Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger told Glamour magazine that she is taking a self-imposed hiatus from making movies for a while. The 40-year-old star of “Jerry Maguire” and “Cold Mountain” didn’t give specifics on when this break will start, or how long it will last, but she says that she wants to take time out to read, relax, and “see where” her “brain goes,” whatever that means.

Now, for the first time in a decade, the Texas-born actress, 40, is exploring a new side of her multifaceted life: She’s taking a break from moviemaking. At home in New York, she is gobbling up books, sifting through scripts and indulging in one of her favorite pastimes: napping. “I’m working on getting bored,” she says. “And it’s really hard! But I need to sit still long enough to see where my brain goes.” Given all that has happened to her in the past five years—eight films, two Oscar nominations (and one win), a breakup with White Stripes front man Jack White, an ill-fated four-month marriage to country singer Kenny Chesney, wild media speculation about a current romance with NBC News chief legal correspondent Dan Abrams—it’s no wonder boredom looks so attractive to Zellweger.

GLAMOUR: You didn’t grow up with a whole lot, did you?

RZ: No. I have immigrant parents who came to this country with nothing, and my dad worked his ass off to support our family. He made so many sacrifices, but we always had enough. I’ve never been the sort of person who takes things for granted, and I’m not an acquisitions girl. So I didn’t feel entitled to a car when I was 16. Of course, I was bummed I didn’t get one, because I was an American Texas teenager! But I understood it. I’ve never gotten my self-esteem from having the newest, most spectacular thing.

GLAMOUR: So where does your self-esteem come from? In the photos for this story, you look so confident and sexy…. Were you doing your job, or are you feeling particularly sexy these days?

RZ: I let my guard down—I must have been tired! [Laughs.] Actually, I’m having a really good time right now.

GLAMOUR: So, is there a shift happening?

RZ: Yes. I’m taking time to figure out where I want to go and what I want to do next. In this line of work, you become so [defined by your job].

GLAMOUR:So…you won’t talk about who you’re dating?

RZ: No. I won’t. Because it’s dumb. It leads to nowhere good. I let everybody else in the media do that for me. [Laughs.] It takes the responsibility off my shoulders!

GLAMOUR: Why do you think the media assumes that if a woman is young, gorgeous, successful—but single—she isn’t happy? You seem like a very happy, together person.

RZ: I don’t know. Because it’s a deviation from social expectations? She’s successful in all these respects, so why doesn’t a man find her attractive? But when you think about it, [when you’re single] you are not deprived in any way—if anything, it’s a pretty self-indulgent lifestyle. It’s selfish: You can make your own decisions and indulge yourself on an impulse.

GLAMOUR: And the media doesn’t have the same attitude about single men.

RZ: It’s “Good for you, buddy—you’re a confirmed bachelor!”

GLAMOUR: If the right guy came along, would you be willing to give up the single life?

RZ: Oh, sure. But if I’m going to give it up, it better be good—because I’m having fun! [Laughs.]

GLAMOUR: Getting back to the shift we were talking about—does this mean you’re going to stay put for a while?

RZ: Yes. I’m working on different projects, but I’m not going anywhere any time soon. I’m not putting on other people’s clothes or living out of my luggage. I’m actually going into the bathroom to use my bathroom stuff—rather than to the suitcase where I usually keep it. I’m learning how to use a chest of drawers! I am determined to sit still long enough to get past the existential crap of the moment.

GLAMOUR: What’s the most important thing you hope to get out of this?

RZ: I want to learn more. I want to know more. That’s what taking this time is about. I’m curious about so many things, but haven’t had occasion to be exposed to them enough to really appreciate them.

[From Glamour]

We’ve heard plenty of other celebs say they are leaving Hollywood -but somehow they never quite manage to do it. Fame and movie-making are addicting, for sure. But Renee Zellweger has always seemed a bit removed from the fame machine. I doubt we’d ever catch her courting the paparazzi or Twittering her every move. The only actress I can think of who said she was taking a break and actually followed through on that was Julia Roberts. At the time she took her break, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, and can pretty much work whenever she feels like it. Renee is well respected, to be sure, but not quite at the same level. Still, I think she probably could take a couple of years off and come back if the right role was there. What do you think?

Renee Zellweger is shown at the Costume Institute Gala on 5/4/09. Credit: RAM/Fame Pictures