After twenty years onscreen, Cameron Diaz left the film business in 2014, officially announcing her retirement from acting four years later. But that was just a sabbatical, as she returns to star opposite Jamie Foxx in Netflix‘s spy flick “Back In Action“ next January. So why did Diaz leave Hollywood for a decade, and how long will her return last?
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EW reports that Diaz explained her exit from the industry at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit this week. “For me, it was just something I had to do,” said the actress. “It felt like something I had to do to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn’t care about anything else.” Said life reclamation revolved around two major things for Diaz: starting a business and a family. The actress and her husband, Good Charlotte musician Benji Madden, welcome their first child by surrogate in 2019, with a second child arriving this past March. Diazo also. started the vegan-friendly wine brand Avaline with her friend Katerine Power in 2020.
For Diaz, the extreme live pivot that came from stepping away from Hollywood was about putting her life first. “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,” continued the actress. “It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family.”
But Diaz fans have known about her Hollywood return for awhile. The actress first broke the news about “Back In Action” in June 2022 on Instagram. Her post about the film read “Jamie Foxx, only you could get me back in action!!! I can’t frickin wait it’s gonna be a blast!” Old friends Diaz and Foxx have starred in a couple of films before: Oliver Stone‘s 1999 football drama “Any Given Sunday” and Diaz’s last film to date, “Annie.” Now they’ll team up again for Netflix’s film about a pair of former spies who abandon the CIA to start a family together only for their cover to be blown, forcing them back into espionage. “Back In Action” hits the streamer on January 17, 2025.
But will Diaz’s team-up with Foxx be a one-off Hollywood return for the actress? Not at all. Diaz will reprise her voice role as Princess Fiona in “Shrek 5” in 2026, and also has a role in Jonah Hill‘s upcoming black comedy “Outcome.” So, yes, retirement is officially over for Ms. Diaz, and expect her to add more projects to her calendar soon.