Renee Zellweger stepped out last week at the Elle Women in Hollywood event and somehow became one of the most talked-about topics of the month. As CB and I have both noted, Renee’s face work is NOT new. She’s been walking around with a radically different face for more than a year now. But for some reason, last week’s photos were the first time most people noticed. The “Renee had major plastic surgery” story went viral quickly, and Renee had to issue a statement to People Magazine where she basically sounded full of sh-t, claiming that her new look was just the result of her happiness and fulfillment. Riiight. Anyway, Renee’s face dramz took the cover of this week’s Us Weekly. Some highlights from the cover story:
She has been slammed with questions about her changing face since stepping out looking noticeably different at the Elle Women In Hollywood Awards in Beverly Hills on October 20. And now UsWeekly has an explanation for what happened and why.
The publication claims the 45-year-old Jerry Maguire actress may have had work done to her upper eyelids because she was hoping to get more work in Hollywood. ‘The parts started drying up,’ a source revealed to magazine.
The blonde beauty- who made a name for herself in the nineties with such small hits as Love And A .45 and Empire Records and went on to co-star with Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain (2003) and Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man (2005) – was anxious about her popularity in Hollywood. In 2002 she saw her career high when she took a supporting role in Chicago with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. That performance resulted in an Oscar nomination (she didn’t win, but took home the gold a year later for her supporting turn in Cold Mountain). But she has since not been able to repeat that success.
‘She wonders what’s wrong with her,’ added the pal. It was added, ‘She doesn’t know why she isn’t getting the roles she used to.’
Zellweger’s last big film was Leatherheads with George Clooney in 2008, which failed to impress at the box office. Her last big hit was the third installment of the Bridget Jones franchise which was released in 2004.
The weekly does not go into detail about what the star had done to her face. But they do talk to a plastic surgeon (Dr David Alessi) that suggested Renee had her eyes fixed (‘upper-lid surgery’) to be less heavy on top. That alleged work minimized her ethic Norwegian look. The doctor also suggested she may have had ‘fat removed from her cheeks.’
I think eye work is definitely one of the stronger possibilities, and as I’m looking at the photos closely… yeah, I could see how she might have had her cheeks de-chipmunked. Now, all that being said… there wasn’t anything wrong with her old face. Sure, people joked about her “squint,” just like people joke about Reese Witherspoon’s chin and Beyonce’s wigs and Angelina Jolie’s veins and Blake Lively’s nose job and implants. That sh-t is a part of life, famous or un-famous, and Renee’s old face made her a major movie star and a very wealthy woman. You gotta dance with the face that brung ya! I tend to think it takes profound unhappiness and insecurity to take those random (and yes, hurtful) comments to heart and go and dramatically change your face THIS much. And I always thought her career took a hit after she A) made some bad career moves and B) dropped away by choice.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
when I read that headline, I thought it was something to do with menopause
I thought it was ‘parts of her face’ that were drying up…. ha.
Hahaha that was my first thought too, I was a bit confused…
So did I. I thought I might learn some tips for keeping my face better moisturised.
Ha! That’s what I thought too, that she needs Suzane Somers hormonal vadge injections.
lol that’s what i thought, too.
Hot tea all over my desk! Thanks for that laugh!
I wish the media would leave her alone. She got work done, like basically every woman in Hollywood. Everyone has seen it, judged her. Can we move on now.
+1. And whoever gave this info has no idea why she got work done. They’re just taking a guess and we’re all supposed to believe it? It’s her face, her life and she doesn’t owe us an explanation.
+2 I find it ironic that the same medium that fed the insecurities that led to this, is probably feeding a whole new set of insecurities in this poor woman. I want her to learn to ignore the nonsense but lets face it, some of us are more fragile than others and she is at a very vulnerable age for her industry. I mean Beyonce can afford to brush off the hate because she is at the top of her game, so can Angie. What happens when the phone stops ringing though…..
You can never make it right, can you? At least not in Hollywood. She was bashed before because of her eyes and now she’s criticized because she had plastic surgery. I’m definitely not rooting for plastic surgery, but I get that she was under pressure and desperate because her career slowed down.
For years people have posted unusually cruel comments about Renee’s old face. I saw that everywhere.
What I am curious about is has she changed her voice, too, or is that still the same. That voice was more her signature than anything else.
