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Bridget Jones gets Statue in London's Leicester Square! Report by Mccallumj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00They called and mentioned a statue and I thought, oh, this one's going to be full Bridget.
00:05I love her because she's me.
00:06Bless you, my child.
00:08You are Bridget Jones.
00:09For the read-through, she had two duty-free tabloids, one in each hand.
00:12In the immortal words of Bridget Jones' Daniel Cleaver, shut up please, we are very busy
00:32and important.
00:33Welcome everyone, not quite to the erection of Bridget Jones' statue, though that's what
00:39it should be, to the unveiling of Bridget Jones' statue.
00:42I am so here for this.
00:44It honours the beautiful, the lovely, the incomparable and the here, Renee Zellweger.
00:52I'm Sally Phillips and I'm the other blonde one in the film series, the one who isn't Bridget.
00:58I'm the one who doesn't get to kiss Hugh Grant or Colin Firth or Leo Woodall.
01:05Bridget Jones is a cultural supernova.
01:08Elizabeth Bennet on a bender, swearing like a sailor and sleeping with her boss.
01:13Bridget Jones is a character who turns imperfections into beautiful things.
01:20Now, there would be, of course, no Bridget Jones without the marvellous Helen Fielding.
01:27Also here today, Bridget first burst into our lives in her anonymous independent columns.
01:34Before going mainstream in her era-defining novel, Bridget Jones' Diary, the rights to which were
01:41quickly snapped up by working title.
01:44Renee was cast and in 2001, Bridget hit the big time as a blockbuster working title film directed
01:53by Helen's great friend, Sharon Maguire, also here today.
01:59The film was a smash.
02:01Well done, folks.
02:03The world learned to speak Bridget.
02:06Smug marriage and fuck with tage passed into the vernacular.
02:10A global audience fell for Renee's Bridget.
02:13Her charm, heart and incredible comic timing, making her so much more than a love-lorn klutz with a bottle of Chardonnay.
02:21Renee's Bridget is perfectly imperfect, always sincere but never sentimental, kind without
02:30being saccharine, and so brave and so stupid all at once.
02:36She is such a hopeful character and we all wanted to believe that even though we too might
02:42not be able to ski or ride or speak Latin, and even though our legs as well may only just
02:48come up to here, and we too might always be just a little bit fat, none of that matters
02:54to Colin Firth.
02:57All the Bridget films are full of love.
03:01My briefing document says Bridget can't catch a break when it comes to love, but I beg to
03:05differ.
03:06I think Bridget had an embarrassment of riches in the romance department.
03:11And lucky, lucky you, two of her beau are here today.
03:15Leo and Chewy.
03:17The film franchise produced by Working Title Films has continued to break convention and
03:23set box office milestones, with the franchise earning a gobsmacking $900 million worldwide.
03:30With this year's hit Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy, bringing Bridget's story full circle,
03:35this new statue is a fitting toast to a true British cultural icon.
03:40And timing is everything, 2026 marks 25 years since the release of the first film.
03:46So may this statue remind everyone who walks through Leicester Square that sure it's okay
03:52to be single.
03:53It's okay to still believe in love, it's okay to accidentally describe yourself as a wanton
03:58sex goddess to your mum, and it is definitely okay to hold out for someone who loves you just
04:05the way you are.
04:07So I thought it would be fitting if we all together declared a Bridget vow before we went
04:17on to unveil the statue, so will you repeat after me?
04:21I will not fall for any of the following, alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics,
04:34people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomaniacs, showbists, emotional fuckwits,
04:47preloaders, preloaders, preloaders, preloaders, or perverts, or perverts, or perverts.
04:52And with the vow, with the vow complete, would you join me in doing a countdown from 10, starting
04:59starting now, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
05:12I can't hear from you.
05:13I can't hear from you.
05:15Okay.
05:16I can't hear from you.
05:17Woo!
05:17Yay!
