Renee Zellweger: 'Why Are We Talking About How Women Look?'

— -- Renee Zellweger is continuing to sound off about society's obsession with her appearance -- especially as she ages.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when asked about aging in Hollywood, the actress, 47, replied, "I've never seen the maturation of a woman as a negative thing. I've never seen a woman stepping into her more powerful self as a negative."

These comments come after "The Bridget Jones's' Baby" star published an essay in The Huffington Post in which she lamented "society's fixation on physicality," and the fact that her appearance at an event in 2014 -- and subsequent speculation that she'd had plastic surgery -- had inspired a "public conversation" in the media.

"But this conversation perpetuates the problem. Why are we talking about how women look? Why do we value beauty over contribution? We don't seem to value beauty over contribution for men. It's simply not a conversation," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Patrick Dempsey, a co-star of Zellweger's in "Bridget Jones's Baby," in theaters Sept. 16, said it's unfortunate that her looks have been discussed so openly.

"She should not have to face such scrutiny," Dempsey, 50, remarked to The Hollywood Reporter. "Hollywood can be unsparingly brutal — and it's always worse for women."

In the interview, Zellweger was also tight-lipped about her longtime boyfriend, Doyle Bramhall II, saying simply, "We have shared history, the same mutual friends from eons ago, before either of us was doing anything public."

When pressed for more information, the Oscar winner replied, "I appreciate you asking. But let's stop."