Thank you! We women constantly mouth off about being supportive of each other,yet why do we we continue to contribute to the public shaming of a woman who has not committed a crime, but has made a very personal choice. We may be shocked by her choice, but we do not have the right to shame her for it. It is her face, her body, her choice. Isn’t that what we feminists fought for? I may not agree with her choice, or her reasoning, but I do stand by her right not to be publicly humiliated, or even forced through public pressure to give ever increasingly ridiculous reasons (probably concocted in some publicist’s office to quell the mob )for her choice.
Right ? They don’t do this with Nicole Kidman who has messed her face much more than Renee.
Oh no, they do. Nicole’s frozen face is talked about plenty. Renee’s just the target of the moment.
Nicole has had a gradually more frozen face for years. It was incremental, though, so there was never a time when she came to a red carpet and looked so shockingly different that we didn’t know that she was Nicole Kidman.
Oh, right…Nicole does look fairly altered–people are still a bit shocked every time she is seen–they talk about it, and then it goes away. Maybe the same goes for Renee. I think her eyes are the biggest change because that squinty look was kind of her trademark. I’ve always loved Renee’s films, but it’s been over 10 yrs since we’ve seen her in a memorable one, and now she’s in that age group where roles are more difficult to come by unless you’re a bigger female star who has maintained popularity and top ranking…..I don’t see Renee in this category, and I’m not sure the plastic surgery will change any of that–I still love her tho….
Agreed! Leave her alone 🙁
This times a million.
+Whatever number we’re on now. She can’t win if she gets it or not (or if she admits getting it or not).
+1 the media is going over board, so she had surgery. I wish they’d Leave the woman alone now.
Jessica Lange , Nicole Kidman many have had a lot of work, the media should just stop with harping on Renee.
Just like every other woman and man*
Agreed. A little eye work or not, Renee looks gorgeous, and she’s always seemed like the sweetest person.
I was such a big fan of Renee’s talent back in the day. It makes me feel terrible for her that she has had to go through this big public ordeal. I miss seeing her in roles, she has such a unique charm, IMO.
But I’ve been wondering if people are taking up for her only because she is well-liked. Do other celebrities who are not so well liked get the same protective “leave ’em allow”‘ shout-outs? We don’t usually bully or harass people we like. So, I’m just wondering.
I’m sorry but I would hope we would question why she is doing this rather than blindly supporting it. There seems to be some suggestion we should support augmentation and plastic surgery as the natural consequence of social pressure but I call BS on that. There is nothing “feminist” or “empowering” in such devastating insecurity that you go under the knife to “fix” perceived physical imperfections. It’s sad, very sad and should not be encouraged or condoned. Women are much more than pretty faces and we all need to remember that.
She’s Jennifer Grey now. The new face is only going to make it harder for her to get work.
Honestly I don’t think it’s so bad that she can’t have a new career with her new face. She may look different but she doesn’t look fake.
I agree — she doesn’t look bad, she just doesn’t look like Renee Zellwegger.
Unfortunately, that DOES erase a big chunk of her existing star power, as Jennifer Grey (who also looked good, post-work) discovered.
I agree. If I had never seen her before, I wouldn’t think anything was “off.” She looks fine if you didn’t know how she used to look. However, she looks quite a bit different. The “work” has taken some of the warmth and cuteness that I liked about her face and made it more generic. I am so torn because I do think she should be left alone, but I mourn the forces in society that tell women they need to change their faces and bodies as they get older and their careers wax and wane. I guess, basically, I have a problem with whatever influenced her to change, but not her personally. I am sure it was really hard to deal with the comments about her allegedly “squinty” looks, but I think her career issues did have more to do with her latter movies being kind of ass. I also agree that looking so different will hurt her career, because she’s lost the cachet of instant recognition.
But isn’t it sad IF Renee hated what so many people found appealing. Or maybe she had to “break it” or tamper with it in order to grow beyond the tightness of always being thought of as cute & quirky to really see herself–Renee.
I remember reading that Serena Williams said that at one time she hated her arms but her arms are her fortune in a real sense, so she had to make peace with that.
I don’t think it looks bad at all, her eyes have change but with makeup she can get a cat eye look, even if its not her old eye, imo she looks fine.
Renee will be fine, imo
Well I think she’s prettier now but more generic which will, indeed, probably make it harder for her to get good roles, especially at her age.
Jennifer Grey was never as big a deal as Renee though, and she had her surgery when she was a young woman at the height of her career. Renee was a big deal for a long time, and her career has cooled considerably since.
Yes. Her face was her brand. The combination of now looking SO different and also being an older actress may kill any chance of a comeback.
