Catherine Zeta-Jones

Spotlight By: Rocco Passafuime
RoccoPassafuime@TheCinemaSource.com

Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of Hollywood's most gorgeous actors. Making her breakthrough appearance in 1998's The Mask Of Zorro, Catherine has gone on to great success with notable roles in films like The Haunting, Traffic, and America's Sweethearts.

In 2003, she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Velma Kelly in the film adaptation of the musical Chicago. Her latest role is as perfectionist chef Kate Armstrong in the film No Reservations.

First to discuss with the now-37-year old actress is whether her character's ambition is palatable to her own.

'I think that I wasn't like Kate in the way that she was so blinkered in her career and how she goes about it,' Catherine claims, 'But I've always said I had a healthy ambition, I call it, where I did want to come from Wales, where I tried different things, going to London, do theater, try to do some TV. I did, I had that inherently. But I wouldn't say that I was such a control freak, the way that Kate is or that there's nothing else in my life. I have my friends, I have my other life as well as my career.'

No Reservations is a Hollywood remake of the 2001 German film Mostly Martha, directed by Sandra Nettelbeck. Important to touch on was whether or not the actress had seen the original film and what her thoughts on it was.

'I think Sandra, the director, did a fantastic job creating that environment in her movie,' she says, 'And I did see the movie and after, actually, I read the script, I loved the script so much, I'm like, I can't resist that I have to see the movie.'

Interesting, however, is what finally convinced her to see Mostly Martha in the first place.

'A guy who works with me that is not a film buff, he brought the DVD and I put it on the kitchen table and not a film buff at all, he said have you seen that movie and I went no,' Zeta-Jones recalls, 'He said, 'Oh, it's great!' I said, 'I wonder how on Earth a guy from Bermuda, half-Portuguese sees this German movie Mostly Martha, he said it came to this small little film festival. We just happened to be there, cued up, went in there, saw and I said, 'Well, if you loved it,' He's a big old burly gardener from Portugal, 'If you loved it as much as I loved the script, I can't resist. I have to see it once. I saw it once, I put it away, and I never saw it again.'

Hollywood remakes of foreign films often have a tradition of being altered for varying reasons, from pacing purposes to cultural idiosyncrasies. Catherine stressed that despite her love for the original movie, she did not seek to emulate the actress that played the German version of Kate when she did the Hollywood version.

'I think on a character basis, I didn't go into this movie wanting to be a caricature of that wonderful performance,' Zeta-Jones says, 'You just have to put that aside and just say that was a beautifully created performance, as culturally in that world and completely different in that situation where I was going to portray that character.'

The film, which involves chefs and lots of cooking, had Catherine and co-star Aaron Eckhart learn how to cook with a professional chef, which she claims made her a bit nervous.

'The idea of being a chef for me was pretty terrifying to be quite honest,' she recounts, 'But after we had this intense training together, which was a laugh, because we'd arrive at this kitchen Fiama, I got my little apron on, looking ever so professional, I'm looking at Aaron, going, 'Oh, God, my finger's coming off before you know it!' Then, we had a few weeks of that and we were up and running and I felt very comfortable in the kitchen and I still do, actually.'

She also adds that she now feels a new appreciation for the culinary arts.

'I have a new appreciation of being in a kitchen,' Zeta-Jones admits, 'I have a new appreciation of when the food gets put on my table, how much goes into it as opposed to going, 'Is this cooked right''

She co-stars in the film with Aaron Eckhart, who plays rival chef Nick. Catherine discusses how the two first got together for the film.

'We met for lunch, actually,' she recalls, 'Because I heard through Scott [Hicks] that Aaron was really interested in being the movie and I thought, wow, that would be terrific. So we met for lunch, we never met before, got on really well, chit-chatted about the project, talked about Mr. Hicks, and then, before we knew it, we're all signed on and uppity-up here in New York, ready to go, so it was an easy process for us to get together.'

Her first impression of the actor, was rather humorous to say the least.

'He was ever so professional,' Catherine says, 'When I first met him, I had to take a few gulps. He was here with all his knives, his own private knives, and I'm like, 'Where's the spoon, Scott'''

Playing around for a bit, Zeta-Jones responded to a question of what she'd personally cook for Eckhart.

'I think I'd make Aaron some Welsh lamb, some good roasted potatoes, some good solid stock food that I was brought up on, I think,' she replies.

Being a world-renowned celebrity who's likely dined in some of the finest and most upscale restaurants in the world, Catherine was delighted to discuss her own favorite restaurant.

'There's this restaurant Eboulie outside of Barcelona which is like going into a chemistry lab,' Zeta-Jones mentions, 'I went there and it's completely jam-packed, you'd have to book like two years in advance, so I got to eat in the kitchen in the table, so I can see all these that looked like scientists, literally, concocting these amazing dishes with textures you'd never even seen or been able to even feel. You put your spoon in something in it that would all dissolve, it was genius. But that experience of going there was one of the best I'd ever had.'

Another co-star she had praise for was Little Miss Sunshine star, child actress Abigail Breslin, who plays Kate's niece Zoe in the film.

'Just adorable, inside and out, such a talented actress, and such a real young lady. Not pretentious in any way,' Catherine gushes, 'And I've had a lucky run working with children, not so much with animals though. You get thrown off a horse, but children, I've been really lucky to be working with great talent and children you're going to watch for the rest of their careers and wish them the best because they have the talent. So she was an absolute dream.'

'I think what the film also does that says, quite clearly, is it's not just bereavement and thred in a way we can be,