05:47Just fall, just fall, and just fill with it while I thought, I thought it was good things.
05:57I could go back to the old place, and write your name on every night, baby.
06:04But it's a story now, just a story now.
06:08Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies.
06:15And she's been part of your life for 25 years now. How does it feel?
06:19Lucky. Really, really lucky, yeah.
06:22It's a good statue. How do you feel looking at the statue?
06:25Do you recognize yourself, or is it a bit weird?
06:27She's really cute. I mean, yeah, it's weird, but it's really cute.
06:31It's not something you, you know, expect to happen in your life.
06:35You said earlier you expect to be dead before there's a statue, isn't it?
06:39So it's great. I always think it's a good idea to wait for that,
06:42because it could all go wrong between now and then, you know what I mean.
06:46When I look at statues, I always think,
06:48there but for the grace of God go I, you know,
06:50like those jobs where you have to pretend to be a statue.
06:54So, why do you think Bridget, people love Bridget so much?
06:58And we have our ideas, but what's your idea?
07:00I think it's her relatability, isn't it?
07:03It's sort of like her imperfection.
07:06It's sort of the just permission to be our authentic selves as well, you know?
07:10Helen has had some magic in here
07:13and imbued this character with our imperfect humanness
07:17and its commonality across cultures and generations, you know?
07:22She's like a friend. She's sort of a, yeah, she sort of reflects our humanity, you know?
07:27And I would say that Brune has sucked poo poo
07:31and that's what made the party really welcome me, it really helps.
07:35It's true darling to me.
07:38Anyway, thank you so much for being here.
07:40Thank you all for being here.
07:42I hope you agree it's a very happy occasion.
07:44Welcome to Left 2 Square, Bridget Jones!
08:13I hope you enjoyed this video.
08:16Bye!
08:19Bye!
08:21Bye!
08:53Hello, how are you? Nice to see you. You look absolutely gorgeous. I love the far as well. And your hair, you're just amazing. You're keeping warm. What a day this is. Could you ever have imagined in your wildest dreams?
09:23No, I was a sort of broke journalist just trying to sort of pay the rent and write a column as an imaginary person. So to be here three decades later and have a statue near Paddington Bear is a wonderful thing to happen to any writer or journalist.
09:43It's actually making me feel really emotional because I love Bridget. I feel like I am Bridget. We all adore her. So it feels fitting that people can now come and see her because she's a cultural icon, isn't she?
09:53I wonder if they will come and just have a little moment with her and sort of rub her tummy or something. I think that would be very sweet because I do find people often come up to me like in signings.
10:04And they want to tell me their Bridget Jones moment, which means she meant something to them at some moment in their life. And I always feel like they want me to give them some kind of blessing.
10:16Like I'm the Pope and say, bless you, my child. You are Bridget Jones. So now this figure can do it for me.
10:24Can you bless me? That's exactly what I want.
10:25Bless you, my child. You are Bridget Jones. I don't know what you've done, but from the look on your face.
10:31Well, we won't tell you. We, you and Renee are going to go for a cocktail after this and we'll spill all.
10:35But listen, you know, as a writer, how special does it feel knowing that this character has captured people's hearts throughout the generations as well?
10:45It feels, I don't know, I just think it's, it speaks for being authentic.
10:51You know, we live in an age which is not authentic, which is full of filters and people pretending their lives are one way and then sobbing in their pyjamas.
11:03And so the fact that that emotional honesty has lasted for so long is really important, I think.
11:12And I think if it, you know, with the Gen Zs, like my daughter's generation are that age, the fact that she comforts them and they feel it's okay just to be all right, just to be a person, I think is huge.
11:26I'm going to cry, honestly. This is so emotional. I love it.
11:29Darling, you can't cry because of your makeup.
11:31I know, exactly.
11:32You're ruining it.
11:33We can't do it, we can't do it.
11:34It's been like Alice Cooper eyes.
