Renee Zellweger Is Unrecognizable as She Transforms Into Role of Convicted Murderer Pam Hupp
Renee Zellweger is taking on a new TV project, portraying convicted murderer Pam Hupp in a new series, and the actress is nearly unrecognizable as she's transformed into the role. In a photo published by E! Online, Zellweger — who is currently dating Ant Anstead — is seen on the set of The Thing About Pam, donning a blonde wig and facial prosthetics, while sporting a white parka coat with jeans and a pair of fur-lined boots. She is also holding a large cup that reads "Chill Chugz."
Hupp is currently serving a life sentence for the 2016 murder of Louis Gumpenberger. She was recently charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 stabbing death of Betsy Faria, but has denied that she had any involvement in the crime. Faria had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and four days before she was attacked she made changes to her life insurance policy that gave $150,000 to Hupp instead of Faria's own husband, Russ. Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood has stated that he believes Faria was "murdered for the insurance money." Following Faria's death, Russ was convicted and given a sentence of life in prison. However, that conviction was later overturned and he was found not guilty during a 2015 retrial.
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Zellweger recently spoke out about the upcoming series, of which she is also an executive producer, and shared what drew her to the role. "It goes beyond just the peculiarity of the story or the audacity of the behavior of everybody involved," the actress explained. "It's sort of a glaring illustration of currently topical social issues."
The Oscar-winner then added that she feels the story shines a light on the bias whether it is unconscious or not, in the U.SZ. judicial system. "It also speaks to, I guess you could call it, white lady privilege in America," Zellweger said. "And also it kinda has an interesting look at the sad invisibility of middle-aged women in America and how in the most bizarre circumstances it can work to someone's advantage, as is probably the case in Pam Hupp's story."
In addition to Zellweger, The Thing About Pam will also feature Katy Mixon, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Glenn Fleshler, Suanne Spoke, and Mac Brandt. The limited series is named after a podcast that was produced about the bizarre crime story. The Thing About Pam will run for six episodes, but no premiere date has been announced.