Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed the one thing she refuses to do in real life that she did in character as gothic matriarch Morticia Addams in Netflix's hit drama, Wednesday. At one point in Tim Burton's spin-off from The Addams Family, Morticia and her husband Gomez embark on a camping trip, something the actress says she would never do with her real-life husband, the actor Michael Douglas, 80, and their children, Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22.
"My kids and husband were always like: 'Come on, we'll get a trailer! We'll go camping.' And I'm like: 'Forget it!' says Catherine.
"But as Morticia Addams, I will go camping every day of the week," she laughs, referring to the sumptuous campsite that Morticia and Gomez encounter when they accompany their reluctant daughter on a school trip.
At the London premiere of the second season of Netflix's drama Wednesday last month, Catherine turned heads in a plunging black dress teamed with spider-shaped ear jewellery, and with her hair in a dramatic top-knot.
"It's become such a phenomenon. I'm thrilled to be part of it," says the Welsh-born actress of her leading role.
The show marks a career revival for Catherine, 55, who became famous as a teenager in the TV series The Darling Buds of May before leaving the UK for Hollywood.
Having starred in Entrapment opposite Sean Connery and in The Mask of Zorro with Antonio Banderas, she won an Academy Award in 2002, named Best Supporting Actress for her mesmerising performance as Velma Kelly in Chicago.
Working with Dame Joanna Lumley and Luis Guzmán on Wednesday
At the Wednesday premiere, she appeared on the red carpet alongside US star Jenna Ortega, who plays her daughter, Wednesday, and Dame Joanna Lumley, who plays her mother, Hester Frump.
It's the first time the two British actresses have worked together, and Catherine has said of the experience: "It was everything [I hoped for] and more."
And she seems to have had real chemistry with her co-star Luis Guzmán, who plays Morticia's husband, Gomez Addams, referring to him as "darling" and "my boy", and describing their on-screen marriage "as the love affair of the century".
Catherine's extended role in Wednesday
In the first series of Wednesday, Catherine appeared in only two episodes, but audiences were so keen to see more of her that she has a central role in the new series.
"My daughter came to me and said: 'Mom, your lipstick colour has gone viral!' I was so excited about that. That was really cool," says the actress, recalling the moment when she realised she had a new generation of fans.
It wasn't just the red lipstick that got her noticed; the figure-hugging black velvet gowns she wears as Morticia led to a revival of The Addams Family costumes at Halloween.
"Natalie Portman sent me a picture of her as me," she says. "The fact that Natalie Portman was texting me… I went: 'Now that's cool.' To be part of that world… it's fun."
Morticia and Wednesday's relationship in season two
In the new series, Morticia is juggling a fiery relationship with her onscreen daughter, as well as trying to get on with her mother.
"That mother-daughter dynamic is something that is unique to Wednesday and Morticia, in that there's such a deep sense of love, but it's two personalities that just, well…" Catherine says, reflecting on real-life clashes between mothers and daughters.
"For me, I would think it’s a warning of that old adage of trying to put an old head on young shoulders – and knowing the consequences if Wednesday thinks she knows too much about her power and tries to twist it to her liking.
"She knows that Wednesday, who has a fantastic power and ability, will test it to its core. I think it's the 'putting the old head on the young shoulders' that a lot of parents do. I do it myself.
"The dynamic with my [onscreen] mother gives me another element of parenting – how Morticia wants to be a different mother to Wednesday than Hester was to her," she adds.
The stormy relationship leads to a sword fight between Wednesday and Morticia, evoking memories of Catherine’s breakthrough film, 1998’s The Mask of Zorro.
There is also a nod to her role in Chicago, as she performs song and dance routines alongside co-star Luis. "For me, it was a dream. We had so much fun. And I think he must know I’m a dancer; he worked his butt off to really do a few moves."
Things almost ended in disaster, however, when Catherine nearly broke his knuckles. "I accidentally kneed him – it could have been somewhere much more painful than his knuckles – in one of my moves. But he was all right," she says.
Looking ahead
The star is already busy with her next project, starring in Prime Video’s eight-part revenge thriller Kill Jackie, which is being filmed in Bilbao, Lisbon and her native Swansea.
She is also looking forward to celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary with Michael in November. The couple have been through a lot since they met in 1998, when she was 29 and he was 54; they discovered on their first date that they had the same birthday, 25 September.
Michael made his interest clear when he asked her for a nightcap, adding: "You know, I’m going to be the father of your children." Catherine promptly shut him down, saying: "I've heard a lot about you, and I've seen a lot about you, and I think it’s time that I say goodnight."
He apologised by sending a bouquet of roses that was waiting for her when she arrived for filming on a Scottish island. The gesture worked and they fell in love, later staging a lavish wedding at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
However, there have been challenges over the years. Michael was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2010 and Catherine revealed the following year that she had bipolar disorder.
The pressures led to the shock announcement in August 2013 that they were "taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage", but they reunited the following year.
On their anniversary last year, the couple posted romantic moments on Instagram, including a photo showing them embracing as they danced at their wedding reception. Referring to their mutual love of golf, Catherine wrote to Michael: "Our love is like a hole in one… you have to see it to believe it."
They are also proud parents, and shared photos when their daughter, Carys, graduated from Brown University in the US in May.
At the moment, it’s Catherine’s time to shine as fans enjoy the new series of Wednesday, which was filmed in Ireland and features British stars including Billie Piper and Thandiwe Newton. "It's such a wonderful, safe, fabulous place to be," she says. "To turn up every day for that, it's a gift."
Interview: Gill Pringle with additional reporting by Jackie Brown