Cameron Diaz got her big break in 1994's The Mask and from there, she seemingly took off like a rocket. Through the '90s and most of the '2000s, Diaz cranked out film after film and was able to develop a diverse filmography that showcased a wide range of talent. She could go from a mix of standard Hollywood fare like My Best Friend's Wedding, There's Something About Mary, Charlie's Angels, and The Holiday and then appear in character-driven films that showed that she had much more depth like Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, Any Given Sunday, and Gangs of New York.
This filmography continued to grow until the musical adaptation of Annie in 2014 as this would be the last film Diaz would appear in. In an industry where some actresses seem to be forced out by a certain age, the actress actually stepped out of the world of acting by choice. Diaz got married to Benji Madden, became an author, developed a lucrative "clean" wine brand called Avaline, and had her first child with Madden in December of 2019. Diaz put more of a focus on herself and her family and she essentially retired from acting. Some of her fans expect her to change her plans and make a return to the big screen but during an interview with SiriusXM show "Quarantined with Bruce", Diaz opened up about still not being interested in returning to acting.
"Will I ever make a movie again? I'm not looking to, but will I? I don't know. I have no idea. Maybe, never say never, but I couldn't imagine being a mom now, where I'm at as a mother with my child at her first year, to have to be on a movie set that takes 14 hours, 16 hours of my day away from my child. I wouldn't have been the mom that I am now had I chosen to do that at any other time in my life. I feel for so many mothers who can't, that have to go to work, you know, whatever they're doing. I feel so much for them and for their children and for all of that, but it does really take a village. I just feel so blessed that I get to be here now with my child and, you know, get to be the mother that I get to be … It's such a blessing, it's completely privileged, and I'm just really, really grateful."
Being an attentive mother is probably one of the best reasons one could give for going into retirement from this business we call show. Her life seems completely fulfilled and it really doesn't seem like she misses the hustle of long hours on movie sets. Last year, Diaz touched on this topic a bit with Gwyneth Paltrow during a conversation for Paltrow's "In Goop Health" series and she talked about how the grind of working in Hollywood didn't allow her to focus on her personal life:
"I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life. I'd gone so hard for so long, working and making films, and it's such a grind. I didn't really make any space for my personal life. And then I decided to stop making movies and really focus on my personal life, my personal relationships with my family, with my friends. I really looked at my life, and I saw what I had been. When you're making a movie, it's a perfect excuse, they own you. You're there 12 hours a day for months on end, and you have no time for anything else. And I realized I handed off parts of my life to all these other people… I needed to become self-sufficient again, you know. I really needed to know that I could take care of myself and that I knew how to be an adult
I really do feel that Cameron Diaz probably has a good limited series left in her or even a return to the big screen because she certainly has the talent but if the passion for isn't there, perhaps the best choice is to step away. Diaz built a career during that time that made her one of the biggest actresses working that period. During her career in film, Diaz picked up four Golden Globe Award nominations, three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and a New York Film Critics Award. She also appeared in a slew of box office hits and by 2013, a mere year before she decided to "retire", she was named the highest-paid actress over 40 in Hollywood. As of 2018, the U.S. domestic box office grosses of her films total over $3 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $7 billion, making her the fifth highest-grossing U.S. domestic box office actress. I'd say she has certainly left her mark.
Would YOU want to see Cameron Diaz return to acting?