Catherine Zeta-Jones opens up about role that transformed her career

Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed that her role in The Darling Buds of May had a greater impact on her success than fans may realise. The 57-year-old actress was cast as Mariette Larkin in the ITV period drama, which first aired in 1991 and followed the lives of the Larkin family in 1950s rural Kent. Catherine has now shared that she became a 'celebrity overnight' after her first appearance in the series aired. It is noteworthy that The Darling Buds of May ran for three series between 1991 and 1993, which helped make Catherine a household name. Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, she said: 'That one hour of television changed my life. I became a celebrity overnight and people sort of forgot I was an actor.' After having more television success in Britain, Catherine made the jump from television to Hollywood, appearing in the 1996 superhero movie The Phantom opposite Billy Zane, and then appeared in the 1998 blockbuster The Mask of Zorro with Antonio Banderas, which was a box office hit. Catherine says it was necessary to start afresh in Los Angeles because she was unknown in America, whereas in the UK she had become a bona fide celebrity. 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.' Catherine made a life for herself in LA and went on to marry Michael Douglas in November 2000. The couple have two children together, son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23.