Editing Catherine Zeta-Jones (section)

=== 1998–2000: Hollywood breakthrough and success ===
[[File:Catherine Zeta-Jones Cannes.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Zeta-Jones attending the premiere of ''[[Entrapment (film)|Entrapment]]'' at the [[1999 Cannes Film Festival]]]]
[[Steven Spielberg]] took notice of Zeta-Jones in ''Titanic'' and recommended her to [[Martin Campbell]], who was directing ''[[The Mask of Zorro]]'' (1998) for Spielberg's production company. Campbell cast her as the leading lady instead of [[Izabella Scorupco]], who was his original choice for the part.<ref name="zorro">{{cite news|last=Strauss |first=Bob |title='Zorro' Star Rose from 'Titanic' |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |url=http://articles.philly.com/1998-07-24/news/25736750_1_zorro-titanic-catherine-zeta-jones |date=24 July 1998 |access-date=6 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417141255/http://articles.philly.com/1998-07-24/news/25736750_1_zorro-titanic-catherine-zeta-jones |archive-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> Co-starring [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Antonio Banderas]], the film tells the story of [[Zorro]] (Hopkins), a Spanish warrior (the film is set in Old California) who sets out to avenge the death of his wife and find his lost daughter Elena (Zeta-Jones). She found similarities between her "volatile" Celtic personality and her Latin character's temperament, and in preparation she learnt dancing, riding and sword-fighting, and took diction lessons in Spanish.<ref>{{cite news|last=Marin |first=Rick |title=Zorro's Girl Outgrows Her Petticoats |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/02/style/zorro-s-girl-outgrows-her-petticoats.html |date=2 May 1999 |access-date=6 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307131348/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/02/style/zorro-s-girl-outgrows-her-petticoats.html |archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hiscock |first1=John |title=Chef role a stretch for hopeless cook; Catherine Zeta-Jones spent |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=28 July 2007 |page=E06}}</ref> Filming action and dance sequences while wearing heavy corsets in the dry Mexican desert proved challenging for Zeta-Jones, but she found the experience "worth suffering for".<ref name="zorro"/> ''The Mask of Zorro'' was positively received by the critics and grossed over $250&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mask_of_zorro/ |title=The Mask of Zorro (1998) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822054952/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mask_of_zorro/ |archive-date=22 August 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=maskofzorro.htm |title=The Mask of Zorro (1998) |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |date=31 December 1998 |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818162757/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=maskofzorro.htm |archive-date=18 August 2015 }}</ref> The role proved to be a breakthrough for her and she was nominated for the [[MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance]].<ref name="ign">{{cite web|last=Otto |first=Jeff |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/26/interview-catherine-zeta-jones |title=Interview: Catherine Zeta-Jones |website=IGN |date=26 October 2005 |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727190207/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/26/interview-catherine-zeta-jones |archive-date=27 July 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1999/ |title=1999 MTV Movie Awards |publisher=MTV |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630202124/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1999/ |archive-date=30 June 2015}}</ref>

Zeta-Jones's first release of 1999 was the heist film ''[[Entrapment (film)|Entrapment]]'', in which she starred opposite [[Sean Connery]] as a seductive insurance agent on the lookout for an art thief. Despite a negative critical reception, the film was a commercial success;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=entrapment.htm |title=Entrapment (1999) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |date=8 August 1999 |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822073916/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=entrapment.htm |archive-date=22 August 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/entrapment/ |title=Entrapment (1999) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822054913/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/entrapment/ |archive-date=22 August 2015 }}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] of ''The New York Times'' thought the film provided Zeta-Jones a platform to "show off her slithery skills", and [[Desson Thomson|Desson Howe]] of ''The Washington Post'' called on viewers to appreciate the sex appeal she brought to the role.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/film/043099entrap-film-review.html |title='Entrapment': They're a Devilish Match, but Who's Conning Who? |work=The New York Times |date=30 April 1999 |access-date=14 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/entrapmenthowe.htm |title='Entrapment' (PG-13) |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=30 April 1999 |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723084434/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/entrapmenthowe.htm |archive-date=23 July 2015}}</ref> Later that year, Zeta-Jones appeared alongside [[Liam Neeson]] and [[Lili Taylor]] in ''[[The Haunting (1999 film)|The Haunting]]'', a remake of the [[The Haunting (1963 film)|1963 film of the same name]] about a team of paranormal experts who look into strange occurrences in an ill-fated mansion. The horror feature received generally poor reviews but found a significant worldwide audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1090789-haunting/ |title=The Haunting (1999) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822054958/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1090789-haunting/ |archive-date=22 August 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=haunting.htm |title=The Haunting (1999) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905093252/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=haunting.htm |archive-date=5 September 2015 }}</ref> In a scathing review, the critic [[Mick LaSalle]] wrote that "Zeta-Jones seems less an actress and more a pretty face, and not an interesting one at that".<ref>{{cite news|last=LaSelle |first=Mick |author-link=Mick LaSalle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/The-Haunting-Is-Pretty-Stupid-2918680.php |title='The Haunting' Is Pretty Stupid |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=23 July 1999 |access-date=30 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701204301/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/The-Haunting-Is-Pretty-Stupid-2918680.php |archive-date=1 July 2016}}</ref>