I thought it was smart of her to go away for a few years and then come back in some good dramatic roles for older actresses, but the face work may have nixed that. Very sad, I’ve always enjoyed her performances.
I totally agree with those who say that the change took away Renee. The sweetheart from our favorite movies has been wiped away completely. It’s not Renee with wrinkles or Renee with a pulled back facelift….it is, uhm, I don’t know who. She could be your accountant or your real estate agent. She looks fine now and more power to her. But she is not the face we loved and cheered in her most famous characters. I also say she has Jennifer Grey’d herself. However, if she is cool with just looking like an anonymous person and living her life with (I’m sure) her millions of dollars…..you go, girl. But Renee Zellweger the brand is gone forever. Maybe she can create a new brand? Hollywood is a hard cold place for women of a “certain age” and without the face America loved I really don’t know.
I disagree. She has a very charming personality on screen, and I think that hasn’t gone away no matter what her face looks like. Her voice, etc., are all still there.
I just read the final Bridget Jones book, and I heard her voice when I read it. It was much more than just her face that made her “brand”.
Of course she’s still the same person but she ruined her look, she can’t fix it and the cache she built is gone. She is unrecognizable as her old self, she’s killed her career. She no longer looks like Bridget.
Well that’s one way to confirm she will never play Bridget Jones again!
This may be weird , but could her unkempt eyebrows also be making her look slightly different? I mean they are usually always arched , perfectly plucked and filled now they are more like little blonde hairy caterpillars ? Well that’s what I call mine when they are a bit wild lol Whatever she did though is definitely in the eye area because really the rest of her face minus the tan looks the same.
I agree. That with a much thinner face.
Yeah! How does that happen? Lipo? She looks like she lost her baby fat.
I think her face thinnness looks like aging.
Her eyes have been done, but that’s it.
I’m so tired of the press harping on her.
My old boyfriends mom had her eyes done ages ago and her fatty pads came back years later and her eyes ended up looking somewhat the same, but they were bags aroundher eyes.
Women’s faces “plane out” as they age. Full cheeks are associated with youth because it comes naturally when you are young and leaves as you age.
At her age, I doubt they would lipo her face. Rather, like Madonna, the trend is for older women to actually plump up their cheeks and get implants and injections. I don’t Renee had that done.
Tiffany, I don’t either. I actually think Renee had all her cheek filler stuff taken out. I think her face looks more normal now, less frozen. My interpretation of her public comments were that she took time off to un-jack her face and get more healthy. Yes the eye job — it reminds me of when Diane Sawyer (who had similarly lidded eyes) had her eyes done, it was a big drama at the time.
So totally with you here. She had something done to her eyes. But the rest is still her to me : she got older, loose weight, so did loose some fat in her cheeks, she ‘s more tanned, less bleached than she used to be and did not do her eyebrow the same. That’s it.
I think it has a lot to do with it. She definitely seems to have gotten her eyelids done, and it seems to have pulled down her eyebrows a bit. She needs to pluck the lower parts and fill in where it’s missing now so that she has groomed eyebrows again.
Her thinner face looks good to me. My surprise is the tan, her eyebrows, and whatever she has done to her mouth. Just like Kidman’s freaky unmoving face, Zellweger’s strange mouth just takes over when I’m looking at her.
Right, it ‘ s not just the eyes. If you cover them the rest of her face doesn’t look hers, either. I also think she went overboard with skin bleaching treatments. I tried them once and I will never make the same mistake again. At the very first beginning your skin looks renewed, younger and radiant. But immediately you realize that dark spots come back quickly and in a far greater number, you have to wear spf 50+ even in Winter time. Most of the women I know repeat the treatment over and over to get rid of the spots, but as a result they get a very thin, sensitive, fragile skin and they definitely look older.
Let’s face it, it’s sexism in Hollywood. I’m sick of movies where the male star’s love interest is 20-30 years younger than him. Yuk.
I’m also sick of awards shows where the best actor winners are in their 40’s and 50’s, and the best actress winners are always twentysomethings….maybe they are allowed to be 32 or 33, like Renee was when she won for Cold Mountain, but otherwise that is it.
This could charted – it would be easy to show the ongoing huge disparity between the ages of Academy Award winners for best actor and best actress. It is that consistent.
So true! We let actors have much more vital careers for much longer than we do actresses.
sandra bullock, meryl streep, cate blanchett, kate winslett [oscar no. 2], marisa tomei, reese witherspoon-they were all older than their twenties, some considerably so. And that’s just off the top of my head. I understand your point, though. Probably half of the time, the women are quite young, I agree.
