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

• Catherine Zeta-Jones recalls how she was discovered by Steven Spielberg in the late 1990s.
• Spielberg saw her in the CBS miniseries, "Titanic."
• He had her screen test for "The Mask of Zorro," which he was producing.

Catherine Zeta-Jones was in her 20s when she made a decision that would change her career forever.

At the time, the Welsh actor was famous to UK audiences for starring in the popular 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 make it in Hollywood.

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

"I'd been in this business 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 role on the 1996 CBS miniseries "Titanic." Though it wasn't a "huge leap" for her, it led to something even better: attention from Steven Spielberg.

The director happened to be watching the show one night and liked what he saw. He suggested she screen test for "The Mask of Zorro," which he was producing. A week later, she was "shipped down to Mexico to screen test with Antonio Banderas."

The rest is history.

See the full clip below:

Or read the full interview with Zeta-Jones.