One is the quintessential English children's author, adored by youngsters for her quaint tales of talking animals - the other a rich, successful, glamorous Hollywood star. Superficially at least, there's little to link actress Renee Zellweger with Beatrix Potter, Peter Rabbit's creator. But the 37-year old star admits there was an instant bond when she was asked to play the world-famous children's writer in the new film Miss Potter. For a start there's the question of privacy. During Beatrix Potter's hugely successful writing career - her books are still selling in their thousands - she refused to give any interviews. Oscar-winning actress Renee admits she wishes she too could avoid the limelight, in particular the paparazzi. 'I try to treat them like they're merely furniture," she says of the photographers who follow her daily. 'But it's very hard when they pop up out of nowhere and start flashing those cameras in front of your face - about six inches in front of you. 'That's why I was so fascinated by Beatrix. She was so determined to maintain the integrity of her private life. The more I read and the more information I was given, the more uncertain I became about who she really might have been,' continues Renee. 'She talked in her diaries about privacy and not wanting to be known. There is also no known record of her speaking voice because she always refused radio interviews - even though she lived until the age of 77 in 1943, long after radio was invented. So it was like putting together a puzzle.' As much as she'd like to keep a low profile, the Hollywood favourite has found it almost impossible lately. Thanks to a string of intriguing celebrity boyfriends - George Clooney, Jim Carrey, Jack White - and her disastrous 128-day marriage to singer Kenny Chesney, she's become a regular feature of tabloid papers and gossip magazines. The actress wed the country crooner after a whirlwind four-month courtship in 2005. But just four months later she filed for an annulment citing 'fraud', and now admits the wedding was 'the biggest mistake of my life'. 'I felt a fool,' she says reflectively. 'I think I was just looking for something else. I wanted to put acting aside and sit still for a while and not to worry about the stresses and the travel and the interviews. 'I was going through a huge life change at the time. I just wanted to stop and take time out - my marriage came as part of that change, but I did take it very seriously,' she insists. The failed marriage was another reason Renee was drawn to Beatrix Potter, as the movie concentrates on the untold and controversial story of her love for publisher Norman Warne, played by Ewan McGregor. 'I found their romance remarkable,' the actress enthuses. 'Throughout their court-ship Beatrix was never alone with him. They began corresponding, always addressing each other as Sir or Madam - it later changed to Miss Potter and Mr Warne. 'She always had a chaperone, even though she was a woman in her late 30s. If she went to Norman's house, his sister Millie was always there, yet he was still able to propose to her.' There's no doubting Renee grew close to her character during filming. Despite the fact the two women lived a century apart, she still believes they would have had a lot in common. 'I really became intrigued by the personal life of an artistic woman of my own age, living in London, exactly one century ago,' she muses. 'She would have had similar hopes and thoughts to my own, regarding her work and friendships. It's just the mood and manners of the time which are so different. I thought of her as someone whose company I would have enjoyed. 'I felt that she knew who she was by her late 30s and she reached that point in her life by allowing herself to grow, in much the same way as I have myself. I understood why her growing up informed the woman she became.' The talented star also slipped comfortably back into an English accent, something which seems to be second nature after twice portraying Sloaney Bridget Jones on the big screen. 'I did use the same dialect coach who had helped me with Bridget Jones,' she explains. 'But as there is no record of Beatrix's voice, we had to base it on what would have been the most likely, quite tight and reasonably high - what the British would now regard as posh,' she adds, giggling. But though she's at home playing the reclusive writer - and looks like she has yet another big hit on her hands - it's clear the only dream for 2007 for this hard-working actress is to achieve the same romantic success as her big-screen alter ego. 'I'm not someone who feels a drive to keep going and going until I've achieved something,' she says philosophically. 'I know what it takes from your life to commit to a film, so next year I want to concentrate on doing a better job of managing my personal life. Oh, and to do lots of cooking and look after my cat,' she says. | 
