After an impressive career starring in movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding, Charlie’s Angels, and Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz chose to walk away from Hollywood in 2014 at 42 years old. It was until recently that she decided to start taking on roles again after spending 10 years away from the spotlight, and now, she’s opening up about why she needed to take a break.
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Cameron addressed her extended absence while speaking at an event this week.
While speaking at Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women Summit this week, Cameron opened up about why she chose to walk away from acting at a time when it seemed like she was truly at the top of her game.
“For me, it was just something I had to do. It felt like something I had to do to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn’t care about anything else,” she said.
Starting a family weighed heavily in her decision.
In 2015, Cameron and Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden tied the knot, and a few years later, in 2019, they welcomed their first child, daughter Raddix. At that point, she knew that’s where she wanted her focus to be.
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There was no changing her mind.
“Nobody’s opinion, nobody’s success, no one’s offer, no one’s anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have,” she told the crowd. “It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family.”
She kept herself busy in the meantime.
Not only was Cameron busy raising her daughter, but she also launched her vegan wine brand, Avaline, in 2020. And earlier this year, she and Benji welcomed their second child into the world: a baby boy named Cardinal.
“We are blessed and excited to announce the birth of our Son, Cardinal Madden,” Benji wrote in a post he shared on Instagram in March. “He is awesome and We are all so happy he is here! For the kids safety and privacy we won’t be posting any pictures- but he’s a really cute. We are feeling so blessed and grateful.”
Now, Cameron is getting back into acting.
Cameron’s return to acting will be marked by her role in Back in Action, the Netflix movie that she stars in alongside Jamie Foxx that starts streaming in January 2025.
At the Forbes event, she gave Benji a shout-out for being so supportive of her jumping back on set.
“He’s like, ‘It’s time for us to support you and let mommy ascend and do her thing,'” she said, via E! News.
