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Renée Zellweger On The Impact Of Playing Judy Garland

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In December 1993, three years before she had us at “hello” in Jerry Maguire, Renée Zellweger was driving her overpacked red Honda CRX on the I-10 which lies between her native Texas and California. She was heading to Los Angeles to nurture her creative dreams and challenge her acting mettle.

On the final leg of her journey she pulled over in Palm Springs to fill her car with gas. Zellweger stood there “in the chilly air, the desert breeze—next to that stuffed Honda with the CB radio in it because my dad insisted on it—imagining what adventure might be waiting up the road,” recalls the actress who this week was nominated for an Academy Award for her layered and heartbreaking performance in Judy. (An Oscar winner for Cold Mountain, this is her forth Oscar nomination.) “I could never have imagined that I would be invited back here under such special circumstances.”

Cut to January 2020 and those “special circumstances.” Renée Zellweger was back in Palm Springs at the 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival to accept the Desert Palm Achievement Award for playing Judy Garland. “This town has always held a place in my heart as a very important marker in my life journey,” said Zellweger.

One of North America’s largest film festivals, The Palm Springs International Film Festival spotlights notable and new documentaries and films from around the world. Each year the festival’s glittering Film Awards Gala kicks off the awards season as celebrities descend upon the desert to chill Palm Springs style. “I have a lot of history in this town. I have been coming here since I drove through the first time in 1993 from Texas,” said Zellweger. “In the 1990s it was my favorite place in the world to sneak off with my dog, to just chill for a while and run in the summer heat and not perspire.”

Sonny Bono, the city’s late mayor was one of the masterminds behind The Palm Springs International Film Festival. Since its early years the gala has expanded from 100 people to 2500 who fill The Palm Springs Convention Center. Speaking passionately the honorees included Laura Dern, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Driver, Antonio Banderas, Cynthia Erivo, Jamie Foxx, Zack Gottsagen, Joaquin Phoenix, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Charlize Theron. The presenters included Salma Hayek Pinault, Greta Gerwig and Robert De Niro. “The word festive in this festival is properly represented in this town, that's for sure,” said Zellweger. In fact, the festive spirit extended all the way to Palm Desert as many gala goers stayed at the vast JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort.

Before accepting her award Zellweger spoke about the impact of playing the ferociously talented Garland who also struggled so much to survive . “She went toe-to-toe with the best of them. She was so quick, so smart and so tenacious,” said Zellweger. “She had a slightly different set of rules. I don’t think the set of circumstances that she had to navigate at that time affected the beauty of her legacy. That is her talent and her tenacity.”

Jeryl Brunner: How did the experience playing Judy Garland change you?

Renée Zellweger: I learned a lot about things I didn’t know about Judy's life at that time. And I came to admire her even more deeply than I did before. I came to understand what she had to overcome again and again in order to continue to perform on the highest levels for such an extended period of time. Coming to know about that, you look at her differently. It's not tragic, but triumphant.

Brunner: Is there something you wish you could ask her?

Zellweger: Who was the love of her life? The ultimate love of her life.

Brunner: Judy Garland had to fight against all these barriers at a time when women were fighting for a lot of rights. How is that different from what is happening today?

Zellweger: Looking back at her life and the things that she had to manage is quite different for women today. Thankfully, because of the trailblazers who came after Judy. I don't know, a world where there wasn't Barbara Walters on television. Or there weren’t female heads of companies. Or women who held a position of power and influence. I think it's going to continue to evolve in the right direction. Sometimes it just takes a minute.

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