Everything We Know About Carys Zeta Douglas
Running the gamut from celebrity kids you never hear about to those who have become A-listers in their own right, the children of famous parents usually land somewhere in either camp. Carys Zeta Douglas lands somewhere in the middle. The daughter of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas doesn't often make headlines, but she has done interviews and she's not shy about sharing her love for her friends, her special bond with her family, or her incredible musical talent with her massive amount of Instagram followers (as of this writing, she boasted 187k followers — and counting). Having said that, she also knows how to draw a line between personal and professional.
This is one celeb kiddo who appears to be incredibly wise and sensible for her age. As Zeta-Jones told Hello! in 2018, as a mom she worked hard to ensure that both Carys and her brother, Dylan Michael Douglas, grew up grounded, and she's succeeded. "They're incredibly mature for their tender years," she shared. Case in point — Carys once told Town & Country how, at six years old, she came to terms with her parents' celebrity and made an important vow to herself after repeatedly encountering paparazzi. "I need to focus on who I really am, and this is going to be something that's just going to happen, and I can't do anything about it.'" Yes, she was barely out of preschool when she had that realization. Here's everything we know about Carys Zeta Douglas, including whether or not we may one day see her on the big screen.
Growing up in the spotlight wasn't easy
Being a celeb kid isn't easy, so we can only imagine that having two A-list movie stars as parents would be especially challenging. Carys Zeta Douglas agrees. The daughter of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, she was born on Easter morning in 2003, per CNN, three years after her elder brother, Dylan Michael Douglas. Initially, she spent her early days at the family's home in Manhattan, New York, but Carys actually grew up in Bermuda. As she told Town & Country in 2018, that meant that she was initially blissfully unaware of her parents' fame. "I thought my dad was a pancake maker," she confessed. "I didn't know he was an actor. Honestly."
Eventually, the family moved back to Manhattan and things changed for the worse. "I hated it," Carys proclaimed. Not only was the hustle and bustle difficult to get used to, but the paparazzi really bothered her. "They would jump on the subway and sit right in front of me," she recalled. "I was, like, six. I was confused." She eventually came to terms with the new reality of life in the Big Apple, but being surrounded by the media proved challenging time and time again. Carys recalled one particularly challenging incident when she saw a tabloid in a drugstore claiming that her father had cancer again and his death was imminent. "I just started crying," she recalled. "I was like, 'Why didn't my parents tell me this?!' Only it wasn't true. People just always want a story to tell."
Her parents have kept her grounded
Carys Zeta Douglas was lucky to have parents who made it their top priority to give their kids as normal an upbringing as possible. As Catherine Zeta-Jones told Parade in 2022, Michael Douglas' mother was from Bermuda, so they decided to swap the big city for island life early on. "Soon after our kids were born, we moved out of the States and put them in schools there," she shared. "We were there for ten years and it was a profoundly wonderful time." That meant that both Carys and her brother, Dylan Michael Douglas, could grow up far away from the spotlight. "They've kinda been removed from the crazy world of Hollywood or even the crazy world of Manhattan," Zeta-Jones told ET in 2018. "We've kind of shielded them away."
Zeta-Jones and Douglas also made it a point to instill the right values in their kids. As Carys told Town & Country, she appreciates them for it. "My parents do a really good job of reality-checking me and being like, 'Look around you. The life you have is extraordinary,'" she shared. Meanwhile, Zeta-Jones told the mag that the one lesson she prioritized above all others was manners. "There's nothing worse than a privileged kid without manners," she mused. "I drilled it into them like boot camp." Speaking of Carys in particular, she added, "She knows she cannot roll her eyes at me, or huff and puff around me. I never did it to my mother, and she's not doing it to me."
Carys Zeta Douglas is adamant she's not a nepo baby
In December 2022, a slew of celebrity children were accused of being "nepo babies" — the implication being that they only achieved their success thanks to their famous parents. Many of these stars such as Kate Hudson and Lily-Rose Depp have slammed the nepotism tag and argued that they've worked hard for their achievements. However, other celebs see the matter differently. Jamie Lee Curtis, for example, acknowledged that having A-list parents in showbiz does indeed give you a leg up. As she told The New Yorker in 2019, "Even if I claim I worked hard, I've never really worked hard a day in my life," she mused.
The topic has been hotly debated for years and in 2018, a 15-year-old Carys Zeta Douglas told Town & Country she wants to be recognized in her own right. "When I was younger I didn't like the idea of having this name attached to me, this kind of 'Douglas dynasty' stuff," she said. "I think what bothers me the most is that people think I don't work hard for it, that I don't need to work hard for it. That anything I do gets handed to me." Carys went on to add that the reality is quite different. In fact, she claimed that she has to work harder because of her family. "I feel I need to constantly prove myself to people — that I am not just my parents' daughter," she argued.
