Bridget Jones: how to turn a female character into half a billion dollars

Helen Fielding’s comic creation won women over by oversharing and messing up and despite her advancing years, Hollywood can’t let Bridget Jones grow up

If you’ve ever wondered how to make half a billion dollars out of a woman, then this is how it works.

First, take a book that gives life and shape to something millions of young women felt but couldn’t quite put into words. Second, turn it into a film whose lead actress will be asked over and over again about her weight for a decade, thus neatly illustrating why your lead character counts calories obsessively. Third, dull the genuinely acerbic edge of the novels, and defy all attempts to make this female Peter Pan grow up.

Related: Bridget Jones doesn’t need to be a perfect feminist | Laura Snapes

Related: Renée Zellweger: there is so much more to her than Bridget Jones | Observer profile

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