Cameron Diaz addresses why she retired from acting in 2014. Her retirement came after her starring role in the 2014 comedy movies The Other Woman and Sex Tape, along with a remake of Annie. Diaz's return to acting was announced in 2022 as she ed the action comedy Back in Action, which is slated to debut on Netflix in 2025. She has also signed on to reprise the voice role of Princess Fiona for Shrek 5 alongside franchise veterans Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.

At the Fortune Most Powerful Women 2024 Summit (via Fortune Magazine), Diaz explained that she stepped away from acting in 2014 to focus on building her family. Watch the clip from the event below:

Diaz elaborated on the importance of finding one's ion and following a path that best fulfills that ion. She also emphasized that just because someone is talented and well-regarded in their profession does not mean that it has to be their ion, which contributed to her decision a decade ago. Read the rest of her comments below:

For me, it was just something I had to do. It felt like the right thing for me to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn't care about anything else. I didn't. And 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. So, I think it really comes down to what are you ionate about? For me, it was to build my family. For other people, it might just be, "You know what? I went to school for this. And I've done it my whole life, and I know how to do it really, really well. I'm at the top of the game, but it doesn't feed my soul. And I always liked taking pictures." Or, "I always thought I could be a gardener." Whatever it is, that's the thing you feel in your soul that speaks to you, and you feel peace in it. You're going to figure it out.

What This Means For Cameron Diaz

She Made The Best Call For Herself

Diaz's candid and inspirational response proves that she made the right decision for herself in 2014, even though it may have seemed as if she was cutting her successful career short. After spending a decade building her family and focusing on this ion, she was ready to return to acting with Back in Action and now with Shrek 5 as well. With a star-studded cast that also includes Jamie Foxx, Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler, and Andrew Scott, Back in Action will be an exciting return for Diaz.

Her return in Shrek 5 will receive even more attention given the franchise's longtime popularity and the long-awaited reunion of Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona. In addition to Shrek 5, Diaz has been cast in the dark comedy movie Outcome, which is directed and co-written by Jonah Hill, and stars Keanu Reeves, Matt Bomer, and Laverne Cox. Back in Action, Shrek 5, and Outcome all indicate that Diaz's ion for acting has returned, with hopefully even more movies ahead in the future.

Our Take On Cameron Diaz's Comments

Her Acting Return Is Exciting

Diaz's comments make it gratifying that she did what was best for herself by stepping away from acting. It is also gratifying to see her returning to the industry now that she feels ready to do so. Between There's Something About Mary, Shrek, and Gangs of New York, Diaz's best movies demonstrate her underrated range as an actor. Seeing Cameron Diaz at the forefront of Back in Action, Shrek 5, and Outcome allows her to show her range once more after finding her ion for acting again.

Source: Fortune Magazine