Renee Zellweger 'loved' directing for the first time to make short film They

Renee Zellweger "loved" her first experience of directing.

The Hollywood actress stepped behind the camera for the first time to make animated movie They - a nine-minute short based around the theme of toxicity in the world - and Renee has revealed it was a thrilling experience to work on her "passion project".

She told The Hollywood Reporter: "People say ‘passion project,’ and that’s genuinely what this is reached in ...

"It was kind of a fluke [that is came together]. I don’t think that directing was a personal ambition in and of itself.

"I always thought that if there was some organic calling to tell a story and I felt that it was the right fit then I’d probably love to do it and give it a shot. [Only] if it felt necessary - not just for the sake of having the experience, you know?"

When asked how she found the experience of directing and if she would want to do it again, Renee replied: "Oh, of course. I loved it.

"I felt really lucky working with extraordinarily talented people. I didn’t even think about it really, in terms of whether or not it felt comfortable.

"We were just doing it. And there were certain things that, I guess at some points [that] surprised me from the experience of being on set. [I’ve been] a storyteller for 30 years, so there was an instinct to know that a shot was missing or what was necessary or how it should be set up.

"But there were also things that I couldn’t know because I haven’t studied the visual medium and the art form.

"[I didn’t know] why a particular angle would be more effective, and I learned so much from [my collaborators]."

Renee went on to reveal she's already got a plan for her next directing project, which will be a combination of animation and live action, adding: "There are always ideas brewing. It’s just a matter of timing, things coming together."