Catherine: The Great

She’s beautiful!

No, she’s very beautiful!!

No, no, no, she’s mesmerizingly beautiful!!!

You can’t help going into a paroxysm of superlatives when you’re face to face with, no doubt about, the most beautiful woman in the world.

I suspect that when heaven showered beauty and brains, she was first in line holding her umbrella upside-down.

Simply put, she’s a great beauty and a great talent (with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the murderous Velma Kelly in Chicago to show for it).

She’s Catherine The Great.

Yes, Catherine Zeta-Jones, 36, wife of Michael Douglas, 60, and mother to Dylan, five, and Carys, two.

Within rubbing-elbow distance at a function room of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, Catherine The Great was in her element as she talked about her reprisal of her role as the sword-swinging Elena in The Legend of Zorro (which she first did in the 1998 hit original The Mask of Zorro), her life as wife and mother, and how she maintains her drop-dead gorgeous looks, effortlessly putting you on the spot with those penetrating Irish eyes (but isn’t she from Wales?) when she answered a question.

In the flesh, Catherine looks as smashing as she does in the new Zorro movie again directed by Martin Campbell and Antonio Banderas as leading man (in the title role), with winsome Mexican child actor Adrian Alonso as their son. In The Legend of Zorro, Catherine/Elena and Antonio/Alejandro are 10 years married but their otherwise quiet and happy family life is disrupted by Alejandro’s dusting off and again wearing his Zorro costume as he tries to save the oppressed residents of 19th-century California from greedy warlords. Enough said. Go watch the movie (still showing in Metro theaters) and find out for yourself.

"You can tame even wild monkeys with your beauty," I told Catherine who was seated next to me (within rubbing-elbow distance, remember?) during the round-table interview.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, so where did you see it?" she asked, referring to the Visa commercial where she conquers a bunch of wild monkeys not with bananas but with, yes, her mesmerizing beauty.

"It’s shown on TV in the Philippines," I said.

"Oh, there are many beautiful women in the Philippines," she said.

And on that note, I started a Conversation with Catherine The Great.

Excerpts:

You are oh-so-beautiful. How do you preserve yourself?

"By embalming?" (Breaks into laughter).

Do you have any beauty regimen?

"No. I just take it easy."

Any kind of diet?

"I work out but I don’t actually diet per se."

How does it feel being told every day that you’re the most beautiful woman in the world?

"Oh, nobody really tells me that every day, not even my husband."

You look just as beautiful in this Zorro sequel as you did in the first one.

"Thank you to the makeup artist." (Again breaks into laughter.)

How do you feel doing the same role after nine years (The Mask of Zorro was done in 1996 and released in 1998)?

"It’s like deja vu. A lot of things has happened since the first Zorro. When I did the The Mask of Zorro, I was completely unknown. I went around Mexico, I visited the museums, and nobody bothered with me. People spoke to me in Spanish. The next time around, everybody knew me and getting around was a bit more difficult. That was such a big change for me."

You must have a sentimental attachment to the first Zorro because it made you an overnight star.

"Oh yes, a big sentimental attachment. My husband saw me in The Mask of Zorro and here I am with two kids. It was also my first kind of movie that people saw me in and put a name to a face. So going back to Zorro is like going back to an old friend."

There’s a good chemistry between you and Banderas. Do you have anything in common?

"Yes, we both have sense of humor. He talks a lot and I do talk a lot, too. The chemistry just happened. It’s funny because when we did the first Zorro, we didn’t really know each other. The chemistry happened spontaneously. You can’t fake it."

Aside from Banderas, which actor would you like to work with again?

"Sean Connery, of course. I had a great time making Entrapment with him."

And what character would you like to play?

"Oh, a lot! My husband was kidding me, ‘Maybe you should do a Sharon Stone kind of character...’" (You know, the one in Basic Instinct where Stone literally opened up in one split-second scene. – RFL). "There are many different characters I would like to play."

And what kind of offer would make you get out of bed?

"Well, a good role. You see, being a mother is exhausting and the role has to be worth getting out of bed for. Before, when I wasn’t married, I could pack a case and, you know, ‘Where do you want me? What time? I’ll be there tomorrow.’ I can’t do that anymore."

How is it like in the Douglas household, with two actors as heads of the family? Have your kids inherited the acting bug?

"The genes are in there, you know. When my son was in a school play, I was asking him for months, ‘What are you gonna sing?’ He wouldn’t tell me. During the show, one of the mothers came to me and asked, ‘Have you been rehearsing with him?’ I told her, ‘He didn’t even tell me what he was going to sing!’ My son was such a good actor, I should say. Oh, I love my husband and my children; I love my family. I can’t imagine life without them."

What are you like away from work? How do you relax?

"Well, you know, being a mother I enjoy the company of my children. I read...I like to read books that have nothing to do with my work. And I like to just hang out with my husband. I play golf – when nobody’s watching!"

You don’t seem to enjoy life in Hollywood.

"I can’t really live here. I don’t want to bring my children up here."

Why?

"What do you think? I don’t want to expose my children to the kind of life here. It would be hard for them – you know, being the children of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and the grandchildren of Kirk Douglas. They didn’t ask to be born to us, so I would never let anybody invade their privacy. Our family lives most of the time in Bermuda."

Are you bringing up your children the way you were brought up by your own parents?

"Well, it’s a different lifestyle from the way I was brought up."

What was your childhood like?

"Oh, my childhood was fabulous. I had a great childhood. I was working half of it but it was fabulous. I just want to bring up my children as good kids. They are wealthy, they travel around the world, visit nice places – they live a privileged life. My duty as a parent is just to bring them up as good kids."

Do you and Michael ever visit each other on your respective sets?

"Not usually. But one time, Michael did surprise me on the set of Zorro. I was doing a sword-fighting scene in a polo field when I saw somebody arrive with two kids in tow. It was Michael and our kids! They wanted to surprise me because it was my birthday."

I’m sure millions of people want to know...How does it feel kissing Banderas – again?

"Oh, it’s wonderful! ‘Hi, remember me? Haven’t we done this before?’ You know. Somebody asked me once, ‘What is the question people often ask you?’ It has absolutely nothing to do with my husband or my private life. It’s always, ‘What is it like to kiss Antonio Banderas?’ I’m not kidding! I always tell them, ‘Of course, it’s nice!’"

Do you and Michael ever talk about movies at home?

"Sure we do! We don’t obsess about it. But we’d rather watch sports on TV and old movies, too. Michael has been an old member of the Academy while I’m a new member, so we get tapes of all kinds of movies and we try to watch all of them."

Which old movie do you like most?

"I just love Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve watched it more than any other movie. I just love Audrey Hepburn in it. I cry everytime I hear Moon River (the theme song). It’s one of my favorite songs. I watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s all the time. You know, are you happy today? Let’s watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Are you depressed today? Let’s watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s one movie I can watch whatever emotional state I am in."

What tips on acting, if ever, do you get from your husband?

"He just tells me, ‘Simply enjoy it!’ I get nervous everytime I go onstage and Michael tells me, ‘Relax. Just enjoy it!’ So, I try to relax and just enjoy it."

Which of Michael’s movies would you like to remake?

"Oh yes, War of the Roses – with him, of course! It must be fun doing all those never-ending fighting scenes."

Okay, one trivia question: Which part of your body is your favorite?

"My hair. I just love my hair!"

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