Catherine Zeta-Jones says she is finally playing a character whose accent matches her own.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is embracing her Welsh roots on screen for the first time in her career in “Kill Jackie,” a new revenge thriller in which she plays a glamorous former cocaine smuggler whose peaceful life as an art dealer is shattered when a group of assassins is hired to kill her.
“Jackie Price is Welsh. Even her name sounds Welsh,” Zeta-Jones told Reuters, referring to the character she portrays in the series.
The actress said she had an epiphany when she began working on the Prime Video series, realizing that she would finally be playing a character whose accent matched her own.
“Once that was in my head, there was no going back. I have to be honest, I got a little jealous of other actors who’ve never had to do accents all their lives,” she said.
Throughout her career, the Welsh-born actress has frequently adopted accents different from her own. She used an American accent in Steven Spielberg’s 2004 film “The Terminal” and a Scottish accent in the 2008 film “Death Defying Acts.”
For Zeta-Jones, however, the appeal of “Kill Jackie” extended beyond the opportunity to speak in her native accent. She was also drawn to the character’s bold personality and unpredictable nature.
“Kill Jackie” is based on the crime novel “The Price You Pay” by Nick Harkaway, writing under the pseudonym Aidan Truhen. The television adaptation changes the protagonist from Jack Price in the original novel to Jackie Price, with Zeta-Jones leading the story.
The eight-episode series also stars Daniel Ings, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Christine Adams. It is produced by the team behind television dramas including “Killing Eve” and “Gangs of London.”
