During the 90s, Cameron Diaz was a highly acclaimed Hollywood actress and the queen of romantic comedies, receiving several award nominations and earning a substantial income.
Despite her success, she made the decision to step away from the limelight, realizing that the life of a screen starlet was not for her. Prior to her acting career, Diaz began as a model at the age of 16 and traveled the world, appearing in advertisements for well-known brands such as Calvin Klein and Levi’s.
She landed her first acting role in The Mask, playing the character of jazz singer Tina Carlyle opposite Jim Carey, despite having no previous acting experience. Diaz then took acting lessons after being cast.
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In 1994, despite having no prior acting experience, the then-21-year-old model landed a role in one of the highest-grossing movies of that year, catapulting her into stardom. Over the next two decades, Cameron Diaz appeared in more than 40 films, averaging around three movies a year during the 90s, showcasing her versatility by appearing in a wide range of genres, from romantic comedies like My Best Friend’s Wedding and There’s Something About Mary to critically acclaimed works like Being John Malkovich and Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday.
Throughout her career, Diaz received four Golden Globe nominations, a BAFTA nomination, three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and even secured a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Despite her success, however, Diaz made a life-changing decision at the height of her career. The then 40-year-old top-earning actress decided to take a step back from acting.
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During a conversation with comedian and actor Kevin Hart, Cameron Diaz confessed to taking control of her life on her own terms. According to Diaz, she desired to make her life more manageable and her daily routine is what she can handle by herself. She also acknowledged that her career was solely focused on feeding the machine of ‘Cameron Diaz,’ rather than nurturing her spiritual side. As a result, Diaz felt the need to step back and prioritize her own well-being.
“For me, I just really wanted to make my life manageable by me. My routine in a day is literally what I can manage to do by myself,” Diaz said on Kevin’s show ‘Hart to Heart. “When you do something at a really high level for a really long period of time, there’s a lot that — when you’re the person who’s sort of delivering on this one thing. You’re the person on the screen, you’re the person who’s ‘the talent’ — everything around you, all parts of you that isn’t that, has to be handed off to other people.”
Cameron revealed that she felt “whole” again after stepping away from her career and focusing only on things she could manage by herself. Diaz, who had previously dated several Hollywood actors and musician Justin Timberlake, met Benji Madden, the lead guitarist of Good Charlotte band, in 2014. Madden was introduced to Diaz by her close friend Nicole Richie, who is married to Madden’s twin brother Joel.
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Although Diaz met Joel first, she found herself attracted to his twin brother Benji, whom she thought was a “hidden gem” in her life. The couple got married on January 5 the following year at Diaz’s home in Beverly Hills. Diaz said she was instantly interested in Benji when she first saw him but didn’t realize who he was until later.
In 2014, Diaz played the role of Miss Hannigan in Annie, which was her last film appearance. After that, she started a family and welcomed her daughter Raddix in December 2019. Diaz was 47 years old when she gave birth, which has inspired many women as a beautiful example of late motherhood. However, according to insiders, Diaz and her husband struggled for years before finally having their daughter. A source revealed that they went through a lot of challenges to reach this point.
Actress Cameron Diaz has stepped away from the limelight and ventured into other career paths, such as launching an organic wine brand with her business partner Katherine Power called Avaline. However, Diaz’s main priority is being a devoted parent to her family.
The 49-year-old actress had always wished to become a mother and now that she has, an insider revealed that she “loves it more than she imagined.” Diaz also joked about the challenges of being a late mother and said that the only pressure she feels now is to live a long life so she can see her child grow up. In an interview with Naomi Campbell, Diaz shared that while her friends were getting married and having kids in their youth, she’s “kind of doing it in the second half of my life.”
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