Cameron Diaz has described the 10 years she spent away from acting as “the best 10 years” of her life.
The Holiday star, who stepped back from the spotlight in 2014, recently made her return to the screen alongside Jamie Foxx in the spy thriller Back in Action.
Though Diaz, 52, hasn’t confirmed whether her return is permanent, she told The Graham Norton Show that this could be “maybe the beginning” but admitted, “I don’t know.”
Reflecting on her time away, she expressed love for the anonymity it brought her, saying, “I loved it. I was free to be a mom and a wife,” adding that while she cherished the break, she feels “really grateful” to be back.
Diaz’s last film role was Ms. Hannigan in the 2014 remake of Annie, which also starred Foxx.
She formally confirmed her retirement in 2018 but revealed that Foxx persuaded her to return for Back in Action, saying he “very humbly” asked her to grace the industry with her talent once more.
The decision to return wasn’t taken lightly, as Diaz admitted that it required someone special to draw her away from her family.
“It would take someone like Jamie,” she said, noting that she and her husband, musician Benji Madden, agreed it might be time to “switch it up” for their family.
In Back in Action, Diaz and Foxx portray a married couple with children who, as former spies, are thrust out of retirement when danger threatens their lives.
Reflecting on her time away, Diaz described it as “so lovely” to live a life outside the public eye, free from Hollywood’s demands.
“I was free to say, ‘I’m a mom, I’m a wife, I’m living my life,’” she explained.
During her hiatus, she said offers continued to come in, but she had no interest.
“People would ask, ‘Would you like to -’ and I’d just say, ‘No.’ Eventually, they stopped asking.”
Now, her perspective has shifted, viewing acting as a privilege she’s excited to embrace once again.
“The passion I have for entertaining people and making movies that bring joy—it would be foolish not to give it a chance and participate in it with gratitude,” she shared.
As for her future in Hollywood, Diaz remains open-minded.
“Maybe I’ll tiptoe in, maybe I’ll go gung-ho—I don’t know,” she said, signaling that her journey back may just be beginning.
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