After taking the supporting part of the lead [[John Cusack]]'s former romantic interest in the comedy-drama ''[[High Fidelity (film)|High Fidelity]]'' (2000), Zeta-Jones starred in [[Steven Soderbergh]]'s ''[[Traffic (2000 film)|Traffic]]'' (2000).<ref>{{cite news |last=French |first=Philip |title=This one's a hit&nbsp;... |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=23 July 2000 |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2000/jul/23/philipfrench |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-date=24 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324154302/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jul/23/philipfrench |url-status=live }}</ref> In the ensemble thriller on drug abuse co-starring [[Michael Douglas]] and [[Benicio del Toro]], she played Helena, the pregnant wife of a drug lord who takes over the business when her husband is arrested. Originally written as a mother of two, Soderbergh changed the part to that of a pregnant woman on Zeta-Jones's suggestion to accommodate her own pregnancy.<ref>{{cite web|last=King |first=Larry |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0107/21/lklw.00.html |title=Movie Star Catherine Zeta-Jones Discusses Her Life and Career |publisher=CNN |date=21 July 2001 |access-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305133641/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0107/21/lklw.00.html |archive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref> Highly profitable at the box office and critically acclaimed,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=traffic.htm |title=Traffic (2000) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815115503/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=traffic.htm |archive-date=15 August 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1103281-traffic/ |title=Traffic (2000) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=14 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820074301/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1103281-traffic/ |archive-date=20 August 2015 }}</ref> ''Traffic'' was described by the ''[[Dallas Observer]]'' as "a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, a beautiful and brutal work".<ref>{{cite news|last=Wilonsky |first=Robert |url=http://dallasobserver.com/2001-01-04/film/american-high/ |title=Dallas&nbsp;- Movies&nbsp;- American High |work=[[Dallas Observer]] |date=4 January 2001 |access-date=17 October 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511010607/http://dallasobserver.com/2001-01-04/film/american-high/ |archive-date=11 May 2008}}</ref> Edward Guthman of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' considered Zeta-Jones to be a standout among the cast and labelled her "sensational" in a scene in which Helena confronts a [[Tijuana]] dealer, adding that "through sheer conviction, she electrifies a moment that could have been absurd".<ref>{{cite news|last=Guthman |first=Edward |url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Moving-Traffic-Soderbergh-s-riveting-thriller-2968112.php |title=Moving 'Traffic' / Soderbergh's riveting thriller lays open America's anti-drug campaign |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=5 January 2001 |access-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421203752/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Moving-Traffic-Soderbergh-s-riveting-thriller-2968112.php |archive-date=21 April 2016}}</ref> The ensemble of ''Traffic'' won the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|SAG Award for Outstanding Cast]] and Zeta-Jones was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress{{snds}}Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/7th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards |title=7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards |publisher=[[Screen Actors Guild]] |access-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317231639/http://sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/7th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards |archive-date=17 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="hfp">{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/catherine-zeta-jones |title=Golden Globe Awards for 'Catherine Zeta-Jones' |publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] |access-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420233914/http://www.goldenglobes.com/person/catherine-zeta-jones |archive-date=20 April 2016}}</ref>