2019-09-30_Hello!_Magazine_UK

S

hehasbeenwidelytippedtowinanAcademy

AwardforherportrayalofJudyGarlandinthe

newbiopicJudy, ButforRenéeZellweger,simply

gettingthechancetoplaytheHollywoodlegend

wasprizeenough.

“ForaslongasI canremember,JudyGarland

hasbeensomeonewhohasalwaysjustbeenthere

• well,I’msureforyouaswellasforme,”saysthe
  BridgetJonesstar.“SowhenI wasaskedtobepartof
  thismovieaboutherlife,it seemedtometobea
  no-brainer.Tobeabletospendtimeexploringher,
  herlifeandhertalent?What’snottoloveabouta
  projectlikethat?”
  Inthefilm,whichhitsUKcinemasnextmonth,
  Renéetransformsherselfquitespookilyintothe
  latesinger’sdouble,capturingeverythingfromthe
  tiltofherhead,throughherhuskyspeakingvoice
  totheworld-wearyjokesoverlayingthevulnerable
  charmthatmadeherirresistibletoeveryone– even
  at hermostinfuriating.

Butthe50-year-oldactresssaysthelastthingshe

intendedwastobeanotherJudyimpersonator.

“OnethingI lovedaboutmakingthismoviewas

thatmakingit didn’tfeellike:‘Bang!Herewego,

offtotheraces.’It feltlikea veryquietexploration

ofwhoJudywas;a learningexperience.

“Becauseeveryoneonthesethadtheirown

personalfeelingsaboutJudy,it didn’tevenfeellike

a traditionalmovie-makingexperience;morelike

thisdailyco-operativecelebrationofherandwhat

shemeanttoeveryone.

“I’veneverbeenpartofsomethingasspecialas

that.It becamelikea loveletter,really.”

Aswellasactinginthefilm,Renéehasrecorded

twoduetsforthesoundtrackalbum,whichis

releasedon 27 September:GetHappy, withSam

Smith,andHaveYourselfa MerryLittleChristmas

withRufusWainwright.

Andshecountsherselfa hugefanofJudy’s

daughterLizaMinnelli.“Wehavea veryclose

friend incommon,”shesays.“Imetherat

his birthdaypartyandthenI sawherperforminLas

Vegasandshewas sensational.Shestartedat

midnightandkeptgoingallnightlong.

“We wentbackstageafterwardsandit wasoneof

thosemomentswhereyou watchyourselfstart

meltingintoa shamelessfanpuddle– youwant

to makeyourselfshutupbutyoucan’t.Shewas

sublime,justa knockout.”

WORDSOFWISDOM

ThestoryofJudyGarland’slifeis welldocumented:

thesoaringtalentthatpushedherintochild

stardomandthepressuresoffamethatledtoher

death 50 yearsagoin London,froma drugoverdose

at theageof47.

Incontrast,Renée– a small-towngirlfrom

Texas andproudofit – receiveda helpfulwarning

aboutthedownsideofcelebrityfromdirectorMike

NicholsafterfilmingherbreakthroughhitJerry

Maguirein1996.

Halfwaythrougha conversation,Mikesurprised

herbyaskingif sheknewhowfamewouldchange

herlife.

“I naivelysaid:‘Yeah,I guessso,’”shesays.“And

hesaid:‘Well,there’snothinginthislifethat

can prepareyouforthechangesyouareabout

to experience.’

“Hesaid:‘Fameis tricky.Thinkofit a littlebit

likeMedusa.It’sinsidious.It nevergoesaway.

“‘Whereveryougofromnowon,it’salways

right aroundthecornerandif youlookdirectlyat

it,I promiseyouthatjustlikeMedusa,it willturn

youtostone.

“‘Butontheotherhand,you’vegottokeepan

eyeon it– becauseifyoudon’t, it’sdoubly

dangerousbecauseyouwon’tknowwhereit is.So

lookatit,butdosoindirectly,throughyourfamily

andyourfriends.’

“Atthetime,I didn’tquiteunderstandwhathe

meant,”shecontinues.“Butobviously,whenI think

aboutit nowso manydecadeslater,itreally

resonateswithmebecausehewasright.It wasthe

bestadviceI could’vehadintermsofstaying

healthyina lifethatrequiresyoutonavigatethat

unusualpaththatis dictatedbyfame.”

Partofstayinghealthy,shesays,is keepingher

privatelifefirmlyprivate.Havinghadrelationships

withhigh-profilemensuchas JimCarrey,JackWhite

andBradleyCooper– andbeingmarriedforfour

monthsin 2005 tocountrysingerKennyChesney–

Renéesaysshe’slearnttokeepherromanticlifeas

quietaspossible.Recentlyit wasreportedshehas

splitfrommusicianDoyleBramhallII,anold

universityfriend,aftersevenyears.

Whenshewantstorelax,shegoesrunning.“I

runa lot,”shesays.“Isawthisfantasticadonce

wherethegirl’srunningalongtheroadandall

thesewords– ‘stress’,‘fatigue’,‘anxieties’,‘illness’,

whatever– areflyingoffherinthewakeofthe

wind.I thought:‘Well,that’sthebestrepresentation

ofrunningthatI’veeverseen.’Becausethatis

exactlymyexperiencewhenI’moutontheroad– I

processwhateverit is thatmightbebotheringme,

andoffit goes.I leaveit behind.”

She’llneverleavetheLoneStarstatebehind,

though.“Iwentbacka coupleofyearsagoand...

thecountryroadis nowa bighighwayandit goesin

a differentdirection.

“Iwas,like:‘Noooo!It goesthisway.WhyamI

goingtheotherwayandhowdoI gettowhereI’m

going?’It wasbeautifulandnostalgic...but

confusingat thesametime.”

SINGING THE PRAISES OF JUDY GARLAND

ON PAYING HOMAGE TO THE FILM ICON AND

HOW FAME HAS CHANGED HER LIFE

RENEE ZELLWEGER

Renéeincostumeandmake-up(above)asJudyGarland,bearinga strikingsimilaritytothe

legendaryTheWizardofOzstar(insettop).MakingJudywasa specialexperience,shesays:

“Itbecamelikea loveletter,really”

INTERVIEW:GABRIELLEDONNELLY

H

PHOTOS: CAMERA PRESS. GETTY IMAGES. TOM JAMIESON/NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX/EYEVINE

66