Rose McGowan blasts film critic for ‘damaging’ essay about Renee Zellweger’s face

Rose McGowan has accused a film critic of behaving “indefensibly” by writing what she described as a “vile, damaging and cruel” essay about Renee Zellweger’s face.

Dissecting Zellweger’s face for signs of any changes has become something of trend that began when the Bridget Jones actress appeared on a red carpet to attend the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in 2014.

She Zellweger faced an unprecedented level of speculation about her appearance and suggestions of plastic surgery as soon as photos from the event were circulated.

On 30 June, Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman joined the chorus of speculation about Zellweger's face in an essay examining the effect of plastic surgery and its place within the film industry.

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In his piece, "If She No Longer Looks Like Herself Has She Become a Different Actress?", Mr Gleiberman questioned whether Zellweger had gone under the knife and the impact this could have on the perception of her character.

He said he had been “caught off guard” by Zellweger’s appearance in the trailer for Bridget Jones’ Baby, writing: “Celebrities, like anyone else, have the right to look however they want, but the characters they play become part of us. I suddenly felt like something had been taken away.”

Mr Gleiberman also reflected back on her appearance at the age of 25, where he suggested Zellweger was beautiful in the way an “ordinary person” was, not in the way "that a Nicole Kidman or a Julia Roberts was”. It was this, he argues, that saw her “hit her stride” as “an extraordinary ordinary” girl in Bridget Jones.

“Zellweger, as much or more than any star of her era, has been a poster girl for the notion that each and every one of us is beautiful in just the way God made us," he continued.

McGowan, an actress who in recent years has become an activist for women’s issues, issued a scathing open letter to Mr Gleiberman in response. In a piece published in The Hollywood Reporter, McGowan blasted his essay for reinforcing the white male status quo and propagating the fear she said Hollywood instils in actors.

“Renee Zellweger is a human being, with feelings, with a life, with love and with triumphs and struggles, just like the rest of us,“ writes McGowan.

“Her crime, according to you, is growing older in a way you don’t approve of. Who are you to approve of anything? What you are doing is vile, damaging, stupid and cruel. It also reeks of status quo white-male privilege.”

McGowan spoke out against industry sexism in June 2015, claiming she had been dropped by her agent for tweeting casting call instructions that required her to wear cleavage enhancing bras and form fitting leggings.

Zellweger has said little in response to articles analysing her appearance, no doubt aware any response she does give would only serve to fan the flames. But in December she did address the effect it had on her confidence, saying simply: “What good comes from knowing that something like that happened? Less fear.”

Variety declined to comment.