Cameron Diaz Opens Up About Leaving Hollywood a Decade Ago and What Has Brought Her Back

After becoming one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Cameron Diaz stepped away from the limelight in 2014; now 10 years later, with several new projects in the works, Diaz is opening up about her decision to both leave and return.

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With her last onscreen role in 2014’s Annie , Diaz said at Fortune ’s Most Powerful Women Summit on Monday that stopping acting “was something I just had to do. It felt like the right thing for me to do to reclaim my own life and I just really didn’t care about anything else. Nobody’s opinion, nobody’s success, no one’s offer, no one’s anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have.”

In the last decade, Diaz has married Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden and welcomed two children, daugher Raddix and son Cardinal. She also launched clean wine brand Avaline with partner Katherine Power in 2020.

Now, Diaz is set to return to the big screen for Netflix’s Back in Action with Jamie Foxx , premiering on the streamer in January 2025. She is also reported to be returning for the upcoming Shrek 5 and is in talks to star opposite Keanu Reeves in dark comedy Outcome .

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“It was just the right time for my family. After Covid, we were in the house for a long time, which was amazing and the problem was we would probably stay there, we would still be there right now. People would be like, ‘It’s over’ and I’d be like, ‘No it’s not, it’s not over for me,'” Diaz explained of coming back to Hollywood. “So I had to push myself; my husband and I — my husband, who is the best — he was like, ‘You’ve been supporting us and building the family’ and supporting him in his businesses, he’s like, ‘It’s time for us to support you and let Mommy ascend and do her thing.’ He’s like, ‘Let me see you do it girl.’ I was like, ‘Alright, here we go.'”

She added that for the Netflix project, she also “couldn’t say no to Jamie. He said, ‘Come with me’ and I said, ‘OK let’s do it;’ it’s our third film together so it’s really great.” The two previously worked together on Annie and 1999’s Any Given Sunday .

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