Move over Ben Gates, there’s a new treasure hunter on the scene! Disney+’s new original series National Treasure: Edge of History—an expansion of the National Treasure movie franchise—doesn’t center around Nicolas Cage’s character, but rather a young puzzle-solving heroine named Jess Valenzuela.
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Jess, played by Lisette Olivera, embarks on an adventure to find a lost Pan-American treasure that Billie, a black-market antiquities dealer portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones, is also looking for. Lisette told HELLO! that working with the Welsh star on the Disney Branded Television series “was the best thing ever.”
WATCH: Lisette Olivera on working with Catherine Zeta-Jones on 'National Treasure: Edge of History'
“I actually remember when I first met [Catherine], she was so vibrant and a big energy. She gave me a big hug to say hello," Lisette recalled in an exclusive interview with HELLO!. “And it made me, you know, feel really comfortable to kind of just step inside of my own shoes in the series and she was great.”
Lisette and Catherine star in Disney+'s 'National Treasure: Edge of History'
Lisette “absorbed everything” that she could from her award-winning co-star, who shared “a lot of advice.” The Edge of History actress revealed that Catherine told her “about the earlier times when she started acting, and she realized the importance of taking her time in every scene and allowing herself to have the space to explore her emotions in front of the camera.”
“I think for me that was something that I really took and ran with because, you know, I was in a lot of the scenes for the series with a lot of moments that are so different, one from the other, and I think to be able to take that advice, take my time and step into that power, I felt really secure,” Lisette continued. “I thank her for giving me that piece of advice.”
Continue reading to find out what Lisette considers her greatest treasure, plus more on National Treasure: Edge of History, which premieres Dec. 14…
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Tell us, what's it like being a part of the show and stepping into the role of the newest treasure hunter, Jess?It is an incredible honor to get to continue the storyline. And it's also a really big honor to, you know, get to play someone like Jess, who is this really bright young woman with a fresh perspective on the American experience. I think that's gonna be really exciting for an audience to see.
© Disney/Michael MullerJess is really good at solving puzzles and mysteries. Are you the same? Are you good at solving puzzles and mysteries?I would say I am not as talented as Jess [laughs] at solving mysteries and clues. I would say I'm good at investigative skills, but not necessarily thinking outside of the box like she does. So, I give her props for that.
Would you say you're as adventurous as your character?I would say so. I mean, I'm open to new opportunities. I think it's really exciting to get to explore a new version of myself or like in life in general. But I think, you know, for her she definitely has a lot of courage to, you know, step outside of her comfort zone and I think maybe I am a little bit similar. I have big ambitions like her, so it helps.
© Disney/Brian RoedelDid playing this character make you want to dig into your own family's history?Yes. One thousand percent. My family comes from many generations in Mexico. My mom in particular was an inspiration for me for Jess because she was born in Mexico and came over to the United States when she was young. And I think, you know, to get to see her- my mom is a big inspiration for me because she's a hard-working woman. She's contributed a lot in her career. She's flourished, honestly. And I'm really proud of her and I think, you know, to get to take from her and put it into Jess' perspective a little bit was really fascinating and eye-opening for me. I got to appreciate my family even more than I did before, which I didn't think was possible. But I definitely did a deep dive into what they meant to me and what Jess' relationship with her family meant to her.
Last question before I let you go, what do you consider your greatest treasure?My family. My family is my greatest treasure. My chosen family as well. I have a lot of people who have supported me through thick and thin and I'm the luckiest girl for that.
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