11:36And it's not waterproof, so we can't.
11:37Listen, thank you for everything. Thank you for this character.
11:40And I'll see you, you and Renee, when we go for a cocktail later, right?
11:43Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:44Okay.
11:44Thank you for blessing me.
11:46Lots of love.
11:49Oh, take your time.
11:50I'm getting, I'm getting...
11:51Are you getting emotional?
11:51Michael, this is getting me emotional.
11:53I love this.
11:54Because we just love her, don't we?
11:56Yeah, we do. I do.
11:57Why do we love her so much?
11:58Well, I'm going to definitely want to turn that question around to you, but I won't.
12:01I'll answer, and you can nod if you agree.
12:04I feel like I love her because she's me.
12:07I love her because I spent my life, I love movies, spent my whole life in Leicester Square.
12:11But most movies give us people who are impossibly handsome, impossibly beautiful, clever, slick, witty, rich.
12:19That's what Hollywood has often thought of as the hero.
12:23And Bridget came along, and she's an underdog, and she's just like me.
12:27And if it's possible for her to fall down, she's going to fall down.
12:30But it's just watching her kind of actually find happiness that makes me lean in.
12:35So, yeah, I think it's something to do with that.
12:37I agree. I'm nodding.
12:38Okay, nodding, nodding.
12:38Yeah, I very much agree.
12:41How special has it been for you getting to be a part of Bridget's journey?
12:44It's a lifetime's honor, really, because, as I said, I grew up with her.
12:49I remember being exactly in the same position of my life as she was when she started out,
12:56making all the same kind of mistakes, stumbling everywhere I could.
12:59And to now be here, holding her hand, as it were, and leading her through this part of her life has been a real honor.
13:05How excited do you feel that people are going to come and visit her now?
13:08I hope they do.
13:10They've got to sort of leave things by, like, cigarettes and, you know, just like as a tribute.
13:15Some blue soup on the side.
13:16A little blue soup would be good, yeah.
13:18Well, listen, thank you so much.
13:19I'm having a wee emotional moment here.
13:20This is Chris Cricks.
13:21I don't want to be happy at your emotion, but I'm glad you're feeling something.
13:25Try harder.
13:26It's lovely to see you again.
13:27Thank you so much.
13:28You too.
13:30Hi, Con.
13:30How are you?
13:31Hi there.
13:32You were so great.
13:33Thank you very much.
13:34I was so Bridget.
13:35It was so Bridget.
13:36You're so funny.
13:38Oh, thank you.
13:38Please, can we just have you on everything?
13:40Because you're so funny.
13:41Thank you very much.
13:42I love it.
13:42This is so exciting.
13:44Could you have imagined all those years ago when you started out on this journey that Bridget would become a statue?
13:48No, I know.
13:50It's amazing, isn't it?
13:52What do you think people are going to do on a night out with Bridget?
13:54I mean, are you going to turn up and have a bottle of Chardonnay at Bridget's feet?
14:01I hope they do.
14:02I feel like that would be fitting.
14:02Maybe some blue cocktails.
14:04The last movie had blue cocktails.
14:06Maybe some old blue curacao.
14:09You're iconic in Bridget, and you're also iconic just in general.
14:12How special has it been for you getting to be a part of her life and journey?
14:16I just, I mean, I feel so lucky.
14:18I mean, Renee was saying she felt lucky, but I think she made it, didn't she?
14:22She brought the sort of charm and the love.
14:26I hope so.
14:28Yeah, she's just a genuinely joyous person to be around.
14:31The combined world of Renee and Renee Sharon and Helen has just been a really lovely place to hang out.
14:40I mean, everybody loves each other.
14:41Things go wrong.
14:42They're witty.
14:44They say witty things to each other and make each other laugh.
14:47And also, they're really quite wealthy.
14:49And that's what I wanted to do.
14:50You hang out in nice places.
