Cameron Diaz: Tracing Her Acting Career, Retirement, And Upcoming Return To The Screen

by

As a fan who has grown up watching Cameron Diaz grace our screens with her charm and wit, it is truly heartening to see her return to acting after a hiatus that felt like an eternity. Her life journey from Hollywood stardom to health enthusiast and entrepreneur, and back to the world of entertainment, is not just inspiring but also a testament to the versatility and resilience of human spirit.

Many admirers of Cameron Diaz, a four-time Golden Globe nominee, have been wondering what she’s been doing lately. It’s been approximately ten years since her last acting role in a movie.

Announced last year, 2022, Cameron Diaz will be returning from retirement to star in a new Netflix movie titled “Back in Action“. This is exciting news for fans, as the release of this film means her acting comeback is not too far off. To mark the occasion, let’s reminisce about her career up until now, starting with when she was just starting out in the industry.

Cameron Diaz’s Modeling Career (Late 1980s-1994)

In her youth, Cameron Diaz, who hails from San Diego, California, was like many actresses of her time who began their careers in modeling. She was represented by Elite Model Management and appeared in ads for brands such as Levi’s and Calvin Klein. Notably, she also starred in a racy Coca-Cola TV commercial during that period. At the age that Seventeen magazine is named after, she even graced its cover.

Meanwhile, during this period, there was an instance where Diaz grew apprehensive about whether her appearance might be exploited for a devious purpose – drug trafficking. In 2020, she recounted this experience on the podcast Second Life, hosted by Hillary Kerr. The story unfolded when Diaz tried to establish a modeling career in Paris, only to find herself entangled in some shady business that caught the eye of airport authorities.

In the ’90s, I found myself in an unusual predicament in Paris – a situation that felt more like transporting contraband than having a typical job. I can swear on God’s name, this was before the TSA or anything similar existed. They handed me a locked suitcase, claiming it contained my ‘costumes’. In Morocco, dressed as a blonde, blue-eyed girl in torn jeans, platform boots, and with long hair, I remember thinking how unsafe this whole situation seemed. I kept insisting, “This isn’t mine. I don’t know whose it is.” That was the only job I ever had in Paris that felt anything but ordinary.

Fortunately, it wouldn’t be long before Diaz could put her concerns of seeking modeling jobs or falling into a life of international crime behind her. A major opportunity was on the horizon for her.

Cameron Diaz’s Acting Career (1994-2014)

At the advice of her modeling agent, a young Cameron Diaz tried out for the film “The Mask” (1994) starring Jim Carrey, and secured her first major acting role as Tina Carlyle, Stanley Ipkiss’ love interest, following some acting classes. Swiftly gaining recognition in Hollywood, she took on lead parts in films such as “The Last Supper” (1995), the beloved romantic comedy “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997), and the title role in “There’s Something About Mary” (1998). This last performance earned her her initial Golden Globe nomination.

In 1999, she received her second Golden Globe nod for an unanticipated acting part in the film “Being John Malkovich,” which she excelled in. This was also the year director Oliver Stone cast her in “Any Given Sunday.” The following year, she started her friendship with Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu by sharing screen time in the initial installment of the two “Charlie’s Angels” movies. Her third Golden Globe-nominated performance came in 2001’s “Vanilla Sky,” the same year she began voicing Princess Fiona for the first time in the award-winning “Shrek” film series. This was followed by her fourth nomination at the Golden Globes in the 2002 Martin Scorsese movie, “Gangs of New York.

Following that, there were more romantic comedies like “The Holiday” from 2006, a reunion with Tom Cruise and a return to spy movies in “Knight & Day” in 2010, followed by “Bad Teacher” in 2011. She also got a fake, scary back tattoo for “The Counselor,” directed by Ridley Scott, in 2013. In 2014, Diaz had a bustling year with “The Other Woman,” “Sex Tape,” and a remake of “Annie” – the latter being her most recent acting role to date.

Cameron Diaz’s Post-Acting Career (2014-2022)

In 2018, Cameron Diaz announced her retirement from acting during an interview for Entertainment Weekly, joining forces with her co-stars Christina Applegate and Selma Blair from the movie “The Sweetest Thing”. Several years after this, she disclosed to Rachael Ray that her decision was driven by a desire to prioritize family life, having married Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden in 2015.

Despite choosing to retire from acting, Diaz didn’t entirely disappear from the public eye. In fact, a year before retiring, she teamed up with Sandra Bark to write the bestselling wellness book titled “The Body Book: Feed, Move, Understand and Love Your Amazing Body“. The following year, they collaborated again on another book, “The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time“, published in 2016.

As a health enthusiast, I found myself drawn to investing in biotech startups, specifically Seed Health, which even celebrities like Jessica Biel have endorsed, as The Standard reported. In the year 2020, Rolling Stone published an article revealing my foray into creating an organic wine brand named Avaline that same year.

Cameron Diaz’s Return To Acting (2022-Present)

In 2022, following her appearance as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7, Cameron Diaz’s un-retirement was officially announced. The news came in the form of an audio clip from a call between her and her Annie co-star Jamie Foxx, which the Oscar winner posted on Instagram. This also served as an announcement for their upcoming Netflix movie Back in Action, which is due for a January release on the upcoming 2025 movie schedule, and stars her and Foxx as retired secret agents forced back into the field after their identities are suddenly compromised.

There’s still plenty more of Cameron Diaz on the horizon, including a reunion with Keanu Reeves, her co-star from “Feeling Minnesota,” in the Apple TV+ dark comedy “Outcome.” Additionally, an even more thrilling upcoming project for Diaz is “Shrek 5,” set to release in July 2026, where she’ll reprise her role as Fiona alongside Mike Myers as Shrek and Eddie Murphy as Donkey.

In 2022, whispers about a new installment of The Holiday emerged, some twenty years after the romantic comedy hit screens. However, writer and director Nancy Meyers dismissed these rumors. Still, Jude Law, who played Diaz’s on-screen love interest, expressed his eagerness to reprise his role should a sequel materialize, so anything could still be possible.

It’s great to hear that Cameron Diaz might be making a comeback as an actor. Many viewers, including myself, who haven’t seen her on screen for over a decade, are eagerly anticipating her role in the upcoming movie Back in Action, and we can hardly wait!

Read More

2024-10-02 16:38