Catherine Zeta-Jones admits avoiding Hollywood 'schmoozing' may have been detrimental to her career

Entertainment

Catherine Zeta-Jones admits avoiding Hollywood 'schmoozing' may have been detrimental to her career

Oscar winner has spent decades in New York with husband Michael Douglas instead of Los Angeles

Stephanie Giang-Paunon Fox News

Published

February 3, 2026 11:21am EST

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Catherine Zeta-Jones chose New York over Hollywood — and she never looked back.

The Oscar-winning actress is offering a rare glimpse into her life far from Los Angeles, revealing that decades spent on the East Coast with husband Michael Douglas may have affected her acting career.Fdisfdi

"It’s interesting whether it’s been detrimental to my career," Zeta-Jones admitted to People. "I never quite know — because I’ve never been in L.A. schmoozing."

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Catherine Zeta-Jones poses at the global premiere of

Catherine Zeta-Jones is reprising her iconic role as Morticia Addams in Netflix’s hit series "Wednesday." (Aimee Rose McGhee/Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images)

While many stars stay in Los Angeles in search of the next role, Zeta-Jones, 56, has spent years building a life in and around New York City — a choice she said has shaped her family, her friendships and possibly her career trajectory.

The actress made it clear that Hollywood insiders are not exactly regulars at her dinner table, she added in her interview to the media outlet remotely from "40 minutes out of the city."

"I spend more time with New York business people, Wall Street people, art people," she said. "Our friends and the people we bump into are different than if I was in L.A."

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Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas

The actress admits she's "never been in LA schmoozing" while building life on the East Coast with husband Michael Douglas. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

It’s not a dig at Hollywood, she emphasized. "I swing in a few different roundabouts here in the city," she explained.

Zeta-Jones and Douglas, 81, have been navigating those "roundabouts" together for more than 25 years. The pair met in 1998, married in 2000 and raised two children — Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22 — largely away from the Hollywood bubble.

Douglas additionally has a son, Cameron, 47, with his ex-wife Diandra Luker.

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With their younger children officially grown, the couple is entering a new phase.

Michael Douglas in a suit and tie pictured with his daughter Carys Zeta Douglas, who is wearing a black dress; Catherine Zeta-Jones pictured in 2005 wearing a black dress

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones share two children — Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Perelman Performing Arts Center; KMazur/WireImage)

In June 2024, they listed their massive 11,653-square-foot riverfront estate in Irvington, New York.

At the time, Zeta-Jones told The Wall Street Journal the move made sense now that her children had "left the nest."

What hasn’t changed is her connection to New York’s art world.

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Catherine Zeta-Jones at the Academy Awards in 2003.

Zeta-Jones says she spends time with "Wall Street people, art people" rather than Hollywood insiders while promoting new film "The Gallerist." (Joe Llano/WireImage)

"I used to go and love to look at people’s art in their fancy houses in the Hamptons," she said, as she described herself as "an eclectic collector."

In one of her latest projects, "The Gallerist," Zeta-Jones stars as Marianne, a polished, powerful art consultant. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

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Despite keeping her distance from Hollywood’s daily grind, Zeta-Jones is far from slowing down.

She’s set to reprise her iconic role as Morticia Addams in Netflix’s hit series "Wednesday," and she's also starring in Prime Video’s upcoming thriller "Kill Jackie."

Stephanie Giang-Paunon is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.giang@fox.com and on Twitter: @SGiangPaunon.

Catherine Zeta-Jones admits avoiding Hollywood 'schmoozing' may have been detrimental to her career