Show m CO rs-- - ' s loAntti Dense Zellweger keeps H enee et)y fying expectations qui-- o Q II - with Inthemid-1990- s O mostly TV movies and small "O independentfilms on her 4) resume she beat out big-naHollywood actresses for the lead role opposite Tom Cruise u ° in“Jerry Maguire' When Zellweger whose retains a bit of the twalng voice 5 from her Texas upbringing was cast as England's favorite lonely heart in “Bridget Jones's Diary'' fans were that a Yank got the part X Her endearing performance ' aand impeccable Britidi' accent jE won naysayers over with the 2001 romance becoming a worldwide hit and earning '“ Zellweger a Academy-Awarncnpi nation Critics scoffed when she was cast as scheming moll' Roxie Hart in last year’s musir cid “Chicago1” with doubters wondering could she iven 7 out-rag- i : ' best-actre- ! ed ss' g ! singand dance?Zellweger proved a showstopper earning ”:best- her - 7 second-straig- "ri ht actress nomination as' “Chicago” hecamea smashhit and won the best-pictu- ''"” “Chicago” V : 7 re Oscar - co-st- ar - : - : AP photo Catherine won last year’s supporting-actres- s Oscar This time it could be Zellweger going home with Zeta-Jon- Actress Renee Zellweger is reflected in a mirror during es accendanceinthe : Hollywood skyW used to doing or doing with- prizefor out But it’s also wonderful because it makeayou really "“Cold Mountain” with Jude Law and Nicole aware of the excess that we Kidman in Anthony get iqiied to that we wbiild y coasider-tbe normal It jiist Minghella’s CivilWar v reminds you of how little yoii' At dauntless Southern ' handy-woma- h Ruby the H-really do need ' 7 blends d actress year-oldeftly humor and touching drama bringing a sweet sense of ' comic relief to the somber y " - "c- epic":' 'V V' : -Z7 film-':'- " :' - Looking 1 ' - ' is not something on her tp-d- o- - and how bjown out of propor-tion it gets It saddens me I : don’t understand the fa$cina: tion with it It’s just my job You’re supposed to look like r o J": ahead to the Oscars '’ ' ' ! - ingr it’s not a sacrifice to get to play Bridget Jones ThatV V part of the reward to get to go through that transformation I The more extreme the trans- - : formation the mote creatively i satisfying die experience is "The earierit is to believe her we’re facing that day' I don’t - opened up a lot of I don’t ' know J relate RubyIrelate' ’ kiK)W'speculation aboutthe y expenehce yourself asyou to to her curiosity and I liked - M contractual elements of my it life’' y bring y AP You showed up die how rational she was I find experience that just simply were not true Ibal I was paid myself to be a pretty logical share as well And l person s by the pound It just Superfi-he- r cializes something that is So need to understand how much more important to me v to dungs work and her need ' ' take care of herself : - handle the singing and dancing personally artistically dian ‘ " in that lt's rilly the 20 doujgh- AP Gossip columnists love “Chicago” Do you feel to write about how you gained r nuts a day nintbrs popple have underestimate! " AP: Is thee sexism at play? you? VZ weight fof the “Bridget When Robert De Niro gained Jones’’ movies Wcre you Zellweger: Ireally don’t thinkabout it Most everything dreading or looking forward to 7 weight for “Raging Bull” that isn’t really significant in people1 praised him for his putting on the feed bag again? ' Zellweger I thought about your life personally and pro-' 7 changing the diet and how my fessionally disappears There ' look - is no tiibe to worry about body’s going to react to it because it goes through a little pie’s perceptions of things I good? Dpes she look better 7 don’t rave time to bit of a gastrointestinal sbrt of sUdtwn Bridget-- y or better bony? : and say1 Wait I wonder if know? It’s crazy I dorrt know apocalypse When you change ' if that’s risxist To meit’s just being underestimated’ 1’rn just things so dramatically so 7 blissfully unaware of that I boring It’s interesting to me quickly But thething that I that it’s perceived as some sort like it dial way probably was' not looking for' ward to Was thp talk about it of sacrifice Jhat you’re mak rThe AssociatedPress : : r: ’ iist for Zellweger- who is busy filming “Bridget Jones: The out next Edge of Reason”due - : : : :Vfan: ' Zdlwegen That’s hard to v say I’m surd there’s elements 7- - -i ' herself get pulled every which way Which character comes cT(Mesl to the real you? Jhesuppoding-actres- s ' ' a Dec 8 interview at the Pour Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles Zellweger's star is in : 'ij ably in her 80s carrying a AP: Mel Brooks once joked V bundle of thatched wood on ' that while shooting "The: jV her back A massive bundlq 'Twelve Chajrs” in Yugoslavia' - imassive About twice three 7 all of Belgrade' was lit by a times her size Walking on the f bulb Did you ! side the road slowly taking single I Teel yoii were roughing it in her timebnt riie needed taget ' v Romania while filming ‘Cold ! parcel somewhere ant! sq ' Mduntainv? : it's done to get y going " AP: Ruby’s practical aiid y Zellweger: There were cer-- j 'tain things that made yciu fed aboufeverythin: Roxie Hart is duplicity incar- mc)re creative than you might x ' have before There were inter- V nafe and Bridget Joneis is V- esting things that you’d get-'-- C somewhere in between letting ’ : '' - t 7 ’ : ' i |