14:53We were in the Tate Modern restaurant before it opened.
14:58And, you know, we go to these amazing places, amazing locations.
15:01Thank you very much.
15:02And, yeah, it's a great, the film's a great advert for London, I think.
15:06Absolutely.
15:06I need an invite to these little cocktail soirees and all that.
15:10Just finally then, what's this about you meeting Renee for the first time and she was eating two Toblerones?
15:14Because I love that.
15:16Yeah.
15:17Yeah, she was sat for the read-through.
15:19She had two duty-free Toblerones, one in each hand.
15:22That is so British.
15:23I love her.
15:24Yeah, and she also, you know, was spotted on the second one with large boxes of Dunkin' Donuts.
15:31So, yeah, she did it.
15:34She committed.
15:34Yeah, she committed.
15:35She committed.
15:36She left Hollywood far, far, far behind and came and ate British for a bit.
15:41I love it all.
15:41And we loved her for it.
15:42Yeah, and we love you.
15:44Thank you so much, honestly.
15:45You were so funny.
15:46Oh, thank you.
15:47Thanks so much.
15:47What's a love?
15:48Hi, Renee.
15:49Hi, guys.
15:49How are you?
15:49Nice to see you again.
15:51Nice to see you.
15:51Thank you so much.
15:52I remember seeing you at the premiere and I thought, you look amazing.
15:54You have the best accent.
15:55I love your accent.
15:56I love you.
15:57Oh, thanks so much.
15:58I just love everything about you.
15:59You're just kind.
16:00Thanks so much.
16:01And I love Bridget.
16:03Me too.
16:03I feel like I am Bridget.
16:04Yeah, yeah, all the time.
16:05I relate to her so much.
16:06Especially right now, right?
16:08They called and mentioned a statue and I thought, oh, this one's going to be full Bridget.
16:13And yeah, it was.
16:15There were moments.
16:15I'll share them with you later.
16:17Yeah, absolutely.
16:18We'll go for a little cocktail after this.
16:19We'll go.
16:19We'll have a little natter.
16:20Yeah, yeah.
16:21But listen, she's just amazing.
16:23What do you love most about Bridget?
16:25I just love her, like, her optimism, you know, her vulnerability and that she sort of makes
16:33fun of her own insecurities, but she just never gives up.
16:37She makes us feel like we can do anything, you know?
16:40I just, yeah, like you.
16:42I just love her.
16:42I love her.
16:43And how special has it been knowing that you've been able to grow with her through all
16:46our chapters as well?
16:48Just such an unusual experience, right?
16:50A dream come true creatively and how lucky to work with my friends for 25 years and to
16:57get to sort of share the affinity for this character with people everywhere for 25 years.
17:04It's just what a blessing, man.
17:05What has Plain Heart taught you?
17:07What has Bridget taught you?
17:09Um, well, a lot of things.
17:12Um, a lot of things.
17:15I was just going down the list of things that I should share with you and that I shouldn't.
17:18It's just us, there's no one else, so let's send the cameras out in here.
17:22It's just me here.
17:22Well, as, right, so as it's just the two of us, um, I'll tell you the 1% of the things
17:27that I can tell you.
17:28Um, you know, again, like everybody, it's okay to be just who you are.
17:34Just, and, you know, it's okay.
17:37Um, and that we're perfect the way we are, right?
17:40It's somebody else's job to be that other person, you know?
17:43We, we have what we need and we should embrace it and celebrate it, you know?
17:47I feel like I'm going to cry.
17:48It's so lovely to meet you.
17:49Thank you so much.
17:50You too.
17:50I absolutely adore you and I love Bridget.
17:51Oh, that's good on me.
17:52Thank you for everything.
17:53Nice to see you.
17:54You as well.
17:55See you again.
17:55I'll see you for cocktail soon.
17:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:57For the other, yeah.
17:58The next part.
17:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:00Right here.
18:00To a radio show.
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