Renee Zellweger has revealed that it took the work of 20 people to transform her into Judy Garland for the star’s forthcoming biopic.
The Oscar winner is almost unrecognisable in the Rupert Goold-directed feature, with her famous blonde hair changed to a dark brown in the role of the famed singer and Hollywood actress.
Zellweger, 50, is known for dramatically altering her appearance for roles, most notably for the Bridget Jones series where three times she put on 30lbs to play the lovable everywoman.
Speaking on the red carpet at the European premiere of Judy, Zellweger said becoming Garland had not been a challenge but had required the help of numerous departments.
She said: “It was such a process. It was this ongoing fluid process of experiments that was shared by so many different departments.
“I was wearing 20 people’s job at one time – all the time.
“So I didn’t really think about it in terms of challenge. It was just this exploration and celebration of her legacy.
“Some things took more time. I would build up to certain things that I didn’t know how to do. But we had time to do it.
“Every bit of it was joyful so it’s really hard to look at it in terms of difficulty because everything was joyful.”
Judy is set in 1968 and tells the story of Garland arriving in London to perform in a sell-out run at The Talk Of The Town nightclub, 30 years after her rise to fame in The Wizard Of Oz.
The film shows the charismatic yet fragile star’s battle with management while dealing with the struggle of spending her whole life in the spotlight, and her yearning to be at home with her children.
Harry Potter actor Sir Michael Gambon and War And Peace actress Jessie Buckley also star in the feature film, which is directed by double Olivier Award winner Goold.
Finn Wittrock also stars as Mickey Dean, the fifth and last husband of Garland, who the star married several months before her death in June 1969 aged 47.
Zellweger, who arrived on the red carpet in a lavender textured cloque dress by Emilia Wickstead, also rubbished the idea that, like Garland, someone would one day make a film about her life.
Asked who would play her in such a biopic, she replied: “Nobody.
“They’re not going to make a film about me. All the good stuff is not true.”
Judy is due to be released on October 2 2019.
