Renée Zellweger Not Sleeping During Promotional Film Tour Is A Problem Hollywood Needs To Fix

People of a certain age remember when Renee Zellweger graced the big screen in Jerry Mcguire in 1996. It was a break role for the native Texan.

Later, we would see Renee star alongside should be Oscar winner Meryl Streep in One True Thing. She also starred as Jim Carey's love interest in Me, Myself, & Irene. Then, she showed herself as a triple threat in Chicago, featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah in the film adaptation of Chicago.

Later, Zellweger would star in Cold Mountain with Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. She's one of the few actresses to have won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress.

Renée Zellweger Hardly Slept During The Tour For Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Zellweger stunned us with her transformation in the true-crime series, The Thing about Pam. However, this is not the first time Renee endured a physical change in a role. Who can forget the romantic comedy hit Bridget Jones' Diary? Zellweger earned $10 million for each of the parts above. That's a hefty price tag; however, does it warrant the grueling schedules imposed by the studio to promote their films? Renee Zellweger barely slept while doing press for Bridget Jones's Diary.

Renee Zellweger sat down with Vogue magazine to explain she has to promote the film in ten countries in ten days. She sat down with Vogue magazine after two hours of sleep. She had done a late-night talk show the night prior.

Bridget Jones's Diary was released in the early 2000s. Sadly, the regard for people's health and safety in Hollywood has not improved by the leaps and bounds it should have.

Some actors revel in their demanding work ethics. This is true. Fans wonder if Dwayne The Rock Johnson gets any sleep with his insane schedule. Dwayne Johnson working crazy hours is almost a part of his brand. Sometimes actors get injured trying to perform their action sequences, like Henry Cavill on the set of The Witcher, which is not so unique. Some actors insist on doing some lines themselves. Keanu Reeves does all his actions, such as fighting, shooting, and driving. However, the professional stunts are left to professional stunt performers. How can anyone forget that Tom Cruise demands that he do all his stunts?

While some actors do not mind doing intense work while filming a TV show or a movie, it is not the same as Renee Zellweger's situation. Those actors want to do all those demanding things for their respective projects.

Zellweger suffered sleep deprivation to do press junkets.

Some laws prevent employers from scheduling employees to work shifts that do not allow them adequate time to sleep. So why is it that Hollywood studios are not required to adhere to these standards? Or are they?

Unfortunately, when filmmakers and producers ignore safety protocols, the well-being and health of the cast and crew suffer. The horrific train accident involving camera assistant Sarah Jones highlighted the urgent necessity to address the safety issue on movie sets in Hollywood.

On February 20, 2014, Sarah Jones was killed because the crew was expected to be faster than a locomotive. The senior editor at Variety reported that the team was told that a train could come barreling through the area of the set where they would work. Then, after they heard a whistle, they would have one minute to get clear—one minute. Navy SEALs get more time.

The train arrived earlier than the crew expected. It is unimaginable that people could be so casual, so blasé about a train.

Crew and Cast Often Work Sleep Deprived

Riverdale actor KJ Apa crashed into a lamp post after a long day of shooting. The actor accepted responsibility for the accident. He claimed that he knew he should have pulled over instead of trying to fight drowsiness. However, despite the accident, there were no changes in the shooting schedule or labor practices on the set.

So it begs the question, are the cast and crew expected to sleep on the side of roads and highways? In their cars? On the set? If the cast and crew take responsibility, will the studios accept none?

KJ thanked God that he was able to walk away unscathed. The showrunners and producers were naturally concerned about the actor's safety. KJ was told to tell someone when he was tired or exhausted. While speaking with Deadline, KJ added that the crew works much longer than the actors.

Can the crew conduct their roles safely? What about their opportunities to rest? Two actors from the Netflix show The Chosen One died in a car accident. Unfortunately, Ray Garduño and Juan Francisco González passed away on June 16. A few others were injured. There were complaints of tired drivers. The actors could not get housing near the set and had to commute for over two hours.

Maze Runner actor Dylan O'Brien also suffered a motorcycle accident while on set. He had significant injuries and a concussion. To this day, the actor does bear intense anxiety whenever he must perform a stunt or wear a rig on a set.

Set Safety Is An Ongoing Crisis

Safety on movie sets is an ongoing issue in Hollywood. The safety conversation can not be concluded without mentioning the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Alec Baldwin was holding the gun. However, he rejects any form of responsibility. Instead, Baldwin argues that it was someone else's responsibility to ensure the gun was not loaded with live ammunition.

While Mr. Baldwin may not hold any responsibility as an actor, he is an executive producer. As a result, no armorer, a professional weapon expert, to inspect the gun. That, at some point, was an executive decision.

Each passing and injury mentioned in this article was preventable and unnecessary, amplifying the tragedy.