From the ‘90s to 2014, Cameron Diaz was a force in the film business. She had several memorable movie roles throughout her impressive career, taking on comedy films like There’s Something About Mary to dramas like My Sister’s Keeper.
Diaz also starred in a string of iconic movies that earned her an army of fans, including The Holiday in 2006 and Shrek in 2001.
Overall, her films grossed more than $7 billion at the international box office, making her one of the highest-grossing actresses in Hollywood. But following her role in the 2014 remake of Annie, Diaz left show business altogether and hasn’t looked back.
Fans were left wondering why someone with a career that most people dream about would leave it behind. Does she hate acting? Is she finally putting herself first? And will she ever return to Hollywood? Keep reading to find out!
Cameron Diaz’s Film Career
In 1994, Cameron Diaz got her big break starring in the Jim Carrey comedy The Mask, where she played love interest Tina Carlyle.
She continued to land big roles in blockbuster films throughout the rest of the ‘90s and 2000s, some of the most notable including There’s Something About Mary in 1998, Charlie’s Angels in 2000, Shrek in 2001, Gangs of New York in 2002, and The Holiday in 2006.
Diaz’s final major role came in 2014, where she portrayed the role of Hannigan in the remake of Annie. Since then, she has only briefly appeared as “Cameron” in the video short Boss B**** Fighting Challenge, which was released in 2020.
Why Cameron Diaz Left Hollywood
After Cameron Diaz exited the film business, many fans were left wondering why. Diaz explained that her successful career required her to neglect other parts of her life, and it was time to focus on them again.
“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,” she revealed to Vanity Fair, adding that when she turned 40, she realized that there were “so many parts of my life ... that I wasn’t touching and that I wasn’t managing.”
Does Cameron Diaz Hate Acting?
Even though Diaz has left acting behind her, she still has a passion for the craft. “It’s fun to do, I love it,” she noted in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I love acting.”
Her decision to leave Hollywood had little to do with not liking acting anymore. It was about gaining more control over her life: “For me, I just really wanted to make my life manageable by me.”
Cameron Diaz Focuses On Family
One of the areas of life that Diaz has been focusing on since leaving Hollywood is family. She lives with her husband Benji Madden, the lead guitarist of the band Good Charlotte, and the couple’s daughter Raddix.
Diaz and Madden married in 2015 at her Beverly Hills home. They welcomed Raddix via surrogate in 2019. The former movie star mostly keeps her family life private, though she has revealed that she loves motherhood.
"Being a wife and a mother, it’s just the most, what’s the word I'm looking for? Rewarding. Thank you. I was like, it's not validating in any way it's fulfilling. That's what it is. It really has been the most fulfilling part of my life so far,” she said (via Hello).
She went on to explain that she’s grateful for the opportunity to raise her daughter without work getting in the way: “I feel for so many mothers who can't, that have to go to work, 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."
How Does Cameron Diaz Feel Now That She’s Left Hollywood Behind?
Though Diaz still has a passion for acting, it looks like she has no regrets about her Hollywood exit. Her life is now filled with happiness.
She revealed to Vanity Fair that she now feels “whole” and appreciates having time for “all those things I didn’t have time for before.”
Cameron Diaz May Return To Acting One Day
Diaz is content with her life the way it is, but she hasn’t ruled out returning to acting in the future. She’s not planning to return, but she also is not saying never.
“Will I ever make a movie again? I'm not looking to, but will I? I don't know,” she revealed in an interview with Radio Andy (via Cinema Blend).
“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 just couldn’t.”
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