Cameron Diaz Describes Her Life as ‘Completely Different’ Since She Quit Acting
Cameron Diaz broke onto the scene in 1994, working alongside Jim Carrey in The Mask. She quickly catapulted to A-list status, appearing in popular movies such as Being John Malkovich and Something About Mary. Diaz was also the voice behind Fiona in the classic animated film franchise Shrek.
In 2014, Diaz appeared in the remake of the Broadway musical Annie, playing the role of Miss Hannigan. At the time, audiences didn’t know that would be the last time the acclaimed actor would work in film. The Charlie’s Angels star made a life-changing decision to leave acting and has never looked back. Now, eight years removed from the glitz and glamour of red carpet galas, Diaz admits her life is “completely different.”
Why Cameron Diaz walked away from Hollywood
Cameron Diaz knew she desperately needed a change and took a leap of faith, leaving Hollywood behind. Instead of making a big deal of quitting, she just quietly stopped accepting offers. In 2015, the 49-year-old actor married Good Charlotte lead guitarist Benji Madden. Four years later, the happy couple welcomed daughter Raddix via a surrogate. Being a mom and spending time with her family is the life the actor was seeking when she walked away from a successful acting career.
In a 2018 Entertainment Weekly interview, the actor offhandedly confirmed her retirement status. In a subsequent interview with Gwyneth Paltrow for an episode of In Goop Health: The Sessions, Diaz explained, “I’d gone so hard for so long, working and making films, and it’s such a grind. I didn’t really make any space for my personal life. And then I decided to stop making movies and really focus on my personal life, my personal relationships with my family, with my friends.”
Vanity Fair reported in 2021 that the Bad Teacher actor revealed on the Peacock talk show Hart to Heart that she quit acting after realizing there were so many things in her life that she wasn’t managing. Diaz confessed that while she still loves acting, she now has time for “all those things I didn’t have time for before.”
The once famous actor has become a wine connoisseur
In addition to being a wife, the busy mom to a two-year-old toddler, and a successful book author, one of the things Cameron Diaz has made time for is starting a new business.
In July 2020, the former actor and her friend, Katherine Power, became the cofounders of a wine company named Avaline. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Diaz explained how she discovered wine bottles are one of the few food and beverage items that do not list nutritional facts on the label. She and Power set out to create transparency in the industry, developing a brand of clean wine made from organic grapes.
Diaz revealed in an interview with Goop that her health-conscious wine is “farmed organically, because it’s better for the planet and our bodies.” She added, “We don’t add sugar, concentrates, colors – any of it. We went and found the wines we wanted to drink, and that’s our company.”
Cameron Diaz reflects on a life well-lived as she gets ready to turn 50
As Cameron Diaz approaches 50, she reflects on the decisions she has made and how they had a positive impact on her life. Despite rumors of coming out of retirement, the award-winning actor told Harper’s Bazaar, “My life is just completely different than when I was making movies.”
Diaz told Yahoo Finance Presents that she has already given 100% to her acting career, saying, “it’s just a different time in my life now.” She explained, “The most fulfilling thing that I’ve ever done in my life is have a family and be married and have our little nucleus of a family. It’s just completely the best thing.”
The My Best Friend’s Wedding actor continued, “I don’t have what it takes to give making a movie what it needs to be made. I just don’t. All of my energy is here.”
