Originating from the National Treasure movie franchise, National Treasure: Edge of History is a brand-new streaming series starring Lisette Olivera. The show will be available to watch on Disney+ beginning Wednesday, December 14, and it promises to expand on the world created in the 2004 and 2007 films. It centers around 22-year-old Jess Valenzuela, whose knack for solving puzzles sweeps her up in a treasure hunt that links back to her family.

No treasure hunt is complete without someone to race to the finish line, and Catherine Zeta-Jones steps in as the show's antagonist, Billie Pearce. When the black-market antiquities dealer proves that she will do anything to obtain the relic, Jess and her friends realize that finding the treasure could cost them their lives. Throughout her career, Zeta-Jones has won multiple awards, including a Tony for her role in A Little Night Music on Broadway. She's most notably known for projects such as Chicago, Side Effects, and The Terminal.

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Screen Rant chats with actress Zeta-Jones about her love for the National Treasure franchise and what it's like to play the role of the antagonist in Disney's new streaming series.

Catherine Zeta-Jones Talks National Treasure: Edge of History

National Treasure Billie 101

Screen Rant: Are you a fan of the original National Treasure franchise?

Catherine Zeta-Jones: I was. I still am. I remember when I had the call about the series. I was going, "I love National Treasure. But, wait, who would I play?" I kept thinking of the guys. What would I play in that? They said, "No, there's this new character, Billie Pearce, who is a badass antiquities black market trader. A little bit dark..." I went "Yeah. Sounds like a lot of fun. Sign me up."

And then I told my kids, "When you were little there were these great movies called..." and then they went. "Whoa, National Treasure? Like the films?" I went, "Yes. I'm doing the series." They went "Cool." I was sent on my way to Louisiana with the full approval of my family.

You just touched on this, but what was your first impression of the character? How was playing an antagonist like Billie?

Catherine Zeta-Jones: It was always fun to have an antagonist role. As an actor, you can go all over the place. What was interesting for me, which is something that rarely happened in the whole of my career, is that I didn't know exactly how it was going to end. I read three episodes, and then we started shooting. The scripts were being done, obviously, but they were being-fine tuned as we were shooting. I'd never done that before. Even in the series I've done before, I'd known the ending.

This added that ambiguity to it, which for me as an actor was great. Yeah, I play a badass. She's dark, and she's a little bad. But is she? Why is she like that? Why does she want that treasure so bad? Why is it so important for her to have it? And why does she go to all these ends, ruthless ends sometimes, to be able to find it—to own that? It was a lot to play with. The movies were amazing, and the writers who wrote the movies wrote our show. They're showrunners. They haven't just taken the name, remixed it, and thrown it out there.

They've really taken all those great elements that we loved and that we treasured, and taken them and brought it into the now. Technology has moved on in the 20 years since those movies were made. It's really incorporating all of the good stuff, and it's a real family occasion. My niece who's eight years old would watch this with my mother, with me, and my kids in between. It's a real roller coaster. A real fun family show.

About National Treasure: Edge of History

National Treasure Billie

Jess Valenzuela’s life is turned upside down when an enigmatic stranger gives her a clue to a centuries-old treasure that might be connected to her long-dead father. Jess has a knack for solving puzzles, and her skills are put to the test as she and her friends follow a series of clues hidden in American artifacts and landmarks. But can Jess outsmart a black-market antiquities dealer in a race to find history’s greatest lost treasure and unbury the truth about her family’s past?

Check back soon for our other interviews with the National Treasure: Edge of History cast:

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The National Treasure: Edge of History two-episode premiere begins streaming on December 14 on Disney+.