Academy Award winner Catherine Zeta-Jones has a juicy recurring role on the second season of Fox‘s “Prodigal Son.” The actress guests as Dr. Vivian Capshaw, who works at a psychiatric hospital and develops a curious connection with inmate Martin Whitly, a former doctor-turned-serial killer. Zeta-Jones was familiar with “Prodigal Son” before signing on for Season 2 and jumped at the chance to play such a flawed but fascinating character. “I personally always gravitate to the darker side of human nature,” says Zeta-Jones in an exclusive new interview for Gold Derby. “I could instill that in her a bit and you don’t quite know where she’s going or where she’s come from.” Watch the full interview above.
Dr. Capshaw seems immensely qualified at her job, so it is a bit of a mystery at first why she would end up at a psychiatric hospital that doesn’t always have the proper resources. “From the surface, she is a very controlled doctor,” the actress explains. “Takes no B.S. in a dangerous environment, working one to one with a serial killer.” Eventually, we learn more about her reckless past and just why she would have that kind of connection with Martin.
One of the biggest reasons that Zeta-Jones agreed to do “Prodigal Son” was star Michael Sheen, who plays Martin. As a fellow Welsh actor who actually grew up close to her without even knowing it, Sheen was on the actress’s “bucket list that I carry around with me,” hoping to get a chance to work with him. Thus far, Zeta-Jones has shared a vast majority of her scenes with Sheen, developing a clear chemistry that makes their onscreen attraction feel real. “It was like family, in a way,” describes Zeta-Jones. “As soon as they said ‘Cut,’ we both reverted back to our childhood accents and voices and in-jokes and silly regional things that we say in Wales that nobody else will understand but we think are funny.”
As of the interview recording, Zeta-Jones is still in the process of shooting her “Prodigal Son” arc, and she likes the immediacy of reading scripts week to week and shooting them right away. The actress, who won an Oscar in 2003 for “Chicago,” hasn’t done much film work in recent years, gravitating more to TV roles. “Prodigal Son” marks her first real guest star work in a drama series and is eligible for this summer’s Emmy ballot as Best Drama Supporting Actress. She thrives in still trying new things at this stage in her career. “To do fun roles like Vivian Capshaw, surrounded by really cool dudes, easy, good, hardworking actors in a show that’s a lot of fun, it’s been a great few months, I have to say.”
PREDICT the 2021 Emmy nominees through July 13
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
