COSMOPOLITAN

June 2003

        UK Edition

             

by Jennifer Graham         

Renee Zellweger is a bona-fide movie star - Jerry Maguire, Nurse Betty, Bridget Jones's Diary and Chicago are a few highlights from her CV - but she certainly doesn't behave like one. Instead of talking to Cosmo about the ins-and-outs of her latest project, the romantic comedy Down With Love, she's the one throwing out the questions. Some are breezy ("Have you seen Springsteen sing with his wife? And the way he looks at her?"); others are deeper ("Why do you think negativity is so rampant in the media today?"). It's almost as if she waited months for today's chat.

And since she's having fun, she doesn't seem to mind swapping dating stories. "This is a treat for me", she says, referring to the fact that most of her recent interviews have all been business. "I really don't meet people. And when I do, they don't really talk normal stuff like this." That probably has something to do with the fact that she's just finished an intense publicity campaign for her starring role as Roxie Hart in the award-winning Chicago, for which she won a "Best Actress" Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination. But the level-headed 34-year-old from Katy, Texas, takes it all in stride.

She chooses films for their potential to be "an enriching experience". She's acted in small dramas such as A Price Above Rubies as well as big comedies like ME, Myself & Irene. Her only formula is basically not to have one. And the theme continues with her latest film, the satirical sex romp Down With Love, out this month , and a Civil War drama, Cold Mountain, which comes out later this year.

But as big or small as the project may be, the gossip columnists keep tagging along. During Bridget Jones, Renée got more ink for gaining Bridget's extra 20lbs for the role than for her acting, which earned her an Oscar nomination. (Renée has just signed on for a second Bridget and another 20lbs.) And now that she's slimmed way down, some gossips falsely snipe that she's anorexic. "What you look like can be a reflection of a lot of things," Renée says, sighing. "Hard work, happiness, sadness, time off, or an exercise regime. And for me it might just be a reflection of some movie I'm in."

A recent column said that she and George Clooney were "lip-locked" at the after-party for Chicago in Los Angeles and that they went home together afterwards. Renée simply says, "I have nothing to do with my tabloid image." But she doesn't shy away from the topic either. Maybe she's preparing herself for talk of her new movie.

In Down With Love, she plays a sassy 1960s, Doris-Day-like beauty along actor Ewan McGregor. her character, Barbara Novak, believes, "if women are more cavalier about sexual relationships, then they won't be as likely to get caught-up in men's games", she says. "And Catcher Block [McGregor's character] sets out to prove she's fooling herself".

Since Down With Love is all about the roller coaster of love, we decided to chat to Renée about her own views on dating and men...

Are you a hopeless romantic or more of a realist, like your Down With Love character?

"I'm an extreme on both ends. Is that possible? I am a hopeless romantic. I believe in love because I've experienced it, but I'm not sitting around waiting for it. I buy houses. I travel. I take jobs on mountain-tops in Transylvania [the Romanian region where her movie Cold Mountain was filmed]. I make decisions based on what I have now, today. Because I know that happiness comes in many ways, and if you spend your life hoping to be found by or find another significant other, you're going to miss out on all that stuff. And that's what makes you special and makes your life rich."

Your love life seems pretty rich. You're becoming known for your celebrity dates

"Am I? That's crazy to me. I've only dated one [Jim Carrey] and not even for a year. And I was in England for half that time."

Supposedly, you were engaged to him...

"The English papers wrote that I was proposed to in a West-End restaurant with a ring, and they included the size and the cost of the ring. But it was all made up. I'd only been dating him for three months. As if I would consider marriage after only three months!"

So you've never been engaged?

"No. And I have a mythical relationship floating around right now - that's been floating around for a couple of years - which somebody made up, and it has just snowballed and kept going."

Do you mean George Clooney?

"I don't talk about who [laughs]! I'm very good friends with a couple of celebrity men, and I see them a lot. But I haven't dated them and I haven't had a boyfriend since that one [Carrey]."

OK, so you're single. Do you want to get married?

"I don't require it. If I meet that best friend who I'm in love with, then sure. But otherwise, no. I do sit back sometimes and wonder about it. My girlfriend [Down With Love co-star] Sarah Paulson and I were laughing one day because we couldn't get over how gorgeous Ewan McGregor is. You just die when you see him."

He's married, right?

"Yes, and he has the most beautiful, clever wife and the most beautiful children you've ever seen. They're just to die for. Then Sarah and I were like, "Wait a second! What's wrong with us? If a man is making a list of things he's hoping for in a girl - beautiful, self-sufficient, smart, funny, interesting - where are we on that list?"."

Did you go on more dates before or after you became famous?

"Before... because now no one asks."

Why not?

"I don't know why [laughs]. I don't say, "Excuse me, has it crossed your mind to invite me to lunch? And if not, why not?."[More laughter]

But you of all people should have no problem attracting men.

"I can't do that - just go to a bar, meet a man, get his phone number, and see what happens. It takes me a long time to get to know someone, and I value friendship. I certainly don't want 90 men to have my number and come to my house and know me intimately and then move on. There has to be a true connection or something I admire in that person."

So your memoirs won't be full of casual-sex stories?

"No, but I don't judge people who do have casual sex. If you're interested in that, go for it. It' nice that women have the prerogative to choose. But I'd like to have nice conversations with a man that teach me something, make me mad, make me curious. Then I find him attractive."

What else attracts you?

"Its' always about the heart and his ability to empathize. And he has to make me laugh - but in a smart way, not by putting himself on display or being showy."

What about looks?

"Sure, but you learn that they don't matter. It's like credentials: "Oh, he went to so-and-so school?" But that doesn't mean he's smart."

You're from Texas - where some men still open car doors for women. Do you find chivalry charming or condescending?

"I don't want someone to open the door for me because he's trying to manipulate me. I dated a man once who would always help me with the groceries. That's sweet, because you generally do need and appreciate help bringing in the groceries."

Speaking of old boyfriends, can you stay friends with an ex?

"Oh, completely. One of my best friends is an ex-boyfriend. And I don't really think of him as an ex. It was just a process of getting to where we always needed to be. Which is perfect."

What traits would make you dump a man?

"To be dismissive of my dog [Woofer, a collie-golden retriever mix]. If she has to be sent away from the table, well, then he can't be across the table."

Anything else?

"If he's disrespectful of waiters because it clearly means that his kindness is conditional and he divvies it up when it serves him to be nice. And I don't need a man who raises his fists for any reason, even to protect me. I need a man who neutralizes the situation and takes us away from the danger."

What are your five best dating tips?

"Wait, I want to talk more about my relationships with celebrity men! Who else do they say I'm dating?"

One of the tabloids just linked you with Matthew Perry.

"I know Matthew. He's very nice and handsome. But I'm not dating him either. But that's good. Let's make my list really good!"

How about rock stars?

"Where have all the rock stars gone? They're gone! No, they're not. There's The Strokes. And Paul McCartney. And Bruce Springsteen. Life is good."

Down With Love is released nationwide on 30 May