Zellweger spoke exclusively to PEOPLE at the N.Y.C. premiere of the franchise's fourth film on Wednesday, Feb. 12 Renée Zellweger is waving goodbye to her iconic character, Bridget Jones. The actress,

The “Bridget Jones” franchise is long beloved by fans, due in extremely large part to Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of the title character. So, yes, the actress was a resource director Michael Morris turned to a lot while making the fourth film — and there was one particular insight from the Oscar winner that he says unlocked the whole thing.

Zellweger’s Bridget is now a widow – and romanced by both Leo Woodall’s younger man and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s kindly teacher – and this sequel, adapted from Helen Fielding’s third book in her series of novels,