped off her look with a pair of caramel coloured snakeskin shoes
Zellweger was accompanied for the TV interview by Dempsey, who portrays her on-screen lover Jack Qwant in Bridget Jones’s Baby.
Malkovich took part in an amusing segment during the episode, in which he read out amorous messages posted by Dempsey’s fans on Twitter in tribute to his Grey’s Anatomy character.
Fun: Malkovich took part in an amusing segment during the episode, in which he read out amorous messages posted by Dempsey’s fans on Twitter in tribute to his Grey’s Anatomy character
Red hot: Also on the show was actress Aisling Bea who wowed in a scarlet dress
The acting veteran dictated one tweet that read: 'I would just like to know how Patrick Dempsey is old enough to be my dad, yet he’s hot.'
Another, read out to rapturous applause from the studio audience, described how one person wanted to 'lick Patrick Dempsey’s teeth.'
Also on the show was actress Aisling Bea, Olympic couple Laura Trott and Jason Kenny and members of the Team GB gold-winning hockey team.
The Jonathan Ross Show returns to ITV1 on Saturday September 10 at 9.30pm.
Young love: Newly engaged Laura Trott and Jason Kenny were also on the famous mustard sofa
Team GB: Laura and Jason Kenny were also joined by Maddie Hinch, Kate Richardson-Walsh and Hollie Webb
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