There IS a lot of sexism in Hollywood, but there is also sexism in consumers. I think that Hollywood needs to offer more TV shows/films that have more mature female characters, but the other side of that is that people need to go see it!
The stats on how women over 40 are represented in TV/Film are quite horrifying! The Geena Davis Institute does studies on this subject, and not only are women not seen in positions of respect, but they seriously aren’t seen at all the majority of the time!
I don’t agree, there is plenty of sexism but it is a great time for women in Hollywood. So much better than times past, you must be really naive.
Even if it wasn’t the case I wish she’d just say it was a medical necessity for her vision so everyone would back off. Other than that her face looks the same.
I know what you mean in the sense that it would have probably squashed things pretty quickly if she had said that. Yet I can’t help but feel that she shouldn’t have to lie.
Ultimately I wish people would just leave her alone.
Agree with both comments. I actually still believe it may have been medically necessary, at least to a point, but maybe she didn’t want to acknowledge it for some reason.
Either way, I can’t believe how big of a deal people are making of how ‘dramatic’ the change is, as I just don’t see it. I think she looks like she had her eyes done, probably because those ‘trademark’ squinty eyes of hers were getting droopy as she aged, and starting to affect her vision. Other than that, she looks like a lot of thin women do when they start to age… and they no longer have much fat in the face area. Also, not plucking the eyebrows is adding to the ‘dramatic change’.
She looks completely different and people noticed because they’re not blind. She should just be honest and tell people to get over it. I think it did her no favors but if it is what she wants, more power to her.
It’s more than just her eyes. Much more…..but damn good luck to her, if that’s what she wanted. I just wish she had’t lied about it. One can’t attribute a COMPLETELY new face to ‘happiness’, and expect to be taken seriously anymore. I’m really peeved off at her for bare faced lying (to her fans, to the public generally) like we’re a bunch of mindless idiots who will unquestioningly accept any ol’ BS that is thrown our way. It’s insulting. All she had to do was say…’yeah, so I had some work done (like everyone else in HW) – now PO…next!’
RZ now seems very similar to Meg Ryan.
Oh, relief. With the headline, I thought someone was insinuating that her parts dried up, and I couldn’t comprehend what was meant by that. I thought it had something to do with a Restasis-related-dry-eye-via-blepharitis-syndrome or something-diseasey-like.
Carry on, and Bramhall.
The mean squint comments always bugged me because that’s an ethnic, Saami thing…the underlying tone seemed to be ha ha her eyes aren’t normal (aka Anglo Saxon) and a bit racist
Yes many Norwegians and Scandinavians have those eyes.
My husband is Norwegian. He always looks like he’s up to something mishevious. I find the eyes sexy.
My father and all of his people are Swedes… And most of them have the same hooded eyes. It’s always been shocking to me that people would think they were ugly or strange.
How is it racist to describe someone as squinty eyed? She was, prior to the surgery, and I had no idea where she came from, I though it was Texas. I would never wish to stereo type or offend but please, she squinted in every movie she was in, it was a character trait not a judgement.
(No Plastic Surgery)
Society: OMG! she’s ugly. Look at her eyes. Hooded McSquinty. Ugh. She needs plastic surgery.
(plastic surgery)
Society: OMG! I can’t believe she did that. She didn’t look soo bad. She’s soo vain. We were just kidding.
Let’s leave her alone
Yup!!!
Yup, the same peple who were probably putting her squint down are now bitiching about her doing her eyes. It’s sad.
I feel bad for her, but she’ll be fine.
It’s not “society” – it’s just the tabloids and those who read them.
All of us who don’t do that are “society” too.
True…but it was conventional wisdom enough that in Me, Myself and Irene, there was line about her “squinty eyes” and “pursed mouth” that made her always look like she was “sucking on a lemon”.
She was pretty, she went under the knife and completely altered her appearance, and we’re not supposed to notice or comment? We need to pretend it’s okay? It’s not okay, it’s jacked up and so is her face.
When I read the headline, I took it to mean that parts of her face were drying up and it made sense to me. god I need it to be Friday.`
So relieved to read this. I thought the same.
I hate that Hollyweird has this effect on people.
Actually, if she had her eyes done – and I believe she did – it may well have not been about appearance. My partner is of Norwegian ancestry and his doctor referred him to a plastic surgeon for an eye lift (and trust me, this man cares a lot more about engines than he does about his facial features) because as people age and their skin sags, those with droopy eyelids are at risk for medical issues connected to that extra tissue. Having the surgery at this point is much less risky than when you get older. I’d lay any amount of money on that as the main reason she had the work done. My sweetie is very nervous about the procedure, but Renee’s having done it may help. (Although all the speculation about her appearance won’t, because he also is not a fan of attention….)