She's incredibly close with her family
Carys Zeta Douglas comes from an incredibly tight-knit family. For one, she's unbelievably close with her brother, Dylan Michael Douglas, as she's repeatedly showcased on Instagram. For example, in a post celebrating his birthday in 2020, she gushed, "The most incredible brother and best friend I could ask for. I thank you for everything and love you more than you will ever know." Two years later, she again praised him on his birthday, writing on Instagram, "To my built-in best friend — you are the epitome of joy."
That special bond also extends to her parents. In 2021, Carys celebrated her mom and dad on Instagram by calling them, "The best parents in the world." She enthusiastically continued, "I thank you for all you do today and every day." Catherine Zeta-Jones offered additional insight into their unique bond when she told ET, "My daughter and I have a really, really close relationship ... she has a wonderful communication with myself and her father." It's a sentiment she also shared with Hello! with the Hollywood star celebrating their chummy bond. Carys agreed, telling the mag that they're always honest with one another. She also credited her mom with raising her right and for passing on a strong sense of humor. "She has taught me all the ins and outs of life but also to have fun and to cherish every moment," she revealed.
Carys has tried her hand at modeling and singing
Carys Zeta Douglas has many passions, including fashion and music. Despite growing up away from Hollywood, the burgeoning star seemed ready to step out into the spotlight when she made her modeling debut alongside her mom on the cover of Town & Country in 2018. Speaking to the mag, Carys opened up about how clothes have taken on a powerful significance to her. "Fashion has been so important in my life because my mom is like a fashion icon to me," she gushed. Admitting she has a penchant for raiding her mom's closet, she also shared her all-time favorite piece. "It's this pink kimonoey coat, but it has this fur and these fringes — it's just so cool."
Jump to 2019 and Carys and Catherine Zeta-Jones posed together again, this time for the cover of Vanity Fair Spain (via People). That year, they also shot a fashion campaign for Fendi in Rome, Italy. As Carys gushed to Hello!, she loved every minute of it. "We had the most amazing time," she told the mag.
What's more, Carys is apparently also a talented dancer — at least according to her mom. "My daughter is very athletic," Zeta-Jones told ET. Not to mention she's a talented singer and pianist as she showed fans on Instagram in 2022. The teen posted a clip of herself singing Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" and listeners were seriously impressed — including her mom, who wrote, "Just beautiful," in response.
Her academic achievements have made her parents proud
Whether or not Carys Zeta Douglas builds a career in showbiz is yet to be seen, but in the meantime, she's pursuing her academic studies. In 2021, she graduated from high school and her parents couldn't have been happier. "What a proud day as our daughter Carys graduates with honors for her International Baccalaureate!" gushed Catherine Zeta-Jones on Instagram. Dad, Michael Douglas was equally proud, as he enthused, "We love you so much and we are so excited for your future as the best is yet to come!"
Indeed, Carys didn't stop there. Taking a cue from her brother, Dylan Michael Douglas, who graduated from Brown University with a degree in political science, she also enrolled in university. As Zeta-Jones told Parade in 2022, both of her kids love learning and are especially passionate about history. She also revealed that Dylan was now focused on doing internships while Carys was going to school full-time — naturally, Zeta-Jones was happy to take the credit for her and Michael's bright offspring. "My daughter is currently studying foreign relations and diplomacy at school. They got their brains from me," she quipped. "Though my husband likes to differ."
Will Carys Zeta Douglas follow her parents into acting?
Fashion. Music. Dance. Academia. Carys Zeta Douglas is passionate about many things — and as her mom, Catherine Zeta-Jones told Parade in 2022, acting is also one of them. Sharing that both Carys and her brother, Dylan Michael Douglas, would love to be actors, she revealed that both have attended drama camp and are serious about the craft. "They know about celebrity-dom, so they don't want to be famous," she explained. "They just want to be good actors."
Offering more insight into her kids' love of acting, Zeta-Jones told "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", "They go to summer camp every year — they do like three musicals and straight plays — and they love it." Carys has also appeared in school productions of "Tommy," "Spring Awakening," and "Once on This Island," per Town & Country. And Zeta-Jones is all for it. "They've got the talent and I know that they have the drive," she assured. It's a sentiment she reiterated to ET when she told the outlet that she and her husband, Michael Douglas, would be the first to tell their kids if they didn't have the it-factor necessary to become great acting talents. "It's so evidently clear that they have it and they get it," she gushed. "They know it's a craft; It's not a quick fix of getting a YouTube show."