It’s not often you hear about an actor retiring from the profession after starring in a movie that made $133 million at the box office ($135 million? Sure, happens all the time, but rarely $133 million), but that’s exactly what Cameron Diaz did. Following roles in 2014’s The Other Woman, Sex Tape, and Annie, Diaz stopped appearing in movies. This was by choice. “I started [experiencing fame] when I was 22, so 25 years ago — that’s a long time,” she said last year. “The way I look at it is that I’ve given more than half of my life to the public.” The There’s Something About Mary and The Mask star opened up about her decision in an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow, and revealed that she has no regrets.
When asked what it’s like to “walk away from a movie career of that magnitude,” Diaz replied, “Like peace. A peace in my soul because I was finally taking care of myself.” She continued, “It’s a strange thing to say, I know a lot of people won’t understand it, I know you understand it, but it was so intense to work at that level and be that public and put yourself out there. There’s a lot of energy coming at you at all times when you’re really visible as an actor and doing press and putting yourself out there”:
“I stopped and really looked at my life. When you’re making a movie… they own you. You’re there for 12 hours a day for months on end you have no time for anything else. I realized I handed off parts of my life to all these other people. I had to basically take it back and take responsibility for my own life.”
Diaz is living her best life in retirement — she’s married to one of the dudes from Good Charlotte and she started her own “clean” wine brand. She has no current plans to act again… until DreamWorks gives her a dump truck full of money for Shrek 5.
(Via People)