My husband is Norwegian he has the same eyes, but so far the fatty area above his eyes doesn’t bother him, but I can see how it may have been a medical issue too, forRenee,looking at her pictures in recent years. The press seems to be printing the one photo from ten years ago mostly.
Still its her choice , I wish the press would not go on about it. Renee seems like a nice lady, I feel bad for her.
I agree with this. I think she had it done for medical reasons and has mostly laid off the surgery otherwise. She abused Botox at the height of her fame, though.
An actor’s look is his or her brand. We complain when Leo gets fat; we complain when Brad grows a shaggy beard; we complain when fat actors like Kevin James or Jonah Hill get thin. The actor’s look represents something, and when that something changes beyond the extent of natural aging, the public objects. It’s like going to Chipotle’s and being served a McDonald’s hamburger.
Renee, Meg, Michael Jackson, Mickey Rourke, Kenny Rogers, Jennifer Grey…these people all had a brand, and they messed with it. They can either build up a new brand with their new look, or find a new line of work.
I also disagree that it’s a sexist requirement to have plastic surgery. Seen Tom Cruise recently? Actors who want to play younger than their years get fixed up. Others who are willing to do older roles – Dench, maybe? – can skip it.
Thank you, excellently explained. Or as I said, “you gotta dance with the face that brung ya.”
Well said. Mickey built a new brand and I hope Renee can, too.
+10000
I just don’t think Renee looks bad, she still looks like Renee to me.
I think in the in she’ll be fine.
I think there’s a overaction, I just don’t see such a big deal.
+1 ditto
If Renee was your 45 year old co-worker who just got a lid lift, you’d think she looks fan-freakin-tastic. Because her previous face is burned into our memories from films, this seems so shocking and she did get rid of her trademark feature, but I think she looks great.
Pretty much.
I still wanna slap so much balm on those lips, though…
I know! Lip balm costs $.99 – crazy.
I really wish that they would all just say she had her eyes done because of a medical condition. The last show she presented at I remember her wearing glasses and she was having problems reading the teleprompter. That to me says her eyelids were too heavy and were obscuring her vision. I really wish they leave her alone. I like her and feel bad that all her relationships seemed like such disasters. I think she is a really good actress and it’s a shame she wasn’t given more parts.
People would have bought it. Her eyelids did seem obstructive. I think that was the better PR maneuver. This is just a nightmare for her I’m sure.
I agree that her face is what made her wealthy and famous. Why mess with it regardless of whether those characteristics weren’t conventionally attractive. I asked a male friend about Renee today and he thought she was attractive before but looks awful now. Unfortunately, there is that disconnect with a lot of actresses who end up ruining what made them unique in the first place. Ironically, plastic surgery often make these women look worse. It’s so sad to see When Harry Met Sally and Meg Ryan’s face today. She would still have looked beautiful with some wrinkles. Now she just looks like a clown with those lips. It’s very disturbing to see what these women have done to their faces.
Everyone gets old and no one looks forward to ageing. Yes, ageing is worse for women, but none of us can prevent the inevitable from happening. Renee would have been better off actually being content with herself and living a healthy lifestyle while being choosier about her projects. As Kaiser said, she made some bad movies then completely dropped off the radar by choice. She is an Oscar-winning actress and was a household name after Bridget Jones. She could have done more Oscar worthy films, independent projects, Broadway, or television. Maybe she would not have been as in-demand as when she was younger, but she still could have gotten roles. Now it would be impossible to reprise her role as Bridget Jones and she’s lost all of the characteristics that made her uniquely Renee. She must feel even more awful about the fall out she is getting from her plastic surgery, but did she really think no one would notice?
I’m not so sure this has anything to do with work. There are actresses out there (Meryl, etc) who don’t get excessive work done; they just accept roles geared to older characters. I think something else is going on with Renee.
I’m nearly 50 and have NEVER felt more comfortable and confident in my skin, and never more in control of my life, career, money…. All that stupid shallow bullsh*t falls away as you age; it’s liberating. Aging isn’t “awful” for everybody… I’d even go as far as to say that most women, outside of Hollywood, have no problem with it. I’m loving it, seriously.
But then again…. I never was obsessive about my looks anyway. I’ve always been a pretty confident, self-aware woman.
