A big part of Renee Zellweger’s Bridget Jones character in the first two films, Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) was her fuller figure. However, director Sharon Maguire is revealing why Bridget will be skinny in Bridget Jones’s Baby.
The third sequel, which also stars Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey, won't hit theaters until Sept. 2016, but Maguire is sharing some details with us about where Bridget now is in her life ahead of its release.
“We all really loved the notion that Bridget, 15 years on, had finally reached her ideal weight … somewhere between a UK size 10 or 12 … but still hadn’t solved any of her issues about love and loneliness,” Maguire told Entertainment Weekly.
“I think that one of the reasons the first film worked was not just because of the comedy but because people identified with Bridget’s fear of loneliness,” she continued. “It’s a universal fear. It’s still a prominent theme in the character’s journey even in the third film, and an integral point of access for the audience to empathize with Bridget.”
Zellweger, who got criticized for her own looks earlier this year, is very invested in the series.
“She’s lovely in this and does take it really seriously. She puts a lot into that and cares deeply about how she’s presenting herself,” said producer Debra Hayward.
In October, Universal tweeted the first photo of Zellweger playing Jones for the third time.