Today marks the release of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy—and Leo Woodall plays the titular boy. Whose name is, improbably, “Roxster.”
We’ll get back to that. But first, a note about the movie itself: fans of the Bridget Jones Cinematic Universe, we are so unbelievably back. Renée Zellweger reprises her beloved role for the first installment in nine years, which is getting rave reviews on both sides of the pond. (It’s straight to streaming on Peacock in the States, but it’s getting a theatrical release in the UK, and tracking to break box office records.)
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is a little sadder, a little more wistful, and the nostalgia can hit like a boulder—but not at the expense of the series’ typical effervescent comedy. The film takes place a few years after the death of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), which leaves Bridget a grieving widow and single mom. Woodall’s Roxster is a young park ranger who more than helps Bridget get her proverbial groove back.
You may have already been charmed by Woodall as cheeky, up-to-no-good lad Jack in The White Lotus or Dexter in the tearjerking One Day. (For the dads: he’s also the star of the Apple TV+ thriller Prime Target, but that is decidedly not the vibe here.) GQ caught up with Woodall about all things rom-com and more.
GQ: How familiar were you with the Bridget Jones Cinematic Universe before this?
Leo Woodall: Pretty familiar. I don’t remember when I first saw the first one. I think it came out when I was about four, but I’ve kind of watched—particularly the first one—at least once a year because it’s one of those sort of Christmas movies that is on the schedule.
So how did your role as Roxster come about?
I had a meeting with Lucy Bevan, the casting director, and we sort of workshopped the scenes. I came in with a Scottish accent prepared. That was how it was originally supposed to be. And we ended up just going for English because my accent was … shit. Then, yeah, a few weeks later I got the call saying that they wanted me to join.
I have to ask: what kind of name is Roxster? How was that explained to you?
Well, his name is Roxby McDuff, which does actually sound quite Scottish when you say it. A lot of people thought his name was Rockstar and I thought maybe that was a bit too, I don’t know, on the nose.
What’s your favorite romantic comedy?
Okay, I’m going to exclude Bridget Jones from the conversation. It’s too obvious but I’m going to go Notting Hill. Anything Richard Curtis, Hugh Grant I’m into.
And Hugh Grant was incredibly funny in this film. Did you two overlap at all?
Sadly not when we were filming, but I got to meet him on this press tour and he fulfilled all my hopes and expectations. He was very, very nice and charming and funny.
Were you team Mark Darcy or Daniel Cleaver?
I was Team Bridget, but I think I was Team Mark as well.
This is GQ. Where should a man start if he wants to get into rom-coms?
I’ll stick with my guys and go Notting Hill, actually. And Harry Met Sally. Sleepless in Seattle is a good one. I don’t really know where one would start though. I just know that they’re good recommendations.
Do you think British people are better at making rom-coms?
I dunno. We’ve got Richard Curtis on our side and he’s done some pretty good ones. But I would say that of the rom-coms that I like, they do tend to be British. So that’s all I’ll say.
How about your pitch for getting men into Bridget Jones?
It’s obviously sort of been mainly catered towards women, at least the early ones. But it’s definitely a film that men connect with. A lot of people can see themselves in Bridget and also the male characters are so good and well written. And you can always ask yourself, am I a Mark or am I a Daniel? It’s just one of those films that can make anyone feel seen because everyone’s got their quirks and they make their mistakes and getting to see that and see them celebrate and see the person still triumph is something that anyone can relate to, feel seen by.
What’s your best story from the set?
A story that I remember was being on set for the big pool scene.
I did want to know about the pool scene.
I was super nervous about getting my dive, and not letting the dog drown even though the dog could swim, and being sort of the object of ogling in the pool. And everyone was just so, so jealous that I was the one that got to splash around. It was like 30 degrees [Ed. note: 86 Fahrenheit]. Once they gave me that shivering dog, I just heard lots of people kind of go, Ah, oh wow, look at that. And then I kind of knew that the scene was working.
