Renée Zellweger has played one of her generation’s most iconic British characters, Bridget Jones, in four movies. But fans who grew up watching the Cold Mountain star in the rom-com films seemed surprised to find out that the actress is not,

She moved out to Laguna Beach shortly after they started dating,” a source said of Zellweger’s relationship with Ant Anstead. “She drives a minivan and wears an orange

Renée Zellweger exclusively opened up to PEOPLE at the N.Y.C. premiere of 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The “Bridget Jones” franchise is long beloved by fans, due in extremely large part to Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of the title character. So, yes, the actress was a resource director Michael Morris turned to a lot while making the fourth film — and there was one particular insight from the Oscar winner that he says unlocked the whole thing.

Mad About the Boy" starring Renée Zellweger is new on streaming. Find out when and where you can watch it at home.

When Helen Fielding started a column in "The Independent" newspaper in 1995 under the alias Bridget Jones, little did she know that the fictional character she created would become a global cultural phenomenon.