Chicago star Renee Zellweger tells how a producer offered her wine so she wouldn’t retire from a n-de scene.
It’s easy to focus on the glitz and glamor of the rich and famous, but there are also aspects of Hollywood that are less than desirable. At this point, many notable actresses and actors (like Brendon Fraser) have shared stories of inappropriate acts they have experienced during their careers. Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger recalled being pressured by a producer to drink wine before filming a n-de scene.
Renee Zellweger is an established actress, and she’s starred in some pretty iconic films since her breakthrough performance in Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire. Still, the early years of an actress’ career can unfortunately include uncomfortable prompts, and in her interview for Harper’s Bazaar, Zellweger candidly stated that she was asked to consume alcohol before an intimate scene. Here it is in his own words:
There’s been times when I’ve been, you know, on set, where a producer is ready for me to go ahead and take my clothes off. ‘Here, drink this wine, because then you will,’ And, you know, I’m not going to take this wine, but I would like a telephone. Because I have a phone call I need to make now.
While I’m far from a seasoned actor, I can only imagine how uncomfortable n-de scenes are to film in general. (Jamie Lee Curtis can attest to how embarrassing they can be). I would understand someone handing a drink to a man or woman in order to control their nerves if they ask for one, but offering a drink in order to ensure that an actress will go all the way to the end of the stage and won’t change your mind is honestly gross.
Renee Zellweger doesn’t reveal her age or when in her career the unwanted offer of wine happened, but it appears to have happened quite early in her career. But even if it wasn’t, Zellweger’s decision to make a call was pretty cheeky. You have to appreciate that she’s willing to do what she can to stay out of uncomfortable situations.
Today, many in Hollywood agree that such on-set interactions should not be tolerated, and the MeToo movement and other entities are making efforts to make things better. Although there is still a lot of work to do, things are changing for the better. Some productions like Outlander have enlisted intimacy coordinators to make sure people are comfortable during certain scenes.
Some actors and actresses are perfectly comfortable for a movie (one Dune star asked for a lot, and for good reason). Of course, consent is extremely important in cases like this, and the offer of wine seems to have been used to remove it to some degree in this case. Situation aside, though, Renee Zellweger is thriving and back in acting — and still doesn’t tolerate any nonsense. You can see Zellweger in his new NBC series, The Thing About Pam, which you can stream with a Peacock Premium subscription.