I think misogynistically-inclined Hollywood draws insecure types, and then the insecurity gets racheted up. I think that’s what happens to alot of these actresses…. And then, predictably, they mutilate thier own faces like this. Truth is, she’s probably been putting her body through hell all along, starving herself or working out too much… She’s one of those hopelessly insecure women who look in a mirror and think, “What can I fix about myself today?”
The truth is we don’t know why she really did it and it doesn’t mean she’s riddled with insecurity.
All plastic surgery is not about insecurity.
I think she’s a pretty strong lady, to handle the shitstorm that followed. More power to her.
Many so called natural actors and actresses are having so much work done, we just don’t see the work, its better, it doesnt remove their trademark look.
I use to see them all the time leaving the plastic surgeons office in Beverly Hills, Stars who were /are supposedly Natural, coming out in bandages, walking or being wheeled out with an assistant.
Almost everyone in Hollywood of all ages, young and old has had some work done.
Isn’t there someone new this week in Hollywood to single out for doing what everyone else in Hollywood does?
She’s talented, she shouldn’t worry about roles drying up. She can always get work on tv. She’s well connected. I still think this is about people being mean at her squinty eyes. Also, she let herself go after the annulment of her marriage to Chesney. She really looked tired and bloated in that Christmas movie with Harry Connick, Jr. And i believe that movie and Case 39 didn’t do her any favors.
Poor Renee. And she was the lead in Chicago, and there was no third Bridget Jones installment. Whoever wrote this didn’t even do any research on her career. She’s had some wonderful parts, and is a very talented actress. I love her work.
Thank you! Came here to say the same. The US article is full of crap. There hasn’t been a third Bridget Jones movie so far (and I hope it stays that way). She has done some lovely films. I love “One true thing” so much – no fall or christmas season without it. I would also think that the first Bridget Jones movie was the height of her career – at least when it comes to recognition. She was everywhere after that movie.
Perhaps all of this attention will bring more scripts her way? She did seem to drop away by choice. Are the rumors true about another Bridget Jones sequel?
It seems there will be a third since the third book was released this year.No Colin Firth or Hugh Grant though–the latter just pulled out of the pre-production. I don’t think the script is done yet.
My only concern here is that she STOP. She still looks good. She doesn’t look like herself, but she doens’t look over-done. Let’s hope she isn’t addicted to plastic surgery and let’s hope she doesn’t end up looking like a deranged puppet.
I love her, I’m a fan, and it would be heartbreaking, and she’s killing me enough as it is.
I honestly think she looks the same just aged/her age. Like how you have to study a 60 year old and their photo as a 20 year old to see them in it.
2012-last year she looked like she was in her late 30s very early 40s. Now I want to say she looks good for 50, which she would,except she looks about 45 if I’m being generous…which is exactly her age.
So she used to look younger than her age and now she looks her age/5 years older. I wonder if the yoyo dieting for roles had anything to do with it. Didn’t Matt McConaughey and Christian Bale both do that? They both seemed to have hit a point where they aged rapidly to me.
“De-chipmonked”?? Seriously?? Is that a medical term??
I believe “De-chipmonked” is a Dendrology (The study of tree surgery and internet hoaxes) term. But it’s the slang version. The correct term is
Alvin-ectomy. It’s Latin. There is a much more dangerous procedure called a ChipNDale-bypass.
Hahahahahhaaa!! Very clever!!
@ Cleveland girl: Lakewood here! Go Cavs!……………………..
I think she just hit the wall most actresses hit as they age, where suddenly they are not seen as romantic leads anymore, and she freaked. Up to that point, she’d been in some really solid hits but also her share of dogs too. I hope she’ll be able to transition to character roles. Otherwise, it’ll yet another good actress lost to studio executives’ arbitrary game of Hot or Not.
Yes, it’s the eyes, but does anyone think maybe she’s been tanning excessively? It’s not just the color, it’s that her skin looks leathery compared to her former dewy porcelain complexion.
Whatever she did or didn’t have done, we all know she is dead on about age & women in H’wood. There aren’t many good parts for women after a certain age, and that needs to change.
Haha…I just read your comment quickly and saw there aren’t many good parts for a woman of a certain age..I was shaking my head in agreement……then realized you meant movie roles! I was in agreement that there aren’t many good body parts after a certain age….oh Lord I am getting old!
Her skin is very different. I mean, before she was incredibly white, that porcelain skin. Now her complexion is so different — more ruddy, more real looking, I think.
