Catherine Zeta-Jones Knows She’s ‘Really Good’ at Playing Bad in

According to Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones is “terrifying” without trying. That’s the one rare piece of acting advice the Chicago alum’s husband has given her, and it’s advice she’s applied to her latest role in National Treasure: Edge of History.

“We never give any advice as actors,” Zeta-Jones tells us. “We never read the scripts. We just go off to work and do our own thing. But once, [Douglas] said to me, ’cause I was playing a [villain] role, ‘Just remember, honey, you don’t have to do much.’ I went, ‘What do you mean?’ And he goes, ‘You’re terrifying when you do nothing.’”

The Oscar winner plays the villainous black-market antiquities dealer Billie in National Treasure: Edge of History, Disney+’s spinoff series of the Nicolas Cage-led hit movie franchise. The series follows Jess (Lisette Olivera), an undocumented 22-year-old whose wit is her superpower, who works in a storage facility and dreams of being an FBI analyst. She’s thrown on an unexpected adventure when she accidentally uncovers clues to ancient Mayan treasure, leading her to meet film franchise alum Harvey Keitel‘s former FBI agent Peter Sadusky just before his death. She and her friends then race to beat Billie to the treasure and discover the truth about Jess’ deceased father.

Billie is the apparent big bad of the historical fiction/action series, but Zeta-Jones tells us there’s more to her character than meets the eye. Is she a villain, or is she the hero of her own story? For Zeta-Jones, there’s “an ambiguity” about Billie that she made a point to imbue. “The fragility of her is there if you crack away at this character.”

Like her character in Traffic, Zeta-Jones sees a dark side to this character that she particularly enjoys. “I do get a kick out of playing the little darker side of human nature, I really do,” she shares with a laugh. “Whether it’s because I’ve suppressed my own for so many years, that every time I get on the screen, I’m like, ‘Yeah! I get to play a really bad person.’ Because I’m good at that. I’m really good at that.” (Perhaps that’s what was so delicious about her Morticia Addams in Wednesday.)

The star says that as history reveals itself in National Treasure, the why behind Billie’s dastardly deeds (which includes kidnapping Oren for ransom in the early episodes, just to name one threat) will become more clear. We can’t wait to see it all play out! Watch the full video interview above.

National Treasure: Edge of History, Wednesdays, Disney+, Episodes 1 & 2 Streaming Now

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