Catherine Zeta-Jones has said her husband Michael Douglas is “the ultimate nepo baby” but has done “pretty good on his own”. The 56-year-old Swansea-born actress made the remarks while discussing how people in the film industry are scrutinised for being “nepo babies” and following in the footsteps of their acting family members.
Actors face more scrutiny than other industries
Speaking on BBC Woman's Hour, Zeta-Jones told host Nuala McGovern that young people in other industries do not face the same scrutiny as actors when it comes to nepotism. Her husband is the son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, best known for playing Spartacus in the film of the same name and Vincent Van Gogh in Lust for Life.
On the radio show she said: “If it was any other industry, whether it be finance or business, or if you’re a lawyer: ‘Oh, my son is a lawyer,’ or I know all my grown-up surgeon doctor friends have kids going into that industry, and they don’t get... they don’t get labelled.
“But I think, more importantly, I’m married to the ultimate nepo baby. My husband was the son of Kirk Douglas, the son of Spartacus, you know? And he’s done pretty good on his own. So I think it’s unfortunate that with the intense scrutiny young people have, not just my kids or celebrity kids, just generally, they get slaughtered by AI images of perfection, of this and that. They don’t need another tag, you know? I think it’s very unfortunate.”
Children of celebrities 'have so much to prove'
The couple's children, Dylan and Carys, have both followed their parents into showbusiness, with Dylan an aspiring actor and Carys more keen on a role behind the camera as a director. Zeta-Jones has previously told the Sunday Times: “These kids didn't ask to be born into this.”
The host of the show said: “I suppose people use that tag because they would feel that children of celebrities have advantages that other actors don’t have.” The actress replied: “Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Quite opposite. Quite opposite. First of all, first of all, they have so much to prove, you know? That, oh, like you said: It’s in your genes, it’s in your blood.' It’s like: ‘No, actually, I have a true passion and love of the craft.'”
Upcoming roles and Welsh accent debut
Zeta-Jones will soon star in Amazon Prime Video's new series Kill Jackie, where she plays flamboyant globetrotter Jackie Price, who is desperately trying to keep a low profile after escaping a “dangerous past as an international cocaine dealer”. Throughout her career, the actress has often adopted an American accent for her various characters, being best known for her performances in The Mask of Zorro, Chicago, and more recently the Netflix series Wednesday, in which she portrays Morticia Addams.
Kill Jackie will mark the first occasion she has used her Welsh accent in an on-screen role. It is also expected she will be speaking in her Welsh accent in the adaptation of Dylan Thomas' A Visit to Grandpa's, in which she will appear alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins. The actress also returned to her hometown of Swansea to film parts of the production.
Having watched the Kill Jackie trailer, one enthusiastic fan commented: “Catherine Zeta-Jones using her Welsh accent in an action show?! I'm in!!” Another enthused: “Finally a film where CZJ is showing up for the Welsh! Come on son!” A third commented: “Something about her using Welsh own accent makes her acting look better, more naturalistic. I'm looking forward to watching this.” Meanwhile, one fan admitted: “I had no idea that's how she actually sounded..”
Kill Jackie can be watched on Amazon Prime Video from October 2.
