Cameron Diaz Credits Jamie Foxx for Inspiring Her Return to Acting
Cameron Diaz Return
Cameron Diaz is giving props to her costar Jamie Foxx!
The actress, 52, shared on a Friday, Jan. 17 episode of The Graham Norton Show that her return to the screen in the pair’s latest Netflix action-comedy, Back in Action, is “all thanks to” Foxx, 57.
“I had 10 years of not paying attention to anything; not accepting any advances, and then I got this script and thought that maybe it was time,” Diaz said. “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.”
“It is a privilege to make films, and we are all so lucky to do what we do,” she added. “That the door was even open for me after a decade was amazing. I loved those 10 years for me and my family, but I thought, ‘If I let this go away, if I don’t engage again, and if I don’t give it a chance, I am a fool.’ It might be the beginning of something, but it’s here now and I am grateful for it.”
Back in Action marks Diaz’s first film since 2014’s Annie, which also starred Foxx. The pair first appeared on screen together in 1999’s Any Given Sunday.
In addition to Foxx, Diaz has also previously credited her husband, Benji Madden, with encouraging her to return to her professional career after an extended hiatus. Cameron Diaz recently praised her co-star Jamie Foxx for inspiring her return to acting after a decade-long break. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show on January 17, Diaz, 52, credited Foxx, 57, for her comeback in their Netflix action-comedy Back in Action.
Diaz shared that she had spent ten years focusing on her family and not considering film projects, but the opportunity to work with Foxx again reignited her passion for acting. “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,” she said.
She expressed gratitude for the chance to return, acknowledging the privilege of making films and the importance of embracing opportunities. Back in Action is her first film since Annie in 2014, where she also starred alongside Foxx. Their on-screen collaboration began with Any Given Sunday in 1999.
Diaz has also attributed her return to acting to her husband, Benji Madden, who encouraged her to refocus on her professional career after dedicating time to family life. During a 2024 appearance at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, she mentioned that Madden supported her decision, emphasizing her role as a mother and businesswoman.
Though Diaz remains open to future projects, she expressed uncertainty about continuing her acting career, reserving the right to decline or accept roles based on her family’s needs. Reflecting on her time off, she highlighted focusing on her children and her wine brand, Avaline, which she co-founded in 2020.
Back in Action is now available for streaming on Netflix.
“He’s just the best,” the actress said of Madden, 45, during an October 204 conversation at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit per E! News, “We were in the house for a long time, which was amazing.”
According to Diaz, Madden, who shares daughter Raddix, 5, and son Cardinal with Diaz, “was like, ‘You’ve been supporting us and building the family.’ And supporting him in his businesses. He’s like, ‘It’s time for us to support you and let Mommy ascend and do her thing.’ “
Diaz revealed in an interview with Empire on Monday, Dec. 13, that it’s “hard to say” if she’ll return for another film after Back in Action. “I don’t know how I view it. It’s hard to say,” Diaz said. “If I say it then it becomes this thing. I reserve the right to say no to doing a movie ever again, and I reserve the right to say yes if I decide to.”
“I’m not defining anything. I’m just open to whatever makes sense for me and my family at any given moment,” she said, adding that she’s interested in “no more romcoms, only momcoms.”
The actress also shared in a behind-the-scenes clip with Netflix this week that she “didn’t think” she’d be making another film and was “perfectly happy just living my life” before she got the call from Foxx.
“How do you say no to Jamie Foxx when he says, ‘Hey, I’ve got this big action comedy that we can just have so much fun on,'” she said. “If there’s anyone I’m gonna go back and spend months on end, on set, having a ball, laughing with, it would be Jamie.”
Diaz added that while she was on hiatus, she put “most of my focus” on her children and her wine company, Avaline, which she launched in 2020.
Back in Action is now available to stream on Netflix.
Read More Createsnews: –
Kat Dennings on Defying Hollywood Standards, Embracing New Roles, and Her Zodiac Sign
Kat Dennings on Defying Hollywood Standards and Embracing New Roles
Naomi Watts Pays Tribute to David Lynch