Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS
Interview by JANE CROWTHER
Greg Williams steps on set of the fourth Bridget Jones instalment and director Michael Morris tells
Hollywood Authentic why this latest chapter is reassuringly the same – but different.
On the surface, there may be little similarity between director Michael Morris’ last film – searing, raw social drama with Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie – and his latest, the fourth outing for a romantic comedy franchise that sees an older Bridget Jones try to find new love after the death of Mark Darcy. ‘This isn’t a sort of genre that I usually play in,’ Morris admits when Hollywood Authentic catches up with him during a break from mixing Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. ‘But what I saw in this was: how often do you get a chance to take not just a character who’s completely beloved and who we’ve known for 20 years, but a relationship, in Bridget and Darcy, that is beloved? What you end up with is a challenge as a filmmaker: can you do a comedy of grief? That, to me, became the animating principle of the film. So everything became more grounded about this film. I want it to still be everything we love about Bridget, but now she’s in a different part of her life. It gave me the opportunity to tell the story differently.’
In that respect, Mad About the Boy shares some commonalities with To Leslie – a woman struggling with loss, parenting and her reality told through a virtuoso actor. ‘Renée’s a character actress first, who happens to be a movie star. It’s pretty spectacular what she, Helen [Fielding] and Working Title have put together over the years. I can’t think of another film franchise that is about a woman who doesn’t fly or turn into an animal or can breathe underwater. Bridget’s just a person. It’s brilliant.’
While Zellweger and her original cast return for a tale set in London amid the snow (Morris actually shot in mid summer and trucked in fake snow to Flask Walk in Hampstead, which is where Greg Williams captured some on-set moments), new romantic options also meant new cast members. Chiwetel Ejiofor is one possibility as teacher, Mr Wallaker, and Leo Woodall (see page 12) as young Royal Parks officer, Roxster. ‘Casting Chiwetel opposite Renée is a statement of its own because he’s such a beautiful, nuanced actor known for all kinds of drama, as well as being able to do comedy. And Leo leapt out because he’s my favourite kind of actor – he can straddle both leading man and character actor.’
While Morris admits to feeling somewhat daunted by the legacy of Bridget Jones, he notes that having a cast who have worked together over 25 years created added poignancy. ‘I think there’s a great sense of joy about everybody getting back together again, and finding a story that really needed to be told. Not just doing it again, but there’s a reason to tell this particular story in her life. But there’s a sense of an ending, and it made it quite emotional.’
Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS
Interview by JANE CROWTHER
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is in UK cinemas from 14 February
