Bridget Jones: How to make money while embarrassing yourself

Dear friends,

Learning English becomes much more enjoyable when we add a touch of laughter. Today, we’re exploring a film series that not only elevated the British sense of humour to new heights but also became a beloved (Christmas) favourite for many of us. We’re talking about the unique comedy masterpiece directed by Sharon Maguire, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and its two equally entertaining sequels. This series, with its perfect blend of humour and heart, has captured the hearts of many. Who wouldn’t sympathize with this chubby, self-critical, unmarried, brave woman who finds herself in endless embarrassing situations and still manages to win love?

The film was a great success, leading to its first sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and later, the second, Bridget Jones’s Baby. Renée Zellweger stars alongside the incredibly charming and funny British actors Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, with the handsome Patrick Dempsey joining the cast in the third film.

And just like in every film production, there are funny incidents and incredible achievements hidden from the viewers during the making of this one. Let us tell you about them today!

The dedication of the actors is truly admirable. To portray the charming, chubby Bridget, Renée Zellweger gained about 12 kilograms. To understand her character’s working life, she went undercover at a company for a month, even changing her accent to avoid recognition. Zellweger maintained this British accent off-set for a long time, only reverting to her American accent at the film’s closing party. This surprised her co-star Hugh Grant, who remarked that he heard her “speak in a bizarre voice.”

Those who have seen the film will recall the snow scene at the very end. Interestingly, it was filmed in the middle of summer using artificial snow.

Comedian Sally Phillips, who plays Bridget’s close friend Shazzer and is also a church member, received reproaches from her spiritual mentors for her character’s frequent and enthusiastic use of salty language. In her defence, she explained that she enjoys playing imperfect characters to win the audience’s love for them, noting that the only perfect character one can play is Jesus Christ, and even He was not perceived as infallible by everyone.

The film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ became a trilogy- the only major one with a female director and the only romantic trilogy of the new millennium.

Renée Zellweger had to portray a character addicted to smoking who is trying to quit. Since she often had to smoke on set, special herbal cigarettes were made for her.

At the beginning of the film, Renée is 32 years old – exactly the same age as her character.

Another interesting fact from the script is that the character of Mark Darcy, the lawyer with whom Bridget falls in love, is based on Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice.

Dear friends, there are many more fascinating facts we could share, but we’d rather leave you to enjoy the films (perhaps again). And remember, a fourth film about our beloved Bridget is in the works. What new adventures will she find herself in? We can’t wait to find out!

Author: Iveta Radeva