Catherine Zeta-Jones' Key to Balancing Work & Family

by Mac Duffy

In her new film, "No Reservations," Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Master Chef Kate Armstrong whose no-nonsense life is turned upside down when she learns that she must now care for her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin), after her sister is killed. Used to living her life like she runs the kitchen at upscale 22 Bleecker Restaurant in Manhattan, she must now adapt to living with "a bright, perceptive child, more comfortable with fish sticks than foie gras" and working with a brash new sous-chef (Aaron Eckhart) whose casual approach to both life and cuisine couldn't be more different from Kate's. The chemistry between them is undeniable. Will Kate venture outside the safety of her kitchen to bond with Zoe, find happiness with Nick and rediscover her appetite for life?

Although she lives a life many Moms may envy, Catherine does relate to her character more than you might think. "I'm more insecure than I ever let anyone know," she revealed in a recent interview with InStyle magazine. "Sometimes you protect yourself with this kind of armor that people see more than they see you."

With money, fame, houses on different continents and more, it is refreshing to hear that Catherine finds her greatest security in her family. Now in her seventh year of marriage to actor, Michael Douglas, and mother to two beautiful children, Dylan (six), and Carys (four), Catherine is on top of the world and plans to keep it that way. In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, she stated, "I fell in love with my husband at first sight, and I still feel the same way. I'll never get divorced, never…I grew up in a small, strictly Catholic fishing village on the coast of Wales. The people there have a different attitude towards life - people stick together more. It's in the genes. My parents have been married more than 40 years and that's a great blueprint."

What's her secret? Catherine believes the key to their relationship is spending as much time together as possible. "At some point, my little babies are going to run out of the nest and I don't want to look at Michael and say, 'Hey, remember us?'"**

This Oscar-winning actress, whose movie credits also include "Ocean's Twelve" and "Traffic," has no plans to quit acting just yet. In addition to "No Reservations," she just wrapped the movie "Death Defying Acts," about Harry Houdini, but she remains adamant that her family comes first.

"Years ago, if someone said they were doing a movie in Romania, I was like, 'What time is my flight?' I couldn't see beyond the script. Now I'm like, 'Script? I'll figure that out after dealing with the people I love more than anything in the world.'"*

In a world where the divorce rate is high and the future of our children is of growing concern, it's heartening to know that a woman in such a high-profile position takes such an impassioned stand for the importance of family. The news is filled with mostly bad news these days. Let's spread the word, not only of Catherine's success, but also of all the dedicated Moms out there who strive each day to draw their loved ones a little closer and set a good example so that others may know the way.

"No Reservations" opens nationwide July 27th, presented by Castle Rock Entertainment, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, and directed by Oscar nominee Scott Hicks. For more info, please visit http://noreservationsmovie.warnerbros.com.

*Source: InStyle magazine **Source: Harper's Bazaar Photo Credit: Mark Abrahams / Warner Bros. Pictures