IO – Renée Zellweger won another Oscar for her acting as Judy Garland in the film “Judy”. This is the second Oscar for her after she was awarded one for The Best Actress 2014 for her role in the film The Cold Mountain.
Zellweger was chosen as the best actress over other nominees: Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story), Saoirse Ronan (Little Women), dan Charlize Theron (Bombshell).
Renée Zellweger appreciates this Judy Oscar win in a whole new way, compared to her 2004 award for Cold Mountain, she told press backstage at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Asked how much she’d changed since she won that first Oscar back in 2004, Zellweger exclaimed as quoted by deadline, “Oh my goodness. How much time do you have?” She then went on to explain, “I’m a little more private now. I think that the time away and the time in between has helped me to appreciate it in a different way. What it represents is a little bit different, and obviously this is about wanting to tell that story and to celebrate Judy Garland, and to shine a light perhaps on the circumstances of her life which people dismissed as tragic.”
As for what this particular win means for her, Zellweger said, “It’s really nice when something that really matters to you resonates with someone else. That’s always a huge, wonderful, unexpected reaction… it makes me happy for everybody that I worked with and it always goes back to the collaboration and what you intended and what you hoped for it.”
When receiving the Oscar, Zellweger delivered his speech addressed to the figure of Judy Garland. Zellweger called Garland a hero who had united everyone.
The actress took the stage celebrating heroes, and her hero Garland. “This past year of conversations celebrating Judy Garland across generations and across cultures has been a really cool reminder that our heroes unite us,” Zellweger said. “The best among us, who inspire us to find the best in ourselves, when they unite us, when we look to our heroes, we agree, you know? And that matters.”
She continued to list several famous figures of inspiration, including Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, Venus and Serena Williams, Selena, Bob Dylan, Martin Scorsese, Fred Rogers and Harriet Tubman.
“Judy Garland did not receive this honor in her time,” the actress continued. “I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy that began on our film set and is also representative of the fact that her legacy of unique exceptionalism and inclusivity and generosity of spirit; it transcends any one artistic achievement. Ms. Garland, you are certainly among the heroes who unite and define us and this is certainly for you. I am so grateful.” (rp)