Cameron Diaz took a long break from acting — 10 whole years — but now she’s back. She’s starring in Netflix’s Back in Action with Jamie Foxx, where they play ex-CIA agents who somehow get pulled back into the chaos.
A lot changed while she was away. One of the biggest shifts? The #MeToo movement. It blew up in 2017 after serious allegations came out against producer Harvey Weinstein, shaking up the whole entertainment industry.
And when Diaz returned, she immediately felt the difference.
The movie industry is completely different now
“The industry is so different,” she said. “I mean, I definitely have to say that MeToo changed everything.”
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There was always that one guy making women uncomfortable
Before all this, Diaz said there was always that guy on set. You know the one.
“You walk onto the set and it is different. There was always just like that one guy, you know, on set, that you were like, ‘God, here he comes again.’”
Women had to put up with a lot on set
“There were always layers and layers of inappropriateness that you just kind of had to put up with.”
The introduction of HR hotlines was a shocking change
When she got back on set for Back in Action, Diaz was surprised — HR actually had an anonymous hotline for reporting bad behavior.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ The level of security and safety you feel as a woman now on set is great. I had never felt that before this film.”
She stepped away from acting to reclaim her life
She left acting for a reason. At a Fortune event, she explained how she just needed to take back her life.
“It felt like the right thing for me to reclaim my own life and I just really didn’t care about anything else.
“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. I think it really comes to, ‘What are you passionate about?’ For me, it was to build my family.”
Her personal life took priority over Hollywood
Diaz married Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden, and they’ve got two kids together. That became her focus, not movies.
Jamie Foxx convinced her to return to the screen
When Jamie Foxx called, though, she just couldn’t turn it down.
“He said, ‘Come with me.’ And I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ It’s our third film together.”
Acting had become an all-consuming grind
On Goop Health: The Sessions, Diaz opened up about why she needed to step back.
She’d spent years working nonstop, and it was exhausting. “I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films and it’s such a grind,” she said.
“When you’re making a movie, it’s a perfect excuse – they own you. You’re there for 12 hours a day for months on end, and you have no time for anything else.”
The pressures of fame were overwhelming
Being in the spotlight wasn’t just tiring — it was a lot.
“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.”
She’s making a major Hollywood comeback
Diaz became a star back in ’94 when she played Tina Carlyle in The Mask with Jim Carrey. After that, she was everywhere — My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Holiday, Shrek… the list goes on.
Now she’s officially back. She’s voicing Fiona again in Shrek 5 and starring in Outcome, a dark comedy with Keanu Reeves, directed by Jonah Hill.
Looks like movie sets have come a long way… and Cameron is definitely here for it.
