Catherine Zeta-Jones says she doesn't 'take a lot of s*** from people': 'It's only something that comes from being 53'
Tayler Adigun
Catherine Zeta-Jones says she is excited for the next chapter of her life. (Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Catherine Zeta-Jones is finding liberation in growing older.
In an interview with InStyle, the Oscar-winning actress, 53, opened up about her excitement for her next chapter, not taking anyone's s*** and the perils of pigeonholing.
"Something about getting older was that I don't take a lot of s*** from people," she said. "Not that I'm snappy, or that I'm looking for s*** from people. I just don't take it, and I don't take it in a very gracious way. And it's only something that comes from experience and it's only something that comes from being 53. But I really feel now that there's a different chapter ahead of me, and it's exciting to see what happens next. My dreams have come true, and everything else now is a bonus for me."
She also went on to explain that shortly after having her children, she discovered a renowned sense of agency that allotted her the confidence to only select roles she truly wanted. Jones has been married to her husband, Michael Douglas, for 22 years, and they share two children: 22-year-old Dylan and 19-year-old Carys.
"I just felt it was right for me to go, 'OK, I can take a breath now. I don't have to be on all the time now,'" she said. "By this point, I had two little creatures to look after. I wouldn't change a thing, but I think after the body of work that I've done before, I feel like I can be — not selective — but [take on] whatever tickles my fancy. And it's a wonderful position to be in as an actor."
That isn't to say she doesn't come up against Hollywood's compartmentalization problem.
"They're like, 'Oh, women — they're really good at that, but she's probably a terrible mother, and is she ever home?' It's like, no, we are multifaceted," said Jones, who plays Morticia Addams in Netflix's Wednesday series.
She also opened up about the secret to relationship longevity, speaking to the importance of picking your battles and deflecting the pressures of "relationship goals."
"I think it's more about not thinking, for one, that we are on a pedestal in which people go, 'Oh, that's perfect,' because nothing is perfect — ever, ever, ever, ever," Jones said. "But what we do have is a very respectful relationship, in that first of all, we're not consumed by each other's careers, and we have interests and friends that are not solely in our business."
Of maintaining a decades-long marriage, she thinks it's best to "let it out when it needs to come out, and shut up when you need to shut up,' is what I say."
"It's a long journey. Pick your battles," Jones explained.
Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
Top teams kept apart in FA Cup; Wrexham could face Tottenham
LONDON (AP) — The biggest teams remaining in the FA Cup were kept apart in the draw for the fifth round on Monday. Manchester City must travel to second-tier Bristol City while Manchester United was given another home match against either third-tier Derby or West Ham, who met late Monday. Tottenham might have the most interesting match after being drawn against either second-tier Sheffield United or fifth-tier Wrexham, which is owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Wrexham w
Minister says Alberta to 'strengthen' free speech on campuses as U of L halts controversial lecture
Alberta's advanced education minister says new steps to "strengthen free speech" on post-secondary campuses will be announced in the near future, news that follows a decision by one university to reverse course on a planned speech by a controversial academic. The University of Lethbridge said this week that former Mount Royal University professor Frances Widdowson, who'd been scheduled to do a lecture Wednesday night on campus, would not be provided space. She had been fired from MRU in 2021. Wi
Liberals should legislate long-term care standards to fulfil pledge in pact, says NDP
OTTAWA — The Liberals must enshrine new standards for long-term care homes in law to fulfil a pledge in the confidence-and-supply agreement that would help keep their minority government in power, the health critic for the New Democrats said Tuesday. A panel of experts with the non-profit Health Standards Organization released updated the guidance for long-term care in Canada on Tuesday, in light of the deadly and tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic took on residents and their quality of life. The
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Israel-Palestine visit comes amid soaring tensions
The top diplomat's visit comes amid heightened tensions after Israeli soldiers sealed off the family home Sunday of a 21-year-old Palestinian, Khayri Alqam, who killed seven people near a synagogue in east Jerusalem on Friday.View on euronews
After 73 years of marriage, this couple is forced to live apart
An Ottawa couple has had to live in separate care facilities for 19 months despite their children's efforts to reunite them, a situation one expert calls a "human tragedy." Their daughter Cynthia Hooper said she's concerned about the effect the separation is having on the cognitive health of her parents, John and Gwen Hooper. Her father, in particular, has suffered cognitive decline. "Whenever he's agitated, he often, often calls out my mother's name," Cynthia said. "It's heart-wrenching that af
Mahmoud Abbas spent much of his life before becoming Palestinian president in the shadow of Yasser Arafat, long the figurehead of the Palestinian cause, but he has never secured the same status in the role and has not brought his people closer to statehood. Based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the 87-year-old has seen his role further eclipsed by the rise of Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled Gaza since 2006, and by the expanding Jewish settlements on occupied West Bank land. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited him on Tuesday, after repeating Washington's support for a two-state solution.
Pakistan shaken by suspected suicide bombing
A blast in a mosque in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar has killed at least 34 people and injured up to 150, an incident local officials suspect to be a suicide bombing targeting police.