Pop culture anti-heroine BJ opens at London premiere
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-10 11:01

Overweight, awkward and anxiety-ridden Bridget Jones showed up on screen at a star-studded London premiere where thousands turned out to cheer the actress who plays pop culture's beloved antiheroine.

US actress Renee Zellweger (R) and British actor Hugh Grant pose for photographers as they arrive for the film premiere of "Bridget Jones: the edge of reason" at the Odeon cinema in Leicester square, London, 09 November 2004.[AFP]

Renee Zellweger, the tiny blond Texan whose brave weight gain for the role of Bridget has left Hollywood watchers agog, appeared on the red carpet in an all-British outfit, with red and gold dress by designer Marchesa and Jimmy Choo strappy heels.

Crowds of fans braved a London downpour to watch the celebrities enter the theater, including co-stars Colin Firth, who plays Bridget's boyfriend Mark Darcy, and Hugh Grant, who is the womanizing heart-throb Daniel Cleaver.

"Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" picks up from the 2001 film adaptation of author Helen Fielding's work, which became a massive hit and cultural phenomenon, raking in nearly 300 million dollars (230 million euros).

Bridget's foibles, as an editorial assistant and, later, television journalist, her constant anxiety about weight and looks and her bumbling, cheery humor have endeared her to women worldwide, both feminists and fashionistas.

"I think she is an anti-heroine," Rosalind Gill from the London School of Economic's Gender Institute said.

"Her failure makes her endearing," she told AFP. "She tries to be independent, but she doesn't really want to.

"She believes a boyfriend will make her happy.... Much of Bridget's social life is directed towards finding a 'truly functional' relationship with a man."

The ambivalence of her desires has endeared her to young women, professionals, singles as well as those uncertainly settled into relationships -- and made Zellweger into an unintentional poster child of the unwaiflike.

U.S. actress Renee Zellweger waves as she arrives at the UK premiere of 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' at the Odeon Leicester Square in London November 9, 2004. The film is the sequel to 'Bridget Jones's Diary'. [Reuters]

On the red carpet Zellweger, 35, showed no signs of the 20 pounds (nine kilos) she put on for the role, however, and would not be drawn on whether beneath her glamorous dress she was wearing the grandmotherly underwear worn by her film character.

Asked if she would consider starring in a third Bridget film, she told journalists: "You tell me if Helen Fielding writes another book.

"I initially had fears about doing a sequel. I didn't want to do something that wasn't substantial but it was great."

"But people have responded to Bridget with a lot of affection," she said.

Grant was accompanied by Jemima Khan, the former wife of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politican Imran Khan.

Other celebrities attending Tuesday's event included singer-songwriter Elton John, British pop star Robbie Williams and Ozzy Osbourne.

"I just love Bridget. I've seen the film about 10 times," Osbourne's wife Sharon said.

Grant, 44, faced by a massive crowd outside the cinema, said: "We did know that people were keen to see more Bridget but I didn't know they were this keen."

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