Colin Firth is amazed by the attention Renee Zellweger has received following her up and down weight changes for the Bridget Jones movies.

On Sunday he told the Boston Herald, “It’s not that unusual for actors to alter their appearance to play a part. But I think if I did it, it wouldn’t get anywhere near the amount of attention. It’s absolutely fascinating to people that a woman would dare to do that- particularly someone who’s very attractive and has a Hollywood-based career. They must sort of see her as reckless or something.”

Zellweger, who starred as the British heroine to all single women, Bridget Jones, packed on approximately thirty pounds to make the first movie, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” in 2001. Now three years later she’s done it again in the sequel, “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” due out in theatres this Friday.

Firth, who reprises his role as Bridget’s somewhat uptight lawyer-boyfriend said, “The sheer level of fascination on the subject is really a symptom of how this issue affects people, particularly women who are in utter disbelief that anyone would consciously go the other way- to actually try to gain weight- is mind-blowing.”