How Judy's Renee Zellweger Thinks She's Changed Since Her First Oscars Win For Cold Mountain

Zellweger as Judy

With the Academy Awards in the rear view, Awards Season has officially come to an end. It's been a whirlwind series of months, as ceremonies like the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards recognizing some of the best film projects of the last year. Renee Zellweger basically swept them all this year, winning a variety of awards (including an Oscar) for playing the title character of Judy. This is her second Academy Award, and Zellweger recently reflected on how much has changed since she wont her first Oscar for 2003's Cold Mountain.

Renee Zellweger has had a long and successful career in the film world, and Cold Mountain happened at the height of her fame. Following a nomination for Chicago, Zellweger took home the coveted statue the following year. After winning her second Oscar for Judy, she was asked how she's changed in the decades and change between awards. As she put it,

Oh my goodness, how much time do you have? At that time, I think I was so busy that I wasn't actually in the moment. I think I had just flown home for something for Bridget Jones 2. It's a different perspective. I'm a little more present now. I think the time away and the time in between has helped me to appreciate it in an different way. I just look at in a different way. What it represents is a little bit different.

It looks like the years have put Renee Zellweger's career into perspective, especially when it comes to Award Ceremonies like the Oscars. When she won Best Supporting Actress in 2003, she was hustling and balancing other projects. But this year she was able to be much more present as she collected various trophies and accolades.

Renee Zellweger's comments to ET show how much has changed for the 50 year-old actress in the decade and change since she last took home an Academy Award. In the early 2000s, Renee Zellweger was at the height of her fame, with one or two major movies hitting theaters every year. So when she accepted the Best Supporting Actress award for her work on Cold Mountain, she was a bit distracted because she was working on

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason at the same time.

But last weekend's Oscars was quite different, and represent a different point in the acclaimed actress' life. Zellweger pumped the breaks on her career for a while, taking some time away from the public eye. Judy marks the first big film project she's had in years, and it seems she was able to be more present this time around. What's more, the Oscar itself means something very different nowadays.

You can watch Judy on demand now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.