Catherine Zeta-Jones' Has It All - But After 22-Years of Marriage She's in “Thankful Mode’ For One Simple Reason

Thursday was Thanksgiving, a time when families get together to chow down and reflect on what they're grateful for in life. Celebrities and laypeople alike are taking to social media to express their gratitude this holiday season - including an emotional post from Wednesday cast member Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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At 53, Catherine Zeta-Jones maintains the most glamorous woman in Hollywood crown with little effort. Her Instagram post this Thursday was an inside look into the Zeta-Jones-Douglas home, and a reminder that even celebrities who seem to have it all value the priceless things in life.

Catherine Zeta-Jones Stars As Morticia Adams in Tim Burton's Wednesday

Morticia Addams has been an iconic character since her earliest iteration in Charles Addams's comic series. She's been interpreted since. in live action and animated adaptations, by talented actresses like Carolyn Jones, Angelica Houston and Charlize Theron. Now Catherine Zeta-Jones is putting her own spin on everyone's favourite gothic matriarch.

Some fans were surprised at Wednesday's casting of Gomez and Morticia Addams. In this version of the story, Gomez is played by Luis Guzmán - a wonderful actor who perhaps doesn't look like the Gomez Addams in most people's minds, and is certainly an odd choice visually to play opposite Zeta-Jones.

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This was intentional on the part of director Tim Burton. In the original comics, Gomez and Morticia are a contrasting pair. Morticia is very tall and slender, while Gomez is shorter with an almost piggish face.

Many versions of the Addams Family have opted to ignore this, making Gomez more suave-looking to balance Morticia. Raul Julia's performance opposite Angelica Houston in the 1990s is an example of this. Burton wanted to capture that original mismatched feeling in the casting, accentuating how odd of a couple Gomez and Morticia really are.

"We were going back to the drawings in the sense that they're a beautifully mismatched couple who are in love," Burton explained. "That's what I loved about it. They're such a striking, mismatched pair."

It's also refreshing to see Gomez played by a Latino actor, which isn't always the case.

What Catherine Zeta-Jones Is Thankful for This Thanksgiving

Beyond her career success, Zeta-Jones has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. The actress took to her @catherinezetajones Instagram to reflect on all of the good things in her life - things that we can all relate to.

In her post, which included photos of her family, Zeta-Jones wrote, "Happy Thanksgiving to Americans near and far. With work commitments this year we are not in turkey mode, but in serious thankful mode for the blessings of health, happiness and family. Love to you all.

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It isn't surprising that Zeta-Jones is grateful for health, happiness and family. Her marriage to Michael Douglas hasn't always been a smooth one. Douglas has also battled cancer in the past, so it's good to hear that everyone is healthy.

Catherine Zeta-Jones’s 22-Year Marriage to Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas's interest in Catherine Zeta-Jones first started when he saw her in 1998's The Mask of Zorro. Douglas was a bit too intense during their first date, going so far as to say that he would be the father of her children. This caused Zeta-Jones to end the date.

But, as Zeta-Jones would concede in a People interview, he was right. By November 2000, they were married with a son. The wedding took place at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and included a star-studded guestlist, with Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, and Brad Pitt in attendance among others. In 2003, they had their second child, a daughter.

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In 2010, Douglas as a tumour on his tongue and was diagnosed with throat cancer. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation to treat it. Zeta-Jones said the hardest part of Douglas's battle wit cancer was seeing her usually-energetic husband become perpetually tired. Luckily, by 2011, he was cancer-free.

The couple separated in 2013, citing the stresses of Douglas's cancer and Zeta-Jones's bipolar II disorder as causes for the split. Within the year they were attending events together again, and by 2015 Douglas was telling interviewers that they were "back stronger than ever."

Learning From Catherine Zeta-Jones This Thanksgiving

We can all learn from Zeta-Jones's Instagram post this week. From the outside, at least, Zeta-Jones seems to be living a glitzy life. She's a movie star, married to another movie star, who attends glamorous events and can afford property in New York City.

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In a highly competitive industry, she's managed to rise to the top and become a household name. She plays iconic characters like Morticia Addams and Chicago's Velma Kelly. By our society's standards, she's an extremely successful and talented woman.

And yet when she listed all the things she's grateful for this year, she didn't mention her career or her success. Perhaps this was in an attempt to avoid looking braggy, but it's probably deeper than that.

At the end of the day, Zeta-Jones suffers from bipolar disorder, has a husband who has survived cancer and is a mother of two accomplished and happy children. When the camera stops rolling and the makeup comes off, what really matters? "Health, happiness and family."

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