MEDIA RELEASE: Thursday August 20, 2020
“I wanted to let it all hang out”
Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones kicks off our new movie channel and reveals why she was happy to transform from glamazon to unrecognisable drug lord for her made-for-TV film
What’s inside the September issue of Foxtel magazine?
Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Affleck and now Catherine Zeta-Jones are among a long list of some of the biggest names in showbiz to star in Lifetime Movies.
From September 1, Foxtel launches new movie channel LMN – Lifetime Movie Network, with Zeta-Jones joining the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Shannen Doherty, Denise Richards and Elizabeth McGovern – to name but a few global talents – in bringing the channel to life in Australia.
Before taking on the role of Griselda Blanco in LMN – Lifetime Movie Network’s Cocaine Godmother, Zeta-Jones admits she had lost her “fearlessness” when it came to acting. Thankfully, however, she reclaimed it portraying the ruthless Blanco.
“When roles don’t necessarily come your way, you get insecure,” she explains. “Then you start questioning your judgement, start questioning your taste. You kind of lose what made you do it – that fearlessness. This role solidified in me that, as an actor, you have to hold on to that fearless quality.”
The Oscar-winning actress didn’t want to sugar-coat Blanco, ensuring she fully transformed herself to embody the cartel queen warts-and-all.
“I gained weight, I hunched over,” she reveals of playing the larger-than-life character. “If I had balls, I’d have grabbed them from time to time. I wanted to let it all hang out.”
For Goldberg – who is executive producer on A Day Late and a Dollar Short and tackles the lead role of matriarch Viola Price – the chance to bring this uplifting story about a mother and her dysfunctional family to the screen was a no-brainer.
“It’s a great story… and you know [Viola] is going to work it out for her family,” says the iconic performer. “I was proud of it.”
From true stories ripped straight from the headlines to biopics and thrilling flicks, LMN – Lifetime Movie Network will keep movie customers entertained 24/7 on channel 411.
Also in the September issue
Former surfing champ Mick Fanning unveils a project close to his heart, National Geographic’s new two-part documentary Save This Shark, premiering on September 15. He also reveals how filming helped him heal following his own close encounter with a shark in South Africa five years ago.
“I was petrified,” he reflects of the ordeal that occurred while competing at Jeffreys Bay, adding of the doco: “I had my own fears about sharks, I had my own demons that I had to go and face. I feel like I understand sharks better [now]… This whole journey’s been a healing process for me and I’m glad I faced those demons.”
Foxtel magazine September issue hits Australian subscriber homes from this week, media release attached.
-Brad