- Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger met while filming the first Bridget Jones movie in 2001
- And while their friendship – and working relationship – has stood the test of time – Zellweger has revealed a humorous present gifted to her by her co-star
- Grant also showed off his fierce on-and-off-screen rivalry with Colin Firth
Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger have enjoyed a working relationship for almost a quarter of a century.
After meeting on the set of Bridget Jones’s Diary – which was released in 2001 – the pair have remained firm friends.
As with most friendships, the pair have exchanged gifts over the years.
But Grant, 64, has made some, erm, unusual, choices in the past.
In a conversation for Vogue magazine, Zellweger, 55, asked her pal, “Do you remember what you gave me when we wrapped [the second movie] Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason?”
Batting off Grant cheekily questioning whether it was “panties”, the two-time Oscar-winner replied, “Not that time. When we wrapped in Thailand you were teasing me because I was a shade-seeker.
“Everybody else was passing out from heatstroke. If you’re Texan you know about the hat and the sunscreen and the whole thing.”
While Grant laughed, “No, but you were insane. You looked like Michael Jackson. You were wearing gloves”, Zellweger retorted, “I was not wearing gloves! I definitely didn’t have my shirt off. I didn’t get to work at 7am in the morning and expose myself to the sun until we wrapped at 9pm.
“And so you teased me and sent me about six or seven coffee-table books about sunny destinations and sun-drenched holidays and paradise in the sun. And I had to carry those books home. They’re beautiful, by the way, but damn it, Grant!”
Hugh Grant envies Renée Zellweger’s gift to Colin Firth
While his own gift-giving may raise some eyebrows, it seems that Grant hates the thought of being out of favor with Zellweger – especially when it comes to his frenemy, Colin Firth.
Firth played Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movie franchise – the fierce rival of Grant’s Daniel Cleaver.
“Do I get nicer presents than Colin Firth?” Grant asked Zellweger during their chat.
Ever the diplomat, Zellweger replied, “Well, Colin doesn’t get the chocolates anymore. He told me accidentally that he doesn’t really like them – I think he forgot that I’m the person who sends them to him.”
And when Grant appeared to be put out as Zellweger had “never sent him chocolates”, she was quick to rectify his comments.
“Because you get the whisky,” she pointed out.
Renée Zellweger talks of love for Bridget Jones
While many may grow tired of a character they have played for almost a quarter of a century, Zellweger is quite the opposite.
“What I think is, don’t you meet a lot of people who say, “I am Bridget Jones”!? I think maybe folks recognize themselves in her and relate to her struggles and feelings of self-doubt,” explained to Grant. “Bridget is authentically herself and doesn’t always get it right, but whatever her imperfections, she remains joyful and optimistic, carries on and triumphs in her own way.”
She continued, “She seems to make her quirky individuality and shortcomings charming, lovable and acceptable – and, in turn, she makes us feel lovable and acceptable too.
“And she celebrates originality, which I think is pretty special too, especially now everybody conforms because they want to be the thing that gets the most approval. Although I don’t have Instagram, so I don’t have that in my brain, personally.”
