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.

And just like that, Ejiofor was cast as Mr. Wallaker, a pragmatic science teacher, in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth installment in the beloved romantic comedy franchise starring Renee Zellweger as the titular heroine, which hit Peacock on February 14.

It's been nine years since we last caught up with the lovely Bridget Jones, and surprisingly, that's not even the longest gap between films in the series. But, according to franchise star Renée Zellweger,

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,

Chiwetel Ejiofor is no stranger to iconic British rom-coms. After all, the Oscar-nominated English actor played Keira Knightley’s on-screen husband, Peter, in Love, Actually in 2003. In other words, he was the guy sitting in his flat,