Washington, DC [US], September 9 : Actors Drew Barrymore and Catherine Zeta-Jones have credited legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg for launching their careers in Hollywood, reported People.
For the season six premiere of 'The Drew Barrymore Show', Barrymore welcomed 'Wednesday' star Catherine Zeta-Jones. In a preview clip of the full episode airing, Barrymore reflected on Zeta-Jones' career-defining role as Elena Montero in 1998's The Mask of Zorro.
"I mean, The Mask of Zorro," Barrymore said. "Whoa, hello, somebody walked onto the stage and changed everything forever as we know it."
Asked if there was any moment from the film that "jumps out" for her, Zeta-Jones said, "Oh my gosh, so, so much, but I remember being in the TV series of Titanic, which is not the Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet one, but it was okay. I needed the job," reported People.
"And, Steven Spielberg happened to be watching TV on a Sunday night and went, 'Oh, who's she? Maybe she should be good in Zorro.' I get a call next week to go and meet the director Martin Campbell," she added.
She remembered how quickly things moved. Just a few days later, she said, "I was on a plane to Mexico."
"Next few days, I was screen testing with the gorgeous Antonio Banderas and my old home country icon Anthony Hopkins, who directed me in a play when I was 18 years old, and there I was and I thought to myself, 'If this ends right now, this has just been a dream come true.' And then I got the job and it changed my life," she said, as quoted by People.
Barrymore replied, "So are we saying that Steven Spielberg changed both of our lives? Okay, thank God for Steven Spielberg."
Barrymore was just seven when she captured hearts in Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, as per the outlet.
Years later, Spielberg's casting of Catherine Zeta-Jones in 'The Mask of Zorro' would change her life in unexpected ways. After seeing her performance in the 1998 film, Michael Douglas--then already a Hollywood veteran from Fatal Attraction--said he instantly knew she was "the one."
In a 2016 appearance on 'The Jonathan Ross Show', Douglas revealed he even asked his publicist to arrange a meeting. While their first encounter didn't go entirely as planned, the couple went on to build a life together, welcoming their first child before marrying in 2000, reported People.