I think all the press, despite some thinking it negative, will actually bring her some work and IMO with a good makeup artist who can do eyes well, she can look more like her old self. A good cat eye, winged line above her eye will close it a bit and can give an illusion of a slant.
Nicole Kidman looks nothing like the original Nicole, the press needs to just stop with the Renee drama for awhile.
Hopefully she’ll be fine.
She was the one who was all ‘I’m over Hollywood’ so ..’ the hell now?
Rephrasing, it was her own choice so of course roles would be lesser and lesser and I won’t forget how AWFUL those bridget jones movies were (except the first one). But anyway I never called her names, I liked her old face with chipmunked cheeks, sami-norwegian eyes and all of that. Now she just looks desperate (and suddenly really old, I’m shocked).
Agree. It’s like she destroyed an aspect of herself that some of us had grown fond of. Her uniquely Norwegian face had character, and it’s gone forever. My ancestors come from the Baltics, just below Scandinavia, and they had that same narrow-eyed, almost Asian look. It pains me to see it completely removed from her face. It’s her choice to do what she wants with her body but for some of us, it goes beyond vanity and plastic surgery. It’s like erasing one’s ethnic heritage.
Yep and I don’t get why she would do that to her face.. just because of haters (’cause I don’t think she did it for the droppy eyelids). Haters gonna hate anyway, alas it’s even worse now. How does she look any different from whatever actress out there now? She doesn’t.
Famous actor are what they are not just because of their talent but for their look too, they have something unique that makes directors go ‘yep, she/he’ll be perfect for that role’ I think. And if you erase that.. well..
I used to be in media buying, specifically the movie commercials for the TV, The formula for most main stream movies were 18-25 adult, male audience. So, any movie that fits this formula “fast and furious- 6” is for the target demographic. Hence why, there are a lot of bad main stream movies out there. The hero’s love interest has to be within that same age as well. These are not Oscar type films at all. Unfortunately, even women in their early 30’s would be considered too “old” since *most* guys 18-25 would think a woman who’s 30 is too old. This is why many “older” actresses find more work in TV or foreign films. This is one way how an actress over 30 could still work, that’s assuming if you are a good actress. Otherwise, you’ll have to milk it for all it’s worth (Megan Fox), because that’s the formula, unfortunately.
Pretty sure the roles started drying up because she’s a bit ‘off’ a la Catherine Zeta Jones.
Wouldn’t she NOT have wrinkles around her eyes if she had work done? I’m wondering if maybe she used to get Botox and stopped which is why she looks different.
This is what I think. I think she let her real face happen (except for the eye procedure).
She looks like a totally different person. Almost like looking at Jennifer Grey’s face in Dirty Dancing and seeing it now. Jennifer never had a career after that surgery, except for Dancing With the Stars, lol. Anyway, Renee was always known and recognized by those squinty eyes. For her to deny anything makes her sound foolish. Guess Courteney Cox would deny botox as well. Wish Jack Nicholson was here to tell them they just can’t handle the truth..
Women aren’t really valued after 35 so I’m not surprised by her insecurity. Besides Meryl & Angelina no one is really a commodity in Hwood. We have a 49 year old Iron Man, 46 year old Hulk, Johnny Depp is 51, Brad Pitt is 50 & they are considered one of the top leading men. All the James Bond guys are in their 40s to 50s but I can’t think of one superhero or non “mommy” roles for women over 40.
Meryl Streep is in her 60’s and Jolie Pitt is like 39 or 40…I don’t see how those two got connected?!
Meryl & Angelina are the only two powerful/valued women in Hollywood (over the age of 35).
Oh okay sarah, I’ll agree on half of your opinion!
Let’s not forget that Dame Helen Mirren is in her 60’s and has not trouble getting roles.
It is tougher for women but Naomi Watts, Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey, Sandra Bullock, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith still get good roles, most 20-30 year old actresses would love to have instead of always playing unsung girlfriend/wive roles. Olivia Wilde is young and incredibly beautiful but has struggled to any decent roles, same for Rosamund Pike before Gone Girl.
Renee has never denied having plastic surgery.
She looks different and better.
It isn’t only that she looks so different with the eyelid surgery, it is also the lack of a professional makeup job to bring out her new eyes. If she had a pro do her makeup, she needs to fire that pro and find someone else. She looks like she did her own makeup and it isn’t helping her.
It’s still incredibly sad to look at her face.
Marilyn Monroe is another actress of Norwegian descent , Renee’s eyes before surgery,somewhat reminded me of Marilyn’s eyes sometimes. Very sultry eyes.
