Renee Zellweger shares heartbreaking confession about 'Bridget Jones'

Renée Zellweger, the Oscar-winning actress who brought Bridget Jones to life, has bid farewell to Bridget Jones.

The 55-year-old actress, who played Bridget Jones again for the last installment, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, talked to PEOPLE at the New York City premiere on Wednesday, February 12.

Referring to her bond with co-stars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, Zellweger quipped, “We've been forging this friendship for over 25 years together through this journey, shared journey, Bridget Jones' journey.”

“It was both wonderful and really sad,” she said about filming and added, “Real tears” were shed when the movie ended.

Moving forward, the Judy star was asked if Mad About the Boy is the last installment, to which she replied, “That’s what I understand. That’s what Colin [Firth] said.”

However, Zellweger went on to admit that the latest movie felt different from the others because it shows Jonas still struggling after her husband, Mark Darcy (Firth), who died four years ago.

“We were familiar with how emotional the material was because the novel had been out for a while,” she noted.

The Cinderella Man actress added, “But the script was so beautifully written that the emotion just sneaks up on you. You think you’re heading in one direction that feels familiar, and then yeah, it just gets you.”

It is pertinent to mention that the Bridget Jones franchise, which released its first movie in 2001, has released its fourth and final film, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, on February 12, 2025.