The partnership paid off pretty good for Zeta Jones too. She got cast in a bunch of big budget block busters, one of which - Traffic - Douglas produced for her. He stated somewhere that he wanted Traffic to do for CZJ what the Godfather did for Al Pacino. She also bagged an Oscar along the way. Based on the cui bono principle some cynical types felt that this confirmed CZJ had married for fun and profit. It even had some waiting for cheating/divorce rumours to break.
Well 12 years and 2 kids later CZJ and Michael Douglas are still very much a couple. What's more CZJ is putting her film career on hold. Actually she put that on the back burner for awhile, and spend time with her husband and kids down in the Caribbean. However since Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with throat cancer she's put it on the back burner with a vengeance.
Zeta Jones has recently been offered some interesting film roles. One of them is in a flick based on the making of the Prince and the Showgirl. That was the Marylin Munroe flick done at Pinewood Studios and co starring Larry Olivier. An all star cast has already been lined up too! Marylin will be played by Michelle Williams & Olivier by Kenneth Branaugh. The whole story will be told from the point of view of a fly on the wall - studio gofer Colin Clark - who will be played by Eddie Redmayne. Judi Dench and Emma Watson will also be participating in the flick.
That only left some one to play Olivier's aging and mentally unstable wife Vivien Leigh. Leigh had been a movie goddess back when she played Scarlett O Hara in Gone With The Wind. Things took a bad turn for her while playing Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire on the London stage. Streetcar was the story of an aging southern belle who cracks up when faced with the prospect of growing old, combined with a tumultuous Stanley Kawolski relationship. Leigh was getting on at the time - which probably made producers think that she'd be perfect for the role. However her husband Olivier was a notorious philanderer so the combination of personal issues combined with the pressure to doing a 'too close to home' project 8 times a week for 2 years lead to Leigh having a mental breakdown (she was diagnosed as schizophrenic).
For some reason when the producers thought about casting Leigh they thought of CZJ. They're both Brit gals who conquered Hollywood so it seemed natural enough. Plus CZJ is getting on - though to give her credit she's in far better condition than the significantly younger Pamela Anderson. Since it covers a significant episode in Hollywood history, this might be a prestige part for CZJ.
There is a fly in the anointment. Michael Douglas has recently been diagnosed with a severe case of throat cancer. In fact recent reports say that it's much worse than originally thought. So Catherine Zeta has passed on the role so she can spend more time at home with her husband. Movie commitments would take up far too much time, and CZJ wants to stay close to home during the crisis period. That's uncharacteristic behavior for a woman on the make and motivated by ambition. So maybe now all those nay sayers will have to own up and admit that the couple has something!