She had hooded eyes which made her very attractive when she was younger, but they do droop as you age. I have them and I’m 43. I have a slight bit of drooping in the outer corners but so far it looks fine and doesn’t interfere with my vision. Renee’s (and Kenny Rogers’) lid job shows how drastically different you can look if the surgeon removes the hooding, rather than just doing something to remove the excess or tighten a little. Maybe Renee’s were too heavy over the eye and were causing problems. Jennifer Lawrence has heavily hooded eyes as well, it will be interesting to see how she looks/what she does in 20 years or so. So does Catherine Zeta Jones, Gisele, Beyonce, Doutzen Kroes, Adriana Lima, all kinds of beauties. I used to feel this was an inferior eye shape because makeup artists never knew what to do with my eye makeup, but I see I’m in good company!
About “She doesn’t know why she isn’t getting the roles she used to”. The thing is with all those actors is that they think it will last forever. Some got lucky and become superfamous, kings of Hollywood and then in 5-10 years it’s suddenly going away. And they wonder why.
It’s because there are too many actors these days. And everyone wants to be famous. And there are not that many major roles to satisfy every actor needs. So young ones just replace those who get older. Rene too replaced aging actresses before her. Then she got replaced. Willis, Stallone got replaced by Channin Tatums and Chris Hemsworths alike. In few years Channing and Chris will be replaced by younger ones. This how it goes. Not many can be like Clooney, Pitt, Streep.
I will say only this: Renee had dramatically hooded eyes (“squinty” as some call it). As one enters into their 40’s and skin starts losing it’s elasticity, those hooded eyes begin to droop and in many cases (such as my mother and sister) begin to impede on one’s eyesight. The only solution to this is eyelift surgery, where they essentially cut out the drooping, de-elasticized skin that has started hanging down over the outer corners of the eyes. This is NOT cosmetic surgery, but medically necessary surgery covered by insurance (unlike elective plastic surgery).
As to less plumpness to her face, part of that is the fact that she has lost a LOT of weight since her Bridget days (in fact, she became scary/sinewy skinny) and part of it is middle age.
^^This. I worked for a plastic surgeon years ago, and while there are many who have this procedure done for cosmetic reasons, there are also times when it is medically necessary. Yes, in order for insurance to pay, usually vision would need to be impaired a fair amount (different insurance companies, different rules), but that doesn’t mean that someone who can afford to pay out of pocket would have to wait for things to become severe. I believe that Renee had this surgery because her lids were becoming droopy with age, and interfering with her vision.
The coverage over this seems so excessive. I see nothing even remotely ‘dramatic’ in what she has had done. Her results are lovely. Who cares if her ‘trademark’ squinty eyes are gone… What about her vision?? What would people say if she still had her squinty/hooded eyes… and it was leaked that she had lost 30% of her vision in each eye, but refused to have eye surgery because it would change her ‘signature look’? I think most would accuse her of being ridiculous… right? If you are losing your vision, and it can be corrected by a very common surgical procedure, yet you refuse to sacrifice your signature squinty eyes?? She would be hammered for that just as much as she is being hammered now for having her freaking eyes done!!
Oh, and I also agree that the thinner face is simply a combination of aging and being very thin.
She looks beautiful and she does seem to have happiness. Everyone be quiet.
Is it wrong to say that while yes it’s obvious that she’s had work done I think the results are beautiful?
Eh. Almost every actress AND actor in Hollywood has had SOMETHING done, it’s just that some have more subtle surgeons than others. All it takes is a side by side before and after pic of any one of them to really see how drastic the changes are.
I fell in love with Renee’s work in Cold Mountain-Ruby Thews!-so maybe that’s made me a little soft this time…I just love her 🙂
Sure. So if Naomi Watts and Robin Wright are unavailable, they’ll call this version of Renee Zellweger.
I like Renee, but she seems to be the kind of lady who gives in to her man, the opinions of the world, and whatever else comes floating her way. Granted, their professional is an odd one where you have to pay attention to the public’s response, but she went too far with this one. She could have gotten a slight lift if it was just a medical thing but not, this drastic move makes her look way older. Plus she seems to be loving the sun a bit too much.
I’m really disappointed she changed her porcelain skin tone. She was one of the few actresses I could relate to because she was very pale and didn’t tan.
This is just like Jennifer Gray. Renee may have been teased about her squinty eyes, but it was what made her unique and memorable. Take that away and she’s just another 40 something attractive woman. Which are plentiful in Hollywood.