Cameron Diaz didn’t think she’d ever make another movie, until Jamie Foxx called.
Diaz revealed how she spent the last 10 years out of the spotlight before she returned to acting with Foxx’s “Back in Action.”
“I was not keeping up with any kind of training,” the 52-year-old actress said in a video shared by “Still Watching Netflix.” “I did nothing public. I said no to everything, other than for my wine.”
During her Hollywood hiatus, Diaz started her own wine company, Avaline.
“That was what I was putting most of my focus on,” Diaz explained, “if I was doing anything other than just sort of being a mom and living my day to day.”
The “Charlie’s Angels” star revealed what pushed her to jump back into acting after a decade out of the spotlight. Diaz made 38 movies in 20 years. She is known for roles in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “My Sister’s Keeper,” “Shrek,” “The Other Woman” and many other films.
“I didn’t think I was going to make another movie,” she admitted. “I was perfectly happy, you know, just living my life doing other things. You know, like day in and day out, not movies. And then I get a phone call from Jamie Foxx. And how do you say no to Jamie Foxx when he says, ‘Hey, I’ve got this big action comedy that we can just have so much fun on.’
“If there’s anyone I’m going to go back and spend months on end, on set, having a ball, laughing with, it would be Jamie.”
Diaz revealed nothing could have changed her mind about her decision to leave Hollywood in an October interview. She stopped acting in 2014 to focus on building a life with husband Benji Madden.
“It felt like the right thing for me to reclaim my own life, and I just really didn’t care about anything else,” the actress said during an appearance at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, according to E! News.
“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. I think it really comes to what are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
The film, “Back in Action,” that prompted Diaz’s acting return, was delayed due to Foxx’s 2023 health scare and is now scheduled to be released Jan. 17 on Netflix.
Diaz appeared on the red carpet alongside Foxx Jan. 15 in Germany to promote the film.
She admitted she “couldn’t say no” to Foxx for what would end up being their third project together after they starred in “Annie” and “Any Given Sunday.”
However, it wasn’t easy to switch gears from mom back to Hollywood star.
“We were in the house for a long time, which was amazing,” Diaz said at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, describing her time away from the industry.
“So, I had to push myself. My husband, he’s just the best. He was just 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.’”
