For 20 straight years, Cameron Diaz was a Hollywood staple.
From her debut in 1994’s “The Mask” until her final appearance in 2014’s “Annie,” Diaz appeared in at least one film per year. But despite the success of her multi-decade run, the 52-year-old said recently that the best years of her life came after she left movies behind.
In an appearance on The Graham Norton Show while promoting her return to the big screen following a decade-long “retirement,” the “Charlie’s Angels” star said that stepping away from her showbiz career was the best decision she ever could have made.
“I loved it. It was the best 10 years of my life,” Diaz said. “I was just free to kind of be [like] ‘I’m a mom, I’m a wife, I’m living my life.'”
She said when she first began her retirement she would still receive offers to for roles. But after constantly turning them down, “people stopped asking.”
“It was so lovely,” she said. Diaz spent her time off from acting raising children, writing a book and launching a wine company.
Diaz, who received a reported $45 million from Netflix to star in two films, said that after 10 years the return to acting “made sense” for her family. On top of that, the “Shrek” actor said she wanted to embrace the privilege of getting to star in movies.
“I just thought to myself … if I don’t engage that again and give that a chance and participate it and be grateful for it, I would be a fool,” she said.
Still, Diaz isn’t promising another 20-year run of movies. Her upcoming projects are currently slated for 2025 and 2026.
“This is maybe the beginning, maybe I’ll tiptoe in. Maybe I’ll go gung ho. I don’t know,” she said. “But it’s here and I’m really grateful for it.”
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