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Catherine Zeta-Jones, 57: ‘I Have More of a Voice’ Now That I’m Older
The star of the new crime series ‘Kill Jackie’ says it’s a good time for ‘women of a certain age’ in Hollywood
6-minute read
Catherine Zeta-Jones, 57, is finding a lot of peace at this stage of her life and career. “Maturity in itself, just years spent, gives you that, and it’s comforting,” she says. “It certainly gives me a sense of calm.”
Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
Catherine Zeta-Jones is relishing this moment in her life, and why not? She’s got a full slate of acting projects, including the AMC+ revenge thriller series Kill Jackie, premiering Oct. 2; the film The Gallerist, in theaters Dec. 4; and the popular Netflix series Wednesday, which is scheduled to return next year for Season 3.
“I must say, at this point in my career, I do enjoy working with these great people,” the Welsh-born Zeta-Jones, 57, tells AARP.
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The eight-episode Kill Jackie series is based on Nick Harkaway’s 2018 novel The Price You Pay (written under the pseudonym Aidan Truhen). Zeta-Jones plays ex-cocaine dealer Jackie Price, who lives luxuriously selling high-end art. After 20 years of anonymity, her peaceful existence is thrown into turmoil when an elite team of hit men known as The Seven Demons is hired to kill her.
As an executive producer for the streaming series, Zeta-Jones took on the additional challenge of “creating Jackie, creating this character that is warts and all,” she explains. “She’s glam. She degrades pretty quickly, but she pops back up at the end. I love that.”
Zeta-Jones stars in “Kill Jackie,” a darkly comic thriller about a former cocaine dealer who is targeted by a team of hit men.
Courtesy AMC
Then there’s Wednesday. Zeta-Jones found it thrilling to play an iconic role like Morticia Addams and to work with director Tim Burton. “It’s just a bonus that I wasn’t expecting,” she says.
Outside of work, there’s joy in life as an empty nester — son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23, are grown and flown — and spending time with husband Michael Douglas, 82. They’ve been married almost 26 years, and Zeta-Jones says they are “historic homebodies” who enjoy doing Wordle, playing golf and watching sports together.
In a video call from London, Zeta-Jones shares why she’s developed a sense of calm as she ages; the words of wisdom on longevity she received from her late father-in-law, Kirk Douglas; and what she and Michael like to do together on their days off.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Kill Jackie is fun, fast and action-packed. What do you look for when choosing a role?
[I like a role] that I can bring something to. It doesn’t always have to be the lead role. When I read The Price You Pay, the lead character was a man. When we decided to flip that to a female, I went, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’ because I can use all those quirky nuances as a woman, but show my vulnerability, my strength, my dodginess. And then on top of that was to play her with my own [Welsh] accent, which truly grounded me in a woman called Jackie Price.
What does it mean to be an executive producer?
I always like to be part of the baking process. So that was much more on Kill Jackie. And so the process of first flipping her into a female character, flipping it from an American location to Europe, then to Wales, and adding nuances that were typically Welsh and a storyline that takes us to my hometown, was wonderful. The more I can put a little spice in the pie, the more I love it. It was a nice working environment.
Zeta-Jones vaulted to stardom as the fearless Elena, opposite Antonio Banderas, in 1998’s “The Mask of Zorro.”
Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Is it a good time to be an older woman in Hollywood?
I think it’s a better time than it’s ever been. I don’t think it’s perfect, but looking at the Emmy nominees, the women were of an age. When you do these great big series where you’re basically shooting an eight-hour movie, there are more places for women to come in. Television has opened the doors for better roles for women of a certain age.
What’s the best thing about getting older?
I feel that I have more of a voice, not for political or cultural reasons, but for me as a woman. I spent many years … being nice to people who didn’t really care that I was nice and never treated me nicely. And my feelings were hurt, and I didn’t quite know how to navigate [that]. Why wouldn’t that person like me and be nice? Oh, trying to fit into molds that I was never going to fit into, living up to expectations or preconceptions, being put on pedestals I never asked for. No. Maturity in itself, just years spent, gives you that, and it’s comforting. It certainly gives me a sense of calm.
Have you changed your diet or exercise routine as you’ve gotten into your 50s?
I feel bad because I haven’t. I love to exercise. My father-in-law, Kirk Douglas, who lived to be 103 [he died in February 2020], said, “You’ve got to keep moving. You’ve got to keep exercising.” You have to keep your agility, because that and balance go. So I’m pretty religious about stretching and balancing. And I love to swim.
What’s your favorite kind of date night?
Well, we always say we should get out more. We’ve been historic homebodies. We’re big sports fans. So if there’s a game on, we’re watching it. I mean, every sport. I only follow baseball when the World Series starts to get going. I get really into it. Our favorite day would be getting up, doing Wordle — me getting it first, him asking me for help. Then we have breakfast. We go to the gym. Then we love to have a nice light lunch. Then we love to have a 40-minute power nap. And we go and play golf in the afternoon. Then we come back and have a lovely dinner prepared at home. That is like the perfect day. Maybe watch a movie, although we watch more sports than we watch movies.
Zeta-Jones won an Oscar for her dazzling turn as Velma Kelly in “Chicago.”
Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection
Your kids are following in your footsteps into show business. Did you encourage them or discourage them?
We told them all the [Hollywood] horror stories to see if their passion for the art and the craft was genuine. But they’ve done every production, they went to every theater camp. Sometimes it was like, “Can you just come home from theater camp? Can we have two weeks to see you at the summer break?” They worked every college film and musical and straight play. It’s a very small percentage of our business that can really make a living out of doing what we love. But they certainly do love it. Look at the world and the life that acting has given me. I mean, it’s amazing. I would give anybody the opportunity that I’ve had, and they’re loving it, they’re working hard, they’re auditioning and they’re making their way by themselves, their own path. And I’m very proud of them both.
About Movies for Grownups
AARP’s advocacy work includes fighting ageism in Hollywood and encouraging the entertainment industry to tap into the unique perspectives and talents that actors, writers and producers who are 50 or older bring to their work. AARP’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards, telecast on PBS, celebrates the achievements of the 50-plus community in film and television. This year’s honorees included best actress Laura Dern, 59 (Is This Thing On?), and best actor George Clooney, 64 (Jay Kelly).
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