Cameron Diaz made her mark as one of Hollywood’s most prominent female stars with roles in There’s Something About Mary, Gangs of New York, and the Shrek franchise, but she decided to take a break from acting in 2014 to focus on other projects. In a recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s show, Hart to Heart, the Charlie’s Angels actor opened up about why she chose to step away from acting in the first place and how she feels about her decision to return to the screen.
In the years since she stepped away from acting, Diaz has been busy with several personal projects, including writing two health books and launching organic wine brand Avaline. She also married Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden and welcomed a son and daughter. She has been a frequent guest on talk shows. But it’s clear that she missed being on the big screen and decided to make her comeback this year, starring alongside her Annie co-star Jamie Foxx in the action comedy Back in Action.
She’s also set to star in more films this year, including Apple TV+’s dark comedy Outcome with Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill and the upcoming Shrek 5, where she’ll reprise her role as Princess Fiona. While many fans were surprised to learn that she’d be making her comeback, the actress says she’s excited to spend more time with her family and friends and work on her passion projects.
The 49-year-old actress has starred in a handful of movies over the last ten years, but Back in Action marks her first film since 2014, and she says that’s because she felt ready to return now. “When you do something for a long time, and you’re great at it, you give parts of yourself away,” she said. She explained that around 40, she felt like she had given too much of herself away to the world and wanted to reclaim some of her own space.
She added that she is happy to be working with her friend and collaborator, Foxx, again and that the experience has been positive. She noted that she’s also enjoying working on more challenging roles in her comeback and that it’s gratifying to see the progress she’s made in her career over the last decade. The Charlie’s Angels actor also spoke about her love of fashion and revealed why she has yet to change her style as much as some have predicted. Watch the video below for more from Cameron’s interview.