he first time I met Renée Zellweger was when she came to the Toronto International Film Festival in 1996 to promote a small independent film called Whole Wide World. She was brilliant in that movie. I knew then that this sweet, sensitive but very humble young lady had a major future ahead of her.
She was just about to start filming Jerry McGuire, playing Tom Cruise's love
interest (Cruise hand picked her himself), and she told me that she was scared to death. Of course, that movie gave her career the jump-start it needed, and she hasn't had time to look back since.
  Zellweger was born in a small town outside of Houston, Texas in 1969. She
actually had no intention of becoming an actress; in fact, she only took a drama course at University because she needed the credit to finish her degree.
  She immediately fell in love with acting and took roles in student plays at
some local theaters. Her first credited on-screen part (be it small) came in the 1994 comedy Reality Bites with another small role in Empire Records the following year.
  Critics and moviegoers started to take notice of Zellweger when she starred in Love and a .45, an offbeat independent movie that earned her an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Performance. That's when she decided to take the plunge, moved to Hollywood and started her journey into stardom.
  Over the years, Zellweger has remained somewhat of a private person, especially when it comes to her love life. But it was on the set of Me, Myself & Irene in 1999 when she fell in love with her co-star, funnyman and Canadian export, Jim Carrey. It eventually became impossible to keep that romance quiet, so Renée went with it and seemed to be head over heels for Jim.
  Despite rumors that the inseparable pair would marry, they broke off their
relationship this past December. Don't feel too bad for Renée - this girl knows how to bounce back. Just weeks after their split, she surprised everyone
(including herself), when she won the Golden Globe as Best Actress for her
performance as an obsessed soap opera fan in Nurse Betty.
  Her follow-up role has just hit the big screen. Zellweger stars as the lead
character in the romantic comedy Bridget Jones' Diary. Based on Helen Fielding's best-selling novel, it chronicles the ups and downs of a single woman living in London.
  "It was very different working on this film," said Zellweger during a recent interview. "It was a lifestyle change, especially being away from home for
seven months. I learned a lot of things about the British culture, which was very exciting. Bridget is such a beautifully rewarding character and the book touched me so much. The character really appealed to me; it was just a gift to get to go and play her."
  Despite the rumblings when Zellweger was cast instead of a British
actress, she took on the persona whole-heartedly and gained 20 pounds to play the part. Bridget Jones is far from the perfect woman. As documented in her daily journal, we find out that she has on-going problems with her weight, she chain smokes and drinks, her mother is going through a major mid-life crisis, she hates her job and is unlucky in love.
  "I looked at it as an amazing opportunity to make a complete transformation for this character. I really had a good time playing her," says Zellweger.
  The film also stars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, and was made by first-time British director Sharon Maguire.
  If you thought Zellweger proved herself to be an award-worthy actress in Nurse Betty, just wait. With Bridget Jones' Diary and the upcoming Lovers, Liars and Thieves with Robin Williams and Antonio Banderas, moviegoers have a lot to look forward to from this versatile actress.

- Bonnie Laufer-Krebs