Renée Zellweger became one of Hollywood’s most bankable actresses from her roles in Chicago, Jerry Maguire, and Bridget Jones’ Diary.
But over the years, the star has been the centre of controversy surrounding her appearance—most notably after a red carpet appearance she made in 2014, which caused some to speculate as to whether she’d undergone cosmetic surgery.
And in September 2019, the 50-year-old actress opened up about the scrutiny and emotional trauma she endured as a result of the rumours.
Speaking in an interview with U.S. radio station SiriusXM, Zellweger recalled one instance where she overheard people discussing her appearance while travelling on the train.
“[The people] were talking about Hollywood and how Hollywood ladies are so silly, especially that Renée Zellweger. How could she do that? Why would she go and have surgery on her face like we wouldn’t know?”, Zellweger said.
“She doesn’t look like herself, and you can’t just do that where you go and don’t look like yourself, ’cause we expect you to look like yourself.'”
Zellweger also confessed that moments later, she surprised the subway passengers whom she’d overheard, who were apparently unapologetic.
She said: “So I get up and I stand next to the door waiting for it to open and the man is still talking about how stupid I am. And he looked up and he said, ‘Oh God, you’re not—you are! Oh my God, but you look just like yourself!’ And I said, ‘Yeah, it’s funny how that works, isn’t it?'”
Despite her fame, Zellweger made no film and TV appearances between 2010 and 2016, before quietly resurfacing to promote Bridget Jones’ Baby in 2016. As of 2019, she’s currently promoting her lead role in the upcoming Judy Garland biopic, Judy.
Though the subway moment was painful, Zellweger told SiriusXM that rumours rarely leave her downtrodden. “It’s only momentarily where you go, ‘Jeez, wow, [the rumours are] pretty painful,'” Zellweger said. “But I don’t live in that.”
She went on to say: “And I’m busy! You know, I have dogs and they have to have shots and they need pills twice a day. There’s a lot, you know. I have other things to do.”
