Not many people know that Renée Zellweger, currently making the rounds to promote her British rom-com vehicle Bridget Jones’s Baby, is actually originally from Katy, Texas. But on the Tonight Show on Monday, host Jimmy Fallon asked the actress to relive a bit of her small-town youth — and even got an unexpected lesson in cheerleading.
“Back in the day we would go get Cokes at the meat processing place, right there on the old Katy road,” Zellweger reminisced about her childhood. That led to the two discussing Friday night football games… and Zellweger’s stint as a cheerleader (although she was sure to mention that she also ran track and played basketball.)
Getting up from her seat to give a full performance — choreography included — Zellweger whipped out her seventh-grade routine.
“Get ready, get set, the Tiger team is the best yet,” she chanted, even removing her stilettos to show Fallon how to perfect his high kick. (Zellweger’s middle school cheer training must have been good, because her kick was flawless.)
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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com