10 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About The Movie “Bridget Jones’s Diary”

In 2001, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” captured the hearts of thousands of viewers, who were enchanted by the life of the most famous spinster in cinema. The romantic comedy shows Bridget, a woman who decides to record her life in a diary. The ups and downs of work, love and friendships are told from the point of view of this “anti-heroine”.

In 2021, the feature completes 20 years, and to honor this very special protagonist, the awesome.club separated 10 curiosities of the movie. Follow along with us.

The film was openly inspired by the column by journalist Helen Fielding, published in the newspaper “The Independent”, from 1995. The texts were so successful that the following year Helen decided to publish a book about “Bridget Jones”, her fictional character.

“When I found an old diary, which detailed the calories I had eaten per day for an entire year, I realized there was a neurotic and funny trivia that could be exploited”, revealed the journalist.

It is impossible to think of Bridget Jones, without remembering actress Renée Zellweger, but she was not the production’s first choice. Despite her talent, Renee was from Texas and that put her at a disadvantage, as Bridget is a born Londoner. Kate Winslet, Rachel Weisz and Helena Bonham Carter were some of the top picks for the role.

At the time, Renée was marked in the press for her role in Jerry Maguire — The Great Turning, alongside Tom Cruise. Her portrayal was acclaimed by numerous critics, causing her name to be considered for playing Fielding’s anti-heroine.

In an interview with Cinema.com, Hugh Grant revealed that he only accepted to participate when he learned that Richard Curtis would be on the team. The reason? The English actor did not like the script.

“For a long time it seemed to me that they didn’t have a good script. I thought it wouldn’t work. So I suggested they call Richard Curtis to fix it. He came to the team and I signed the contract.”

To step into the shoes of Bridget Jones, Renee had to put on about 10 kilos. She needed to see a doctor, who gave her the perfect diet to gain weight in no time. The actress also took British accent lessons and trained constantly, even when she wasn’t on set.

The classes went so well that even Colin Firth found Renée’s real accent strange at the end of the recordings.

Director Sharon Maguire, responsible for adapting bridget jones for the movies, is one of the best friends of Helen Fielding, author of the book. Before directing the romantic comedy, Sharon worked on small projects for television.

Another curiosity is that the character Shazza (Sally Phillips) was inspired by Sharon. About her version in fiction, she says: “I’m really happy to be in the book, especially since Shazza is much more witty than I am.”

Renée Zellweger wanted to delve deeply into the character, so much so that she decided to intern at one of the biggest publishing houses in England. For six weeks, the actress worked daily to bring Bridget to life.

According to the staff, Renee was exemplary and did a great job. Her performance was so good, she was offered a full-time position.

Coincidence or luck? Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, who play Darcy and Daniel respectively, are mentioned in the book. In fact, Darcy, Firth’s character, was heavily inspired by Mr. Darcy, another actor role in the television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice🇧🇷

The director declared that Grant was perfect to play Bridget’s stressed-out boss. It doesn’t matter if it was by fate or by choice. “I knew he had this explosive mood, I wanted him to play the character,” she revealed to EW.

While writing the script, Richard Curtis thought of putting on a duel inspired by martial arts movies, to show the final conflict between Darcy and Daniel. When the actors received the script, it seemed to them that it would sound fake, as none of the characters had a history of training in fighting. Firth and Grant decided to improvise the fight moves.

The scene became one of the most memorable in the film. to the sound of It’s Raining Menthe two fight for the protagonist’s heart.

Although “Bridget Jones’s Diary” is set in London, the snow scenes had to be shot in another city. As filming took place in the summer, the cast had to travel to Snowshill, a town in the Tewkesbury district of England. To make everything perfect, the production even made a fake snow for the scenes.

Bridget Jones’ trajectory in three films: Bridget Jones’s Diary🇧🇷 Bridget Jones: At the Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones’ Baby, was the only romantic comedy trilogy released in theaters. One of its competitors, the film A prince in my life (2004), had its sequels only available on DVD.

Bridget is definitely a public and critical success. Escaping the cliché of the perfect girl, she enchants precisely for showing the adversities of adult life.

Do you have a favorite romantic comedy? Tell us which movie you think deserves a post about your trivia!