Catherine Zeta-Jones says an unexpected career move got her discovered by Steven Spielberg

Catherine Zeta-Jones was in her 20s whenever she made a decision that would alter her occupation forever.

At the time, the Welsh performer was celebrated to UK audiences for leading in the famous early-'90s British series, "The Darling Buds of May." But she yearned for more, so she decided to move to California and see if she could create it in Hollywood.

With six months on a visa, Zeta-Jones had to get activity quickly, and auditions were a bit of an ego check.

"I'd been in this endeavor since I was 9 years old, professionally in theater and in television, and a few films in Britain at that point," Zeta-Jones told Business Insider. "But I'd go into casting agents, and they'd be asking me what I had done."

She ended up taking a function on the 1996 CBS miniseries "Titanic." Though it wasn't a "huge leap" for her, it led to item equal better: notice from Steven Spielberg.

The director happened to be observing the display one night and liked what he saw. He suggested she display test for "The Mask of Zorro," which he was producing. A week later, she was "shipped downward to Mexico to display test alongside Antonio Banderas."

The remainder is history.

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