Catherine Zeta-Jones on using her Welsh accent for first time in 'Kill Jackie'
Synopsis
Catherine Zeta-Jones has finally addressed what fans have long wondered — why her natural Welsh accent rarely surfaces on screen. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show while promoting her eight-part Amazon Prime Video thriller 'Kill Jackie', she revealed the few occasions she has used it, including two Anthony Hopkins films, while reflecting on how 'The Darling Buds of May' made her famous overnight but cost her recognition as an actor.
Key Takeaways
Catherine Zeta-Jones discussed using her natural Welsh accent on screen during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show .
She cited a Dylan Thomas film directed by Anthony Hopkins and a new adaptation titled 'A Visit to Grandpa' as prior examples.
Her new eight-part Amazon Prime Video series 'Kill Jackie' sees her play wealthy art dealer Jackie Price , hunted by a squad called The Seven Demons .
She credited 'The Darling Buds of May' with making her 'a celebrity overnight' but said it led people to forget she was an actor.
She began her Hollywood career as an unknown in Los Angeles , first appearing in the 1996 film 'The Phantom' opposite Billy Zane .
Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has opened up about using her natural Welsh accent on screen, a rare departure for a star whose career has spanned decades of playing characters far removed from her roots in Swansea, Wales. The revelation came during her recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, where she sat alongside Sylvester Stallone and Andrew Garfield while promoting her new Amazon Prime Video series 'Kill Jackie'.
What She Said About Her Accent
When the show's host asked whether this was the first time she had acted in her own accent, Zeta-Jones offered a nuanced answer. 'Actually, I've done Dylan Thomas. I did a film with Anthony Hopkins, he directed me in that,' she said. She added that she had more recently completed another project with Hopkins — an adaptation titled 'A Visit to Grandpa' — shot across locations including Malaysia and Australia. 'This was special,' she remarked of the experience.
The Role That Made Her a Celebrity Overnight
Zeta-Jones also revisited a defining moment from her early career: the British comedy series 'The Darling Buds of May', which she credited with transforming her public profile. 'That one hour of television changed my life. I became a celebrity overnight and people sort of forgot I was an actor,' she said. The actress acknowledged that the rapid rise to fame in the UK paradoxically undermined her credibility as a serious performer — a tension she has navigated throughout her career.
Starting Over in Hollywood
Despite her celebrity status in Britain, Zeta-Jones was an unknown quantity when she relocated to Los Angeles. Her Hollywood introduction came with the 1996 superhero film 'The Phantom', opposite Billy Zane. Reflecting on the transition, she said: 'When I went to LA literally nobody knew me, which was a huge ego jolt at first but then extremely humbling, and ultimately very good for me to start afresh.' The remark underscores a career arc that has been defined by deliberate reinvention.
About 'Kill Jackie' on Amazon Prime Video
The eight-part action-thriller series centres on Jackie Price, a wealthy art dealer who discovers she is the target of a lethal squad of assassins known as The Seven Demons. Zeta-Jones described the role with evident enthusiasm: 'It is a gift of a part. The show is crazy and high-octane and she is really crazy.' The series marks one of her most prominent television outings since her early British work and signals a return to a genre — high-stakes action — that has long suited her on-screen persona.
Point of View
A dynamic that has quietly shaped every role choice since. Her enthusiasm for 'Kill Jackie' suggests a deliberate bid to reclaim that identity on her own terms. Whether a streaming action-thriller achieves that is another question — but the self-awareness she displays in these remarks is more revealing than most press-tour interviews tend to be.
NationPress
7 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Catherine Zeta-Jones's new series 'Kill Jackie'?
'Kill Jackie' is an eight-part action-thriller series on Amazon Prime Video in which Zeta-Jones plays Jackie Price, a wealthy art dealer who becomes the target of a group of assassins called The Seven Demons. She described the role as 'a gift of a part' during her press tour appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
Has Catherine Zeta-Jones used her real Welsh accent in films before?
Yes, though rarely. She noted on The Graham Norton Show that she used her Welsh accent in a Dylan Thomas film directed by Anthony Hopkins and in a more recent adaptation titled 'A Visit to Grandpa', also featuring Hopkins, shot across Malaysia, Australia, and other locations.
How did 'The Darling Buds of May' affect Catherine Zeta-Jones's career?
Zeta-Jones has said the British comedy series made her 'a celebrity overnight' but also caused audiences to overlook her as a serious actress. She remarked: 'That one hour of television changed my life... people sort of forgot I was an actor.'
When did Catherine Zeta-Jones move to Hollywood and what was her first film there?
She relocated to Los Angeles after achieving celebrity status in the UK, making her Hollywood debut in the 1996 superhero film 'The Phantom' opposite Billy Zane. She has described the move as a humbling fresh start, as she was virtually unknown in America at the time.
Who appeared alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones on The Graham Norton Show?
Sylvester Stallone and Andrew Garfield appeared on the same episode of The Graham Norton Show as Zeta-Jones, who was on the programme to promote 'Kill Jackie'.
