Renée Zellweger, who reprises her role as the iconic Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, found herself in an unexpected and dangerous situation during filming when her harness malfunctioned, leaving her hanging from a tree. The incident was revealed by her co-star Leo Woodall, who opened up about working alongside the film legend on the latest instalment of the beloved franchise.
Speaking on Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio Breakfast Show, Woodall recalled the terrifying moment when Zellweger’s harness failed while filming a stunt. “Every single day on set, she led the crew of 200 people to the end of the day with smiles on her face,” said Woodall. “But she hung off this tree, and she was supposed to be harnessed, but she didn’t tell anyone that the harness wasn’t actually working.”
The scene in question involves Bridget climbing a tree after her daughter, Mabel, becomes stuck in its branches. As she clings to the side of the tree, she is discovered by her children’s teacher, Mr. Wallaker (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), and her new love interest Roxster (Woodall). According to Woodall, Zellweger was left hanging by her fingertips for about an hour before anyone realised the problem. “She was hanging on by her fingertips, and they asked, ‘Are you okay Renée?’ and she said, ‘Yeah, I’m good, I might have to come down.’ When they asked about the harness, she casually mentioned, ‘No, it’s not working.’”
Despite the terrifying situation, Zellweger reportedly had no complaints and continued to impress with her professionalism.
In the upcoming film, Bridget Jones returns to screens nearly a decade after the last film. This time, she navigates life after the death of Mark Darcy, with Ejiofor and Woodall joining the cast as her new love interests. Zellweger’s return has been eagerly anticipated by fans, and she recently reunited with Hugh Grant, who reprises his role as the charming yet controversial Daniel Cleaver, at the film’s premiere in Paris.
While many familiar faces from the previous Bridget Jones films are returning for the sequel, including Sally Phillips, Sarah Solemani, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, and Colin Firth, one character missing from the new film will be Bridget’s Hard News boss, Alice Peabody. Kate O’Flynn, who portrayed Alice in Bridget Jones’ Baby, confirmed in an exclusive interview that she had not been asked to return.