Catherine Zeta-Jones Is Proud of Her Brood

It's been a while since we've seen Catherine Zeta-Jones on the big screen. She's been a little bit busy raising her two children, Dylan, 6, and Carys, 4, with husband Michael Douglas.

This month she makes her return playing an uptight chef in No Reservations. In the film, the Oscar winning actress hopes to show audiences a softer side of her personality.

For now, she and Douglas take turns working so one is always home with the kids, but they do have a joint film in the works which will be a family affair.

While filming No Reservations, Dylan was faced with the reality of having a movie-making-mom according to the films director Scott Hicks: "Her little boy was looking at the monitor, and Catherine's stand-in was there with her back to the camera. He could only see the back of her head. He said, 'There's Mummy!' And Michael said, 'No, that's Mummy's stand-in.' And Dylan said, 'Oh, you mean I can marry her?' " Hicks recalls. "It's so sweet. It's every boy's dream."

The family typically steers clear of Los Angeles instead spending thei time at homes in New York, Spain, and Canada while spending most of their time at the estate in Bermuda with the children. The couple prefer to raise their kids on the island nation so the children can go to a regular school without attracting paparazzi lenses.

At home, Zeta-Jones describes her family as homebodies. Family time is spent reading to the kids, tucking them into bed and let them pick what's on the family menu each Saturday.

"The kids eat what the grown-ups eat. I'm very much like Kate [her No Reservations character] about the fish sticks," she says. "I always cut the heads off (fish) and give it to them filleted, but no fish sticks."

While she's busy promoting No Reservations in Manhattan, Douglas and the kids are spending some time at their home in Spain.

Leaving them behind "is just a really hard thing to do. It never gets any better. It's that initial thing of 'Bye, Mama.' It just kills me. I arrive in New York looking like a frog because it took me two hours into the flight to get it together."

Another big accomplishment for Zeta-Jones are her children's manners -- there are no tantrums allowed in the household.

"We're both very big on manners. I get complimented on that, and it makes me very proud," she says. "I was brought up in a fairly disciplined environment, and it stands you in good stead, especially with spotlights on kids who come from families who are known. But at the end of the day, if it came down to it, we're strict in different ways. I would give in quicker than Michael. When he says no, he means no. When he makes a decision, that's it. Done."

Despite her obvious pride in her family, she has no plans on making any new additions.

"Healthy, gorgeous, one of each, I couldn't ask for more. I wanted three, and that equation has always been good. But Michael reminds me that I do have a stepson, Cameron (28), so technically I have three."

Don't expect to see the kids on screen anytime soon either, but when they are old enought to decide for themselves she would support them in a career on the big screen.

"I've had a great life. I wouldn't let my children, as kids (be in movies), but when they're grown up, if they really want to do it, I can only say 'Go for it.' Look at what happened in my life."

Source: USA Today