Renée Zellweger Shares Why She Loved Turning 50

renee zellweger — (Image credit: JC Olivera/Getty)

Renée Zellweger is embracing all that her 50s have to offer—but that doesn’t mean she's on board with the “anti-aging” skincare products marketed to her demographic. “You’ve got to survive a lot to get to my age and I’ve earned my power and voice,” The Thing About Pam actress, 53, said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “As long as we buy into the whole idea that society is obsessed with youth, then we perpetuate it.”

The Bridget Jones’ Diary star explained why she has a problem with all the "anti-aging" products and promises put forward by beauty companies. “All those ads telling us we don’t need to look our real age if we just buy all their creams and their fixes and all that garbage they want to sell us? I’m like, what, you’re saying I’m not valuable any more because I’m 53? Is that what you're saying? There’s a big difference between being your absolute best, most vibrant self and wanting to be what you're not,” the actress explained in the interview. “To be vibrant and beautiful you must embrace your age, otherwise you are living apologetically and to me that’s not beautiful at all.”

It's a motto that she preaches—and practices. The actress added that she looked forward to her 50th birthday circa 2019. “It felt like a whole new beginning without the nonsense, the point where you can stop listening to all those voices in your head and all those expectations and projections people have of you and become more authentically yourself," she added.

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The new decade has been busy for Zellweger. She starred in The Thing About Pam, an American crime drama documenting the involvement of Pam Hupp in the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. The actress also started dating Ant Antstead shortly after meeting the HGTV personality in June 2021.

“There’s so much respect between them,” a source told People Magazine about the pair. And with seven years left in her 50s, we can't wait to see what's to come for Zellweger.

Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.