Cameron Diaz’s Exit from Hollywood in 2014: Reason Revealed by Charlie’s Angels Star Ahead of Onscreen Comeback
Cameron Diaz, once one of Hollywood’s most famous faces, surprised fans when she decided to step away from the spotlight in 2014. After a successful career that included blockbuster films such as The Mask, There’s Something About Mary, and Charlie’s Angels, Diaz announced her retirement from acting in 2018.
At the time, she stated that her choice was motivated by the need to regain her personal life, saying, “For me, it was just something I had to do.” During Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, she explained that she wanted to focus on herself after years of working in an industry that required a lot of her attention and time.
Cameron Diaz believed that taking a break from acting was crucial for her well-being. During her time off, she reflected on the pressures of Hollywood and how they had affected her life. “It felt like something I had to do to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn’t care about anything else,” Diaz said.
No longer concerned with outside opinions or offers, she started a new chapter away from the fast-paced world of movie-making. “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,” Diaz said.
This change allowed her to focus on creating the life she truly desired, a life she had always longed for but never fully achieved while in the public eye.
Diaz may have left behind acting, but she found fulfillment in other ways. In 2020, Diaz and her close friend Katherine Power co-founded Avaline, a vegan-friendly wine brand. This initiative allowed Diaz to focus her creativity on something other than acting while supporting a lifestyle that aligned with her values. Diaz had shifted her focus away from the career that had defined her for over thirty years.
She dedicated herself to activities that gave her joy and meaning. “It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family,” Diaz had once said.
She and her husband, Benji Madden, a musician from the band Good Charlotte, had their first child, a daughter named Raddix, through surrogacy in 2019. Earlier this year, they expanded their family with a second child, born in March 2024.
The celebrated actress had found peace in her new life, but her Hollywood journey was far from over. In January, she will make a widely anticipated comeback to the big screen, co-starring Jamie Foxx in the action comedy Back in Action on Netflix.
Cameron Diaz and Foxx had previously worked together on Any Given Sunday and Annie, her last film before she stepped away from acting. In this new film, Diaz plays Emily, a former CIA agent who, alongside her partner, Matt (Foxx), abandons her espionage career to start a family. However, their cover is exposed, pushing them back into action.
The Hollywood star credited Foxx for bringing her out of retirement, writing in an Instagram post in 2022, “Jamie Foxx, only you could get me back in action!!! I can’t frickin wait it’s gonna be a blast!”
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