Voice of America
11 Sep 2019, 13:05 GMT+10
TORONTO - Renee Zellweger said she felt a "sense of responsibility" to portray the late singer Judy Garland as authentically as possible in the movie "Judy," which was shown at the Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday to a standing ovation.
The film depicts the last six months of Garland's life, arriving in London in 1968 as part of a sold-out concert tour meant to refurbish her financial state.
Amidst a rocky custody battle with her fourth husband and accompanied on the tour by her fifth and final husband, Micky Dean, played by Finn Wittrock, Garland struggles with depression, anxiety and addiction.
Zellweger called her portrayal of Garland a "continued sort of exploration" between the famous actress and singer's public persona and her private experiences.
"There are many parameters that are non-negotiable that have been said on the public record and through Judy's own words and things. So you kind of feel a sense of responsibility to represent that as authentically as possible," Zellweger said.
"And then the rest was pretty difficult to know because we're talking about very private moments that haven't been shared and it's sort of an interpretation of what the experiences of the person who was living under those circumstances at that time might be like."
Zellweger is known for method acting, where she doesn't break character even when a scene is finished filming - a trait that helped her fellow cast members inhabit Garland's world too.
Wittrock didn't even recognize his co-star the first time he saw her in character.
"From kind of that point on until the end, I very rarely saw this Renee Zellweger, you know? I hung out with Judy," he told Reuters Television.
Zellweger's performance has received positive reviews.
"Renee was perfect because she's a great actress, but also she sings, she's very funny and she has a big heart," said Rupert Goold, the director of the film. "Audiences feel they know Renee at a certain level, that she's one of them. And I think that's a very Garland-like quality."
"Judy" is released in the U.S. on September 27.
Get a daily dose of Birmingham News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Birmingham News.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Financial markets kicked off the week on a cautious note as President Donald Trump rolled out a fresh round...
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: At a two-day summit over the weekend, the BRICS bloc of emerging economies issued a joint declaration condemning...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...
(Photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images) Wimbledon is not only a grand slam tennis tournament but a major revenue generator expected...
(250710) -- LONDON, July 10, 2025 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron at...
Vancouver [Canada], July 11 (ANI): Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman called the attack on a cafe owned by comedian Kapil Sharma a...
(Photo credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images) Tobin Heath, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion with the United States...
Facing the political impasse of the entire French system, some MPs have a dystopian idea: ban and punish all criticism of the Republic...
Facing the political impasse of the entire system, some MPs have a dystopian idea: ban and punish all criticism of the Republic This...