Renée Zellweger is one of the most versatile actresses in Hollywood and she proved exactly how time-consuming it is to undergo makeovers for her acting projects.
When NBC released its trailer for The Thing About Pam, many fans were shocked by Zellweger’s transformation for her role as the convicted murderer, Pam Hupp. During the series’ red carpet, Zellweger discussed with Daily Pop how she had her makeover.
She shared, “We started at about four [hours] and we whittled it down to around two. They have a mind of their own, you know? If everybody cooperates —the cheeks are feeling like playing nice, the nose, and everything. But yeah, it took about a couple of hours.”
For her role, the two-time Academy Winner wore a bodysuit, classic bob wig, and prosthetics. Zellweger reflected on her transformation saying it was “thrilling”.
She explained, “I had never done that before. It was kinda fun to learn about it. I didn’t know that trying to tell a story and act with the prosthetics on is a whole different thing. I didn’t know it was a skill that I didn’t have!”
Aside from portraying a challenging character, the Bridget Jones star jokingly said that she was able to check things off her to-do list. She said, “It was really useful for getting your Christmas shopping done on time. You can call your mom. You get a lot done in that chair!”
The Thing About Pam tells the true story of Hupp who murdered Louis Gumpenberger in 2016 and was also the main suspect in the murder of Betsy Faria in 2011. She’s presently serving a life sentence.
According to Zellweger, the story also honors the legacy of Pam’s victims and their families. She explained, “That was something we wanted to be really mindful of while we were telling this story. We wanted to honor Betsy’s memory.”
In 2019, Hupp got into an Aford guilty plea for Gumpenberger’s murder. It made her avoid the death penalty without admitting she was guilty of the murder. NBC News reported that Hupp maintained being innocent regarding Faria’s murder.
Watch Zellweger and her co-stars Judy Greer, Josh Duhamel, and Glenn Fleshler, on The Thing About Pam as it premiered on Tuesday, March 8 at 10 p.m. on NBC. It’s also available for streaming on Peacock the following day.
