Cameron Diaz says retirement from acting has made her feel “whole”

Last Updated on August 18, 2021

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, Diaz actually stepped out of the world of acting by choice. She 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, something she still has zero regrets about.

Diaz appeared on the Kevin Hart Peacock talk show, Hart to Hart, and explained that acting was taking up too much of her life. Hart asked her, “Why did Cameron Diaz step away from the world of acting? What is it that motivated you to stop?” Diaz answered by saying, “when you do something at a really high level for a long period of time, other parts of you have to sort of be handed off to other people.” It was this realization that made the actress see there were parts of her life that she just wasn’t managing because acting was getting in the way. Diaz said, “For me, I just really wanted to make my life manageable by me. My routine in a day is literally what I can manage to do by myself.” After the change was made, Diaz told Hart, “I feel whole.”

Despite leaving acting behind, Diaz admits that it’s still “fun to do” and that she loves it but she wanted to incorporate more simplicity into her everyday life. Her focus is now on her husband Benji Madden and taking care of their family. Diaz and Madden welcomed a daughter named Raddix into their lives back in December of 2019.

Here is an example of you don’t know what you got until it’s gone. I occasionally catch some of her films randomly on TV and I actually forgot how funny, likable, and engaging she can be. I also appreciate when she plays against type in films like Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Any Given Sunday. Whenever I catch her in something I wish she would get back in the game again but I respect her decision to take ownership of her life and not just play into the Hollywood machine.

That being said, 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 for a big comeback. Diaz built a career during her time that made her one of the biggest actresses working during that period. Across 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.

Are you happy Cameron Diaz is happy in retirement, or are you hope she makes a comeback?