A statue of actress Renee Zellweger's popular character Bridget Jones has been erected in London’s Leicester Square, according to UK media reports.
In 2001, Zellweger first played the down-on-her-luck London girl in the iconic romcom film Bridget Jones’s Diary. At the unveiling of the statue on Monday, Leo Woodall, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sally Phillips, who starred in the latest instalment Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, were present.
“I think she’s much cuter than me,” Zellweger said in a statement to BBC News, reflecting on the statue, which can be seen holding the character’s diary and a pen.
Adapted from the books by Helen Fielding, the film franchise consists of four films including Bridget Jones (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which released in February this year.
The films follow Bridget's journey of self-improvement and love life in London. The plots focus on her relationships, often a love triangle between her unreliable boss Daniel Cleaver and the seemingly stuffy, but ultimately kind, Mark Darcy.
“I don’t think I’ll ever let go of Bridget,” Zellweger had told The Hollywood Reporter earlier when the latest instalment hit theatres.
“I have conversations about Bridget Jones pretty much every day. I meet people on the sidewalk and they want to share their own Bridget Jones experiences. All my friends call me Bridget,” she added.
Mad About the Boy reunited the iconic cast, featuring Zellweger as Bridget, Colin Firth as the late Mark Darcy, and Hugh Grant returning as the charismatic Daniel Cleaver. Leo Woodall joined the ensemble as Roxster, a handsome park ranger.