Cameron Diaz says she would have been an ‘idiot’ not to return to acting after 10-year hiatus: ‘she’s grateful’

Cameron Diaz talks about her return to acting.

During the January 17 episode of The Graham Norton Showthe 52-year-old actress appeared alongside him Back in action co-star Jamie Foxx to discuss their new film, his first in a decade, and explained how Foxx, 57, influenced his decision to make a comeback.

“I’m back because of Jamie,” she said. “I spent 10 years not paying attention to anything; not accepting any advances, and then I received this script and thought maybe it’s time.

She added: “If I was going to leave my family for 10 hours a day, I wanted to do it with the most talented man in the entertainment business. »

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“It’s a privilege to make films, and we’re all very lucky to do what we do,” she continued. “The fact that the door was open to me after a decade was incredible.”

The holidays The star went on to say, “I loved those 10 years for me and my family, but I thought, ‘If I let this go, if I don’t commit again and if I don’t give him lucky me, I’m a fool.”

“It may be the start of something, but it’s here now and I’m grateful for it,” she added.

During an interview with Empire Last month, Diaz revealed it was “hard to say” whether she would return for another film after the Netflix action comedy,

“I don’t know how I see it. It’s hard to say,” Diaz said when asked if Back in action marks a permanent return. “If I say it, then it becomes this thing. I reserve the right to say no to the idea of ​​making a film again, and I reserve the right to say yes if I decide to.”

The Berlin premiere of Back in action January 15 marked the first premiere of Diaz’s film in 11 years. The mother-of-two wore wide-leg jeans, a sheer black top, a long trench coat and a bold lip for the red carpet as she posed alongside Foxx.

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Back in action follows former CIA spies Emily and Matt as they return to work after their secret identities are revealed.

Diaz’s last film was in 2014 Anniein which she also starred with Foxx. The duo first appeared on screen together in 1999. On any given Sunday.

The other woman star revealed in June 2022 that she would return to acting, with Foxx saying Entertainment tonight the moment he convinced her to come back by promising that they would have fun.

“So it was literally, ‘Do you want to have fun? Just have fun!’ And I think that’s what brought her to this,” Foxx said. “We sometimes miss special moments in our business, and I think this is a special moment. So we’re so happy that this is happening and we’re looking forward to it.”

Diaz – who shares daughter Raddix, 5, and son Cardinal, 11 months, with husband Benji Madden – revealed on Kevin Hart’s Peacock talk show, From heart to heartin 2021, she realized around age 40 that there were “so many parts of my life…that I wasn’t touching” or “managing.”

“I really wanted my life to be manageable on my own,” she explained of her retirement. “My daily routine is literally what I can do for myself.”

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In a behind-the-scenes interview for her new film, Diaz also opened up about how she prioritized only two things during her hiatus: her family and her wine company, Avaline.

“That was what I focused on the most,” Diaz said. “If I did something other than being a mom and living my daily life.”

“That was pretty much it,” she continued. “I’m just trying to stay alive, like every other mother. I’m just trying to keep going.”

Back in action will be available to stream on Netflix on Friday, January 17.

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