【英语听和读】蕾妮·齐维格

 Amber 1: Hello, I'm Amber, and you’re listening to bbclearningenglish.com.

In Entertainment today, we listen to an interview with the Oscar-winning
actress, Renee Zellweger. She talks about her new film ‘Miss Potter’.
‘Miss Potter’ tells the life story of Beatrix Potter - one of the most famous
writers of children’s books ever! Her best-loved book, ‘The Tale of Peter
Rabbit’, has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide since it was first
published in 1902!
‘Miss Potter’ reveals a determined 2 woman who struggled for the right to an
independent life and to find a publisher for her books. She was also an active
conservationist (she worked to protect the natural environment) and she used
the money she made from her books to buy 14 farms and 4,000 acres of land in
the beautiful Lake District in the north of England - and she left this to an
organisation 3 called the National Trust when she died.
Quite a life story! And as you’ll hear, this is what impressed Renee when she
first read the script for the film. It made her want ‘to participate in’, to take part
in, the film. As you listen, try to catch the expression Renee uses at the end of
the extract to describe how she couldn’t wait to start work on the film.
Renee Zellweger
‘This is a beautiful story and I would love to participate in this – love to. And after I read it, it
was very, very hard to believe that this was this woman’s life experience and that it was not 
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fiction. I couldn’t believe it, and then, of course, I couldn’t believe that someone was going to
make a film that was so simply told and beautiful and not sensationalised at all, and yet, it was
still so compelling and emotional. I was beside myself to get started and to dig into it and to
learn more.’
Amber: Renee Zellweger says she was ‘beside myself’ to start work on the film – if
you are ‘beside yourself’ to do something, you want to do it very much and
immediately! She was also delighted that the script for the film was not
‘sensationalised at all’. If something is ‘sensationalised’, it is exaggerated and
emphasises the most shocking aspects of a subject. And she says that Beatrix
Potter’s life seemed so fascinating, she could not believe it was not fiction – an
imaginary story.
As a girl, Renee Zellweger adored reading, especially fantasy books. She grew
up in the United States, in Texas, but her mother is from Norway and her father
is Swiss. So how much was she aware of her European heritage when she was
growing up? As you listen, try to catch the adjective she uses at the end of the
extract to describe her close, loving family.
Renee Zellweger
‘Oh tremendously aware of it – it was a big part of my identity as a child growing up. I was
very aware that I might see things just a little bit differently because of my experiences being
a bit different – my parents served as a window to the rest of the world. So my brother and I
were very fortunate in that respect. But we were far apart from the rest of our family - it was
just the four of us in America, very close-knit.’
Amber: Renee Zellweger describes her family as ‘close-knit’ – loving and supportive.
And she says her parents were like a ‘window to the rest of the world’ because
they came from different countries.
Finally, we asked Renee to talk about Bridget Jones - the character she is bestknown
for playing. Renee was nominated for an Oscar for the leading role in 
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the massively popular 2001 film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’. What does Renee
think makes the 30-something, single, Bridget Jones such a hugely popular
character? As you listen, try to catch what she thinks is so ‘inspirational’ or
attractive about Bridget Jones.
Renee Zellweger
‘I think she’s inspirational because she is imperfect, and she reveals that she’s imperfect, and
she kind of seems to accept that she’s imperfect. And despite being imperfect, she seems to
succeed. And maybe it’s because she’s imperfect that she succeeds. And, in truth, when we
embrace our own experiences, we do better don’t we?’
Amber: So Renee believes Bridget Jones is popular because she shows us that we do
better in life if we accept that we are not perfect – that we’re imperfect - and if
we value all our experiences. Good advice!
Now here’s a list of the language we focussed on in the programme today.
an active conservationist
to participate in
to be beside yourself
sensationalised
fiction
close-knit
inspirational
imperfect