Renée Zellweger shares what she did when she took a 'hiatus' from acting

Renée Zellweger is opening up about the break she took from acting more than a decade ago.

In an interview with actor Hugh Grant for British Vogue's February issue, the Academy Award winner shared why she took a break from acting between 2010 and 2016.

"Because I needed to," she said. "I was sick of the sound of my own voice."

"When I was working, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, listen to you. Are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is this your mad voice?'" she continued. "It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences."

Zellweger also opened up about how she filled her time during that hiatus.

"I wrote music and studied international law," she said. "I built a house, rescued a pair of older doggies, created a partnership that led to a production company, advocated for and fundraised with a sick friend, and spent a lot of time with family and godchildren and driving across the country with the dogs. I got healthy."

Zellweger is returning to her iconic role as Bridget Jones next month in the film "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy."

The film will follow Bridget, now a single mother to her 9-year-old son Billy and 4-year-old daughter Mabel, as she leans on her friends -- and her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Grant) -- to attempt to move on from the death of her husband, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), and put herself back out there in the modern age of dating.

In addition to Zellweger and Grant, the film will also star Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Leo Woodall, Emma Thompson, Isla Fisher and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

"Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" will be released in theaters internationally and stream on Peacock in the United States on Feb. 13, 2025.

See the full feature in the February issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands Jan. 21.