To prepare for her role as the Hollywood icon inJudy, Zellweger, 50, tells PEOPLE she studied hours of personal audio recordings, bootleg music performances and interviews.
“I tried to break it down from an intellectual perspective and look at the methodology behind it,” she says. “Like, okay there’s a style of singing here, and what octave she’s singing in, and what the damage at that time in her life in terms of her performances. What are those things that are defining characteristics in terms of her performance choices? And I’d try to study those.”
Judychronicles the tumultuous final months of Garland’s life, when the famedWizard of Ozstar arrived in London to perform sold-out shows at the Talk of the Town nightclub.
Renee Zellweger.David Fisher/BAFTA/Shutterstock
Zellweger’s transformative performance has already earned her several awards at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and BAFTA ceremonies. Next, she’ll compete for Best Actress atthe Oscars.
At first, the role intimidated the Texas-born actress.
“I tried not to think too much about the obvious, which is how adored Judy is and has been through generations,” she says. “I tried to take that off the table and look at it as an exploration of trying to understand the human experience on the other side of that stardom … otherwise I would have just run away.”
“I never tried to hit any of those notes before — I mean, maybe in the shower it was a good idea,” Zellweger says. “So I started the vocal training and the practical training that I could, just to see what that felt like and to see what was necessary in order to actually make that sound.”
Judymarks Zellweger’s return to Hollywood after a mostly quiet decade. She feels she understands Garland somewhat from having also spent time in the spotlight.
David Hindley /LD Entertainment/ Roadside Attractions
“I have a little bit of understanding about what it’s like to live with a public persona,” Zellweger previously told PEOPLE. “I understand the vast gulf between what is written about that persona and the truth of their life.
Zellweger’s dynamic, empathetic portrayal of the star has madeJudy— and Zellweger — the talk of awards season.
“When you’re portraying non-fictional accounts of people’s lives there’s a different kind of responsibility you feel to represent what could be known as accurately as possible,” she said.
source: people.com
