In the '90s, model-turned-actor Cameron Diaz became a movie icon and went on to
star in tons of big hits. So why did she announce
her retirement in 2018? And what's she up to now? Keep watching to find out!
Despite having no prior acting experience, Cameron Diaz managed
an audition impressive enough to earn her the lead female role opposite Jim Carrey
in the 1994 comedy The Mask. After that initial break, Diaz was set to appear in
a live-action version of Mortal Kombat but backed out because she injured her wrist
during training for the film. She then took roles in independent movies such as The Last Supper,
Feeling Minnesota, and Head Above Water. Following those projects, Diaz returned to mainstream film,
appearing in classics like My Best Friend's Wedding and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
But it was Diaz's starring role in the Farrelly brothers' blockbuster film
There's Something About Mary that shot her to A-list celebrity status. She went on to land
roles in movies like Being John Malkovich, which earned her multiple award nominations,
and Any Given Sunday, in which she played the young owner of a football team. By that time,
it seemed like Diaz had definitely secured a place for herself among the top players in Hollywood.
Starring roles in films like Charlie's Angels, Shrek, and Vanilla Sky only boosted Cameron
Diaz's ever-growing popularity. According to Celebrity Net Worth, her acting earnings peaked
between 1998 and 2011, during which she made over $160 million in base film salaries alone.
She received an impressive $20 million for playing Natalie Cook in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,
which was an $8 million increase from her appearance in the first film.
Diaz earned a similar paycheck for movies like Gangs of New York,
and she became the third-ever woman to hit $20 million for a single film role.
In 2013, The Hollywood Reporter referred to Diaz as:
"The highest-paid actress among the over-40 set."
The article noted that while many female leads were unable to match the pay of their
male counterparts, Diaz was more than able to snag her fair share of earnings. In her 2011
comedy film Bad Teacher, she received a hefty percentage of the box office
gross instead of a one-time fee. The movie ultimately earned $216.2 million worldwide,
and Diaz got an enviable $42 million paycheck for her work.
Though Cameron Diaz reportedly never thought she'd get married, she managed to surprise
herself by tying the knot with Good Charlotte's Benji Madden in 2015. According to Us Weekly,
the couple initially got engaged in 2014 after being together for seven months.
In 2015, Diaz confirmed her marital bliss, proudly praising her husband
in a since-deleted post on Instagram. She stated:
"One of my favorite things about being married is how much pride I take in my husband."
On a 2021 episode of the podcast Anna Faris Is Unqualified, Diaz reaffirmed that she is still
very much in love with her husband and spoke about her initial attraction to Madden, saying:
"I saw him walking towards m e and I was like, 'Huh, he's hot, I haven't seen him before.'"
In a 2018 interview with Metro News UK, actor Selma Blair stated that her friend
and former co-star Cameron Diaz had retired from acting. Blair explained
that during a lunch conversation between the two about their 2002 film The Sweetest Thing,
Diaz allegedly said that she had no plans to make any new films. Blair told Metro News UK:
"We were reminiscing about the film. I would have liked to do a
sequel but Cameron's retired from acting. She's like, 'I'm done.'"
Blair's statement seemed true, given that Diaz hadn't appeared in anything for four years.
According to People, Blair retracted her claim on social media in a since-deleted tweet, stating:
"Cameron Diaz is NOT retiring from ANY THING."
But shortly after, Cameron Diaz herself made a statement that confirmed the previous report to
be true. In a Sweetest Thing reunion interview for Entertainment Weekly, Diaz responded to her
co-star Christina Applegate's joke that she was semi-retired, saying:
"I'm semi-retired, too, and I am actually retired."
It wasn't until 2020 that Diaz revealed more about her decision to leave the entertainment industry.
In an interview with Gweneth Paltrow for Goop,
Diaz spoke about retiring from acting. She stood by her choice, saying:
"I got a peace in my soul [...] because I was finally taking care of myself."
Diaz continued by saying that she knew her decision might seem puzzling to some,
but it was incredibly intense to work at that level. As an actor,
her life was very much catered in a way that made her uncomfortable. Diaz stated:
"For me, I needed to become self-sufficient again."
