Hugh Grant says he believed Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones was a “ stretch ”

The British actor played Daniel Cleaver in the franchise he started with Bridget Jones’ Diary In 2000.

At the time of Zellweger’s choice, many questioned whether the American should play the role of British character Helen Fielding.

Grant admits that at first he felt the same thing, saying in a new documentary, “There was a whole scandal about why this British actress wasn’t?

“I didn’t know Renee Zellweger, someone from Texas playing a British character, it looked like a stretch.”

He eventually won her performance in a comedy that grossed $ 281.9 million (£ 209.8 million) worldwide.

Grant says her first attempt was “good,” but she looked like Princess Margaret, which he described as “amazing.”

He continued: “She was kind of told, well, I thought it would be better to lighten it up a little.”

“Then I went in and Princess Margaret had a stroke. But after a week, it started.”

Grant was talking about a new documentary Being Bridget JonesAvailable to broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

Both actors returned for a sequel, The edge of the mind, In 2004, with Zellweger reprising the role in 2016 Bridget Jones’s child.