Renee Zellweger is UNRECOGNIZABLE as killer Pam Hupp in NBC series 'The Thing About Pam'
Oscar-winner Renee Zellweger looks barely recognizable as suburban housewife and convicted killer Pam Hupp in the trailer for the upcoming NBC true-crime drama 'The Thing About Pam'. Zellweger is wearing facial prosthetics and clad in a pastel windbreaker as she plays Hupp, 63, a suburban mom who is serving a life sentence for murdering disabled man Louis Gumpenberger in 2016.
“Oh, gosh, if you don’t recognize an actor or an actress in a performance, that’s a great compliment,” Zellweger says to the publication regarding her transformation. “You’re not trying to tell your own story.” Zellweger, who is known for her role as the hopeless romantic Bridget Jones in the films, wore a padded bodysuit, fake nose, extra wrinkles and a wig to transform into Hupp.
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It was all the prosthetic magic that tremendously transformed the looks and get-up of the actress. “All of those things were really important because all those bits and pieces are what construct the person that we project our own conclusions and presumptions onto.” Zellweger added that “it was really hot” under all those layers.
Hupp, 63, who was charged with the first-degree murder of her friend Betsy Faria in 2011 had earlier pleaded not guilty of any crimes. However, authorities believe Hupp killed Gumpenberger to frame Faria's husband, Russ, for murder. Hupp testified against Faria in the initial trial where he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after his wife was found stabbed 55 times in their Missouri home.
Russ Faria spent four years behind bars for his wife's murder before being acquitted in 2015, and his wife’s death remains unsolved. Hupp's wild legacy of murders and crimes is now being featured. The new series is co-produced by Blumhouse Television and NBC News Studios.
Zellweger’s role in the six-episode series that premieres on March 8 is the broadcast television series debut for the two-time Oscar winner, who went all-in on portraying Hupp. The star of 'Bridget Jones’s Diary' most recently won the Oscar for best actress in 2020 for playing another true-life role as Judy Garland in the biopic 'Judy'.
Apart from Oscars, Zellweger has been honored with several accolades and awards including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. She was one of the world's highest-paid actresses by 2007, and was named the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year in 2009.