Catherine Zeta-Jones uses Swansea accent on screen in Kill Jackie

Catherine Zeta-Jones has launched her new TV series, Kill Jackie, in central London. The Hollywood star plays Jackie Price, a wealthy art dealer with a secret past who fights back after becoming the target of a squad of hitmen. In the show, seven assassins are chasing Jackie Price.

The main talking point is her accent. For the first time in a major production, Zeta-Jones uses her natural Welsh accent, specifically her Swansea accent. She said it was her idea to make the character Welsh. She is also an executive producer on the series, and the production went back to Swansea to shoot.

Zeta-Jones described the experience as liberating and said it helped solidify Jackie as a character. She said she does not move in the same world as the character, a former drug smuggler turned art dealer, but she knows Jackie Price and based parts of the role on people she knows. She said Swansea girls tend to say what they need to say, and she believed they would be happy to be associated with Jackie Price.

At a school drama workshop in Mumbles, where Zeta-Jones grew up, children said they liked hearing her use her own accent. People in Swansea said they were proud to see her put the city and Welsh people back on the map. The coverage also noted research showing that viewers are hearing a wider range of regional accents on screen, including in leading roles.

In a separate interview, Zeta-Jones said the role was the first time she had used her native Welsh accent on screen and the first time she had filmed in her hometown. She called filming in Swansea quite emotional and recalled locals greeting her and asking what she was doing. She said she was told when she was young to soften her accent, and later told bluntly to get rid of it, but she never did. She added that Welsh accents were rarely heard when she started out and that the Swansea accent is very specific.

She also discussed the music used in the series, saying she had a say in the choices. These included tracks by Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler and Shirley Bassey. Kill Jackie is due to be released next week.