Renee Zellweger had her big screen break in 1996 when she played the openhearted single mom, Dorothy Boyd, in Jerry Maguire. Zellweger’s balance of warmth, spunkiness and an unselfconscious kind of beauty made for one of the most unforgettable performances of the year. Zellweger’s latest film appearances include the romantic comedy, The Bachelor, where she played Chris O’Donnell’s wayward love and Me, Myself and Irene, a Farrely brothers comedic farce in which she plays a quirky golf course superintendent opposite her now boyfriend, actor Jim Carrey. In September 2000 she’ll hit the big screen once again in Nurse Betty where she will share the screen with Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear.
On screen and off, the small-town innocence she’s carried with her from a childhood in Katy, Texas still radiates from her even when she’s knocking around the house in jeans or hanging out with her golden retriever/collie mix, Dylan. In fact, this fall, Dylan will share the screen with her owner in Nurse Betty. Zellweger plays another kind-hearted woman navigating difficult emotional terrain and Dylan will play a seeing-eye dog. “His job will be to not bark in the middle of the scene,” says Zellweger.
“Betty’s a small-town waitress dsin a bad marriage who suffers a psychological breakdown and picks up and heads off to California to pursue a soap opera hero,” she says. “She has dreams of what life should be and she doesn’t let go of that.” Zellweger was the perfect choice for this kind of role according to Gary Sinyor, who directed her in The Bachelor, due out in November. “She carries around a huge empathy for humankind and she can put herself in someone else’s shoes and feel the highs and lows.”
Casting Dylan was an obvious choice for Nurse Betty director, Neil LaBute. Zellweger always keeps the 11-year-old mix by her side, even when she’s on the set. She will often drive to locations so that Dylan can ride with her. Of course, Zellweger knows every hotel that caters to pets, like the Four Seasons, and the ones that don’t, like the St. Regis. It’s no wonder that friends of the actress sometimes call her “dog woman”. What else can you call a woman who has an endless list of nicknames for her dog including Wolfer, Beefer and Wolfro?
“Unless you really love dogs, like I do, this sounds goofy,” Zellweger admits, “but we grew up together. She has been on sets with me since she was born. When I started, she started. She understands film etiquette.” Dylan won her master’s heart when Zellweger was still a college freshman in Texas looking to get a pet cat. At the Austin Animal Shelter, Dylan emerged from a pack of frolicking kitties and puppies and rested her muzzle on Zellweger’s foot. “I looked down at her and of course she was the most gorgeous creature of all time and I said ‘No dogs. Too much responsibility and too much time.’ Then she followed me and sat on my foot again,” Zellweger remembers. “She is truly the greatest gift in my life. She knows whdsen you are sick, and when you are sad, and she knows when you are busy being upset about things and she needs to give you your space.” She even chose her own name: for a few weeks when she was still a puppy, her favorite sleeping spit was on a Rolling Stone magazine cover of Bob Dylan.
Yet, for all her love, Dylan is not a Hollywood diva. Costumes, bows, and dog coats are out of the question. So are professional dog groomers. “She’s way too proud for any of that,” says Zellweger. Dylan is also on a proper diet – which means table snacks and treats are kept to a minimum, and exercise is plentiful, whether on location or at home. Before the park across from the Beverly Hills Hotel was renovated, Zellweger often allowed Dylan to swim in the old rainwater-filled fountain.
The Bachelor director Gary Sinyor recalls that, “Dylan turned up at my first meeting with Renee. They are immensely close, and the dog is omnipresent. I believe it’s like having your best friend there,” he says. “We loved Dylan and anything that makes the process of making a movie go by more easily or helps the actors relax is welcome.” Sinyor was so entranced by the effect Dylan’s presence had on his star actress that he waited until the last day of filming to reveal a key fact: that he is allergic to dogs.
So for now, Renee and Dylan will relax at home for a while, paw through a few scripts and decide what their next project will be. Whatever it is, “if it doesn’t fit in with my life, and the person I’m trying to be, then I’m not interested,” says Zellweger. Directors take note: that means room for two, one with fur.
By David Thigpen