Unless she decides to come out of retirement, Cameron Diaz's final film was the 2014 remake
of the broadway musical classic Annie. In an interview with Marie Claire, Diaz spoke
about taking on the role of Miss Hannigan in the Will Gluck-directed family film. She revealed:
"It's not very often you get to do a musical. Even though
I was terrified of doing it, I kind of had to."
In an interview with UPI, Diaz said she, quote,
"loved the idea of reinventing" the famous character for a modern audience.
"It's such a meaty part.”
“It is. It is a meaty part. Especially ‘cause you get to yell at kids, which is really fun."
Diaz said of the remake:
"We're giving performances for the generation who is going to see it for the first time.
This is the only 'Annie' they're going to know."
Diaz went on to say that her version of the famous character Miss Hannigan is a
brand new take on the role. And though the movie only holds a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes,
she appears to have enjoyed her final film experience.
Before she officially announced her retirement, Cameron Diaz had already
found success in another career path. In 2013, she released The Body Book:
The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body,
and it became a number-one New York Times bestseller. The 288-page work is said to provide,
"a holistic, long-term approach to [...] a long, strong, happy, healthy life."
In 2016, Diaz wrote a follow-up guide called The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging,
the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time, which explores from a holistic perspective,
“how the female body ages—and what we can all do to age better."
When the subject of aging as a woman came up in a conversation with Oprah Winfrey, Diaz said:
"It's almost as if we have failed if we don't remain 25 for the rest of our lives.
Like we are failures. It's a personal failure."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Diaz discussed the process of writing her second
book. She stated that the lack of single-source information and conflicting answers on the various
issues that surround women's bodies as they age was what led her to write the book. She said:
"We're told a lot of different things about one thing or the other,
and of course a ton of different fads are going on, like, 'Do this!' or 'Do that!'"
Though the now-retired film star admitted that harsh beauty standards
make it difficult to embrace aging, she still shared hope that her book
would allow readers to view their changing bodies in a positive way.
Though Cameron Diaz keeps most of her personal life private, she shared some exciting news with
her fans on social media at the beginning of 2020. In a since-deleted Instagram post,
Diaz wished her followers a Happy New Year before stating that she and her husband,
Benji Madden, had recently welcomed a new addition to their family. The post read:
"We are so happy, blessed, and grateful to begin this new decade by announcing the birth of
our daughter, Raddix Madden. She has instantly captured our hearts and completed our family."
Diaz continued that she and her husband were, quote "overjoyed" to share the news,
but also wanted privacy and wouldn't be sharing any photos of the little one.
She reflected on motherhood, telling Naomi Campbell in an interview that having a baby later
in life is a little different from how most people start a family. But Diaz has no regrets,
stating that this period has been, quote, "the most gratifying time in [her] life."
Retiring from acting hasn't stopped Cameron Diaz from pursuing other business ventures.
She and friend Katherine Power launched a wine brand called
Avaline. According to the website, Avaline is:
"A range of clean wines that are full of natural
goodness and free from dozens of unwanted and undisclosed extras."
In an interview with Shape, Diaz and Power discussed their brand and shared why it was
vital for them to create a wine that met a higher standard than the typical store-bought bottle.
The two explained that there are no specific requirements for a wine to
be classified as clean. However, Avaline's wines are crafted with
organically grown grapes and without synthetic pesticides. Diaz stated that:
"Transparency is also important. We want our consumer to know what's in there and what isn't."
During an August 2021 appearance on Kevin Hart's talk show, Hart to Heart,
Cameron Diaz stated that in her 40s she had a big realization:
"I looked around and it was just like so many parts of my life that I didn't have,
I wasn't touching and that I wasn't managing."
Diaz mentioned her distaste for being handled and, quote, "handed off to other people," saying
that she wanted to be able to manage her own life and everything that came along with it.
Even though she no longer appears in films, Diaz told Hart that she still loves acting and has more
than enough energy to do the required work. But leaving Hollywood behind has since made her whole
and given her the ability to do everything she previously never could. Diaz made it clear that
being an A-list actress ultimately doesn't compare to the remarkable life she's living now, saying:
"I met my husband, we started a family, all those things I didn't have time for before."
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