Cameron Diaz stated that her ten-year hiatus from acting was “the most wonderful decade of my life”.
The actress, aged 52, has collaborated with Jamie Foxx for the Netflix film Back In Action, which marks her initial performance since portraying Miss Hannigan in the 2014 adaptation of Annie.
During her appearance on the BBC’s Graham Norton Show alongside Foxx, Diaz expressed regarding her brief retirement: “Oh my God, I cherished it. It was the best 10 years of my life.”
She mentioned that she felt “completely free” to embrace her roles as a mother and wife while leading a more private life.
“It was absolutely lovely,” she further shared, noting that her ultimate return to acting “was logical for my family” as they sought to “shake things up a bit”.
The Hollywood icon, whose acting career launched with the 1994 comedy classic The Mask, revealed that she had declined multiple roles during her hiatus until individuals “stopped inquiring”—but emphasized she was unwilling to pass up the opportunity to work with Foxx.
Diaz and Jamie Foxx pose during the photo call for Back In Action. Pic: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
“If I am going to be away from my family for ten hours each day – I want to do it with… the most gifted individual in the entertainment industry,” she remarked regarding Foxx, 57, with whom she also shared screen time in Annie.
The Holiday actress added: “It is just an honor to engage in this work. I reflected, if I were to just let this opportunity slip away, all of the positive relationships I have built over the years, the enthusiasm I feel for entertaining people and creating films that elicit smiles, laughter, and joy… if I turn my back on that again… I would be making a mistake.”
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Diaz, who welcomed her second child with spouse Benji Madden in March of the previous year, conveyed to Norton that she is committed to this project for “at least” this film, later adding: “This might just be the start, perhaps I’ll ease my way back in, or maybe I’ll go all in! I truly don’t know.”
Additionally, she has filmed the forthcoming Apple TV+ dark comedy Outcome alongside Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill.
