Renée Zellweger Says She Walks to the Oscars: 'I Want to Be Grounded When I Go In'

Renée Zellweger has an usual routine before Hollywood's biggest night.

While appearing on on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Monday, the actress, 52, told Jimmy Fallon that she prefers to walk to the Oscars as a way to relax before the illustrious event.

The host, 47, congratulated his guest for her Best Actress win in Judy at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, prompting Zellweger to open up about her pre-show ritual.

"I want to be grounded when I go in," the star said. "I have a couple of rituals and things that I like to do before I go. I like to walk."

"I don't like to get in the car, the long limo ride … I don't like getting out, and it's all crazy and people screaming and stuff," she explained. "So I sneak in."

"That's the great thing I've ever heard!" Fallon exclaimed, as Zellwegger added that her strategy is to "sneak in behind" the red carpet.

When she was nominated for Best Actress in 2020, the actress explained that she she stayed in the only available hotel room, which happened to be half a mile from the ceremony. Still, she chose to stroll there.

"You walked half a mile to the Oscars?" Fallon asked in disbelief.

Zellweger confirmed, "I did. In shoes taller than this!" looking down at her heels. "I don't recommend it, but it is a good exercise for keeping you grounded."

She added, "It was raining that night so I was extra grounded when I got there. The girls know what I'm talking about — you do your hair, and then you're like, 'Oooh.' "

Zellweger won her second Oscar at the awards ceremony in 2020. She previously won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in 2003's Cold Mountain.

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The actress opened up about her second Oscar win while speaking with PEOPLE backstage at the 2020 Academy Awards. At the time, she said she felt "more present" for her second win and could appreciate the honor in a "different way" than she did the first time around.

"I think I was so busy that I wasn't actually in the moment," she said of her Best Supporting Actress win 16 years prior. "I think I had just flown home from something for Bridget Jones or something. It's different, different perspectives. I'm a little more present now. I think that the time away and the time in between has helped me to appreciate it in a different way."