Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Humbling Career Move Set the Stage for Her Break

Starting over in America

Zeta-Jones described her Hollywood arrival as an ego check. Although she had worked since she was 9, she said she could not get cable TV or buy anything in the United States because she did not yet have a credit card.

She had six months on a visa to try her luck in the States. Zeta-Jones said she would have regretted not finding out what might happen if she gave it a chance.

A career across the pond

Zeta-Jones became known in both the United States and Britain for roles in films and television. Her credits include Traffic, Chicago and Netflix’s Wednesday. In Chicago, she played Velma Kelly, a role that earned her an Oscar. She also appeared in Traffic as the pregnant wife of a Mexican drug lord.

Returning to Welsh roots

Her latest project, AMC+’s Killing Jackie, is a return to Welsh roots. After years of performing with English, American, Scottish and other accents, Zeta-Jones said speaking in her native accent felt liberating and cathartic.

She plays Jackie Price, a Welsh art dealer with a past in the drug trade who learns that someone has ordered a hit on her. The revenge thriller is based on Nick Harkaway’s 2018 novel The Price You Pay, written under the name Aidan Truhen.

Jackie faces a team of assassins called The Seven Demons and fights to survive. Zeta-Jones said she wanted viewers to join the character on her unpredictable journey and root for her.