Catherine Zeta-Jones is surprising fans by returning to her natural Swansea accent for the first time in a major role. She stars as Jackie Price in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video thriller series Kill Jackie, scheduled to premiere on October 2, bringing her unmistakable Welsh voice to the screen.
Returning to Her Swansea Roots on Screen
The Oscar-winning actress is playing a character using her natural Welsh accent. The 56-year-old Hollywood actor returned to her hometown of Swansea, where some of the filming took place for Amazon’s Kill Jackie. Fremantle and Steel Springs Pictures are attached to the production, which also used Bilbao, Lisbon and London as filming locations. The Welsh actress stars as lead character Jackie Price in Kill Jackie, an upcoming thriller series coming to Amazon Prime Video this autumn. A new trailer released on social media has given viewers their first proper look at Zeta-Jones in the role – with her unmistakable Swansea accent quickly attracting attention.
While her filmography includes high-profile projects like Morticia Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday and an Oscar-winning supporting role in Chicago, Kill Jackie will be her first major role using her Welsh accent. The actress was born in Swansea and has previously spoken about her strong connection to Wales, adding in her heart she never really left. When the trailer dropped, social media lit up with enthusiastic reactions from viewers delighted to hear her authentic voice. One fan commented on an Instagram post of the trailer, saying her Welsh is out and I love it, can’t wait. Another fan wrote I love she used her natural Welsh accent for this, while a third added Woohooo loving her Welsh accent. Cymru am byth! Another fan also said they loved hearing the queen of Wales sounding Welsh.
Overcoming Early Industry Roadblocks
Using her natural accent marks a notable moment for an actor who once faced professional hurdles regarding her regional speech. Jones has rarely used her real accent in her work, telling Closer magazine in 2005 it was classed as a drawback when she first started out. She said there aren’t many movies for Welsh lasses, noting that was one of my biggest problems when I first started.
Decades later, that career trajectory has evolved to allow her to bring her true identity to the screen. For Welsh viewers, however, it may be Zeta-Jones’ accent that proves to be one of the most exciting parts of the new series. Zeta-Jones said she had been looking forward to the opportunity to explore a female-driven plot that encompasses empowerment, identity and redemption.
Unraveling the Plot of Kill Jackie
Beyond the linguistic milestone, the series follows a high-stakes narrative filled with dangerous secrets and action. The new series follows Jackie Price, a woman who has spent the last 20 years living a luxurious and anonymous life travelling the world and selling fine art. However, the Oscar-winning star plays Jackie Price, an extravagant jet-setter who is trying to stay anonymous after escaping a dangerous past as an international cocaine dealer, according to Amazon Prime. Before disappearing from public view, she was an international drug smuggler – and her carefully constructed new life is thrown into chaos when she discovers that a group of some of the world’s most feared hitmen have been hired to kill her.
Believing someone from her past is behind the attempt on her life, Jackie decides to fight back, drawing on the skills and instincts she has tried to leave behind. She sets out to take down ‘The Seven Demons’ one by one, but soon discovers that the secrets she has spent decades burying could prove even more dangerous than the assassins hunting her.
Creative Team and Upcoming Premiere
The creative team behind the thriller brings together industry veterans across writing and production. The series is based on the novel The Price You Pay by Nick Harkaway, published under his pseudonym Aidan Truhen. The series is co-created by Conor Keane, Tom Butterworth, known for Gangs of London, Peter Lawson, whose credits include John Wick, and Damon Thomas, known for Killing Eve. Damon Thomas, of Killing Eve, also stars in the show alongside Óscar Jaenada as Zigor and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Jackie Price. Meanwhile, Gangs Of London’s Tom Butterworth is the writer and showrunner of the series. Kill Jackie will premiere on 2 October on Amazon Prime.
