Movies

Renée Zellweger 'loved the joke' of Billy Eichner naming a fake gay app after her in Bros

Eichner says he had to get the Oscar-winning star's approval to use Zellweger as the name of a gay dating app in his new queer rom-com Bros.

By

Joey Nolfi

Published on September 9, 2022 01:33PM EDT

The bond between gays and actresses over the age of 40 is a classic love story fit for the big screen, and Billy Eichner went to great lengths to make sure Renée Zellweger felt that affection in his new movie Bros.

Speaking to PEOPLE and EW at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, the Bros writer-star reveals that he personally reached out to the Judy Oscar winner's manager to get her approval on a hilarious bit from the film that sees characters discussing a queer dating app named — of course — Zellweger.

"I was like, 'Uh, what sounds like Grindr and Tinder? Zellweger!' But then we had to get her permission. I got scared. We started to come up with other alts. I was like, 'Midler! I love Bette Midler!'" Eichner recalls. "I spoke to [Zellweger's] manager and he spoke to her, and she loved the joke. She was like, 'Yeah, you can totally do that!'"

Billy Eichner and Renee Zellweger — Billy Eichner got Renée Zellweger's permission to use her name for a gay dating app in 'Bros.'.

EW has reached out to Zellweger's manager for confirmation.

Eichner leads the Judd Apatow-produced ensemble — which also stars Luke Macfarlane, Ts Madison, Ms. Lawrence, and RuPaul's Drag Race winner Symone — as a gay man navigating professional and romantic woes in one of the first major studio rom-coms about queer romance, joining a recent legacy of mainstream LGBTQ rom-coms that also includes Love, Simon and Happiest Season.

The Billy on the Street star previously told EW he got emotional while filming scenes with Macfarlane on the streets of New York City, but stresses that the film isn't simply a traditional picture with two men standing in for a heterosexual couple.

"This is not as simple as doing When Harry Met Sally… or some Hallmark Christmas movies and just swapping in two gay guys for the straight couple and having everything play out the same way," Eichner said. "In my experience and the experience of my friends, that's not how it works. There's some overlap in gay and straight relationships, but there's a lot that's different."

Bros world-premieres tonight at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, ahead of hitting theaters on Sept. 30. Watch PEOPLE and EW's interview above.

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Renée Zellweger 'loved the joke' of Billy Eichner naming a fake gay app after her in Bros

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