Renee Zellweger Looks Unrecognizable as Pam Hupp for NBC Series ‘The Thing About Pam’

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Renee Zellweger Looks Unrecognizable as Pam Hupp for NBC Series ‘The Thing About Pam’

Getting into character. Renée Zellweger is fully committed to her role as convicted murderer Pam Hupp on NBC's The Thing About Pam. Photos taken on set of the upcoming TV series showed Zellweger, 52, sporting an outfit perfect for a snowy day in Hupp's native Missouri. The Academy Award winner was also dressed in a fat suit with obvious prosthetics on her face, She finished up her look with a blonde bob. Zellweger stars as Hupp, 62, in the scripted show based off a true crime podcast from Dateline. Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon and Gideon Adlon round out the cast. Hupp is currently serving a life sentence in prison in Missouri for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger after entering an Alford plea, which means she entered a guilty plea because of the evidence but didn't admit guilt to the crime. Earlier this year, Hupp was charged with first degree murder in connection to the death of Betsy Faria, who was fatally stabbed in 2011. Hupp has denied any involvement in Faria's case. Zellweger recently opened up about the obstacles that came with preparing to play Hupp on the small screen. "She's notorious, not famous," the Bridget Jones's Diary star shared during an interview at BlumFest on October 1, noting that she would be "trying to understand [the character] just based on the limited information that's available," which is challenging due to the lack of records. The Texas native admitted that she has tried "not to think about" the fact that she is portraying a murderer. "I'm just going to keep my head down and do my work, try to research different personality types and try to understand whether or not that psychosis or solipsism or combination of both, whatever it might be," the Chicago actress explained. "Either way it's going to be interesting and there's a lot to learn." Zellweger was drawn to the project by the broad scope of Hupp's case, adding, "It goes beyond just the peculiarity of the story or the audacity of the behavior of everybody involved. It's sort of a glaring illustration of currently topical social issues." She continued: "It also speaks to, I guess you could call it, white lady privilege in America. And also it kind of 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." Scroll down to see photos of Zellweger as Hupp: [podcast_block]

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An Uncanny Transformation

Zellweger was spotted in character as filming began in New Orleans.

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On Location

The Judy actress was dressed in oversized jeans and a pair of snow boots on set.

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Setting the Scene

While playing Hupp, the Golden Globe winner was seen leaving a convenience store while carrying a large "Chill Chugz" cup.

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A New Look

Zellweger wore a strawberry blonde bob on set.

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Committing to the Role

"Whenever you can't turn something off or turn away from something and when you keep going back to it and discussing it over and over again, it must have some kind of relevance," the Jerry Maguire star said at Blumfest of her interest in the NBC series earlier this month. "And I felt like there was a lot to examine here. And it's so bizarre, like you said."

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Putting in the Work

Zellweger needed to do her research on the "diabolical" real story of Hupp's case, saying during an interview at Blumfest, "Truth is stranger than fiction.”

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Outside Influence

The Grammy nominee also found herself "riveted" by the Dateline podcast that inspired the upcoming series, she said on October 1.

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The Case

The Thing About Pam will focus on Hupp being accused of Betsy Faria's 2011 murder following her previous conviction for Gumpenberger's death.

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Wardrobe Change

The four-time SAG Award winner shed her puffy white jacket for later scenes.

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Working Behind the Scenes

Zellweger is both the star and the executive producer of The Thing About Pam.