While one might assume that the life of a Hollywood star is enviable, four-time Golden Globe nominee, Cameron Diaz, willingly walked away from a successful 20-year acting career.
According to a report by CNN Entertainment, the former Hollywood star has revealed her reasons for retiring from the movie business, saying she found “peace” when she quit acting.
The report said Diaz appeared on Gwyneth Paltrow’s “In goop Health: The Sessions” series Wednesday, “discussing her wine business, how her mentality changed as she got older and the impact her career had on her well-being and relationships.”
“I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life. I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films and it’s such a grind,” said Diaz. “I didn’t really make any space for my personal life,” the report quoted.
Diaz, 47, is best known for her roles in “The Mask” (1994), “There’s Something About Mary” (1998) and “Vanilla Sky” (2001). Her successful 20-year acting career ran from 1994-2014.
When asked what it felt like to walk away from a successful movie career, she replied: “A peace. I got a peace in my soul.” She added: “I finally was taking care of myself.”
According to the report, the former actor said that after handing over control of certain aspects of her life to other people for many years, “she decided to really focus on her relationships with family and friends.”
"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," she said.
“Actors are infantilized. We’re put in a position where everything is taken care of for us,” Diaz said, and further revealed that she never really felt comfortable with that sort of life. After retiring, she said she had to take back responsibility.
The report noted that Diaz decided to become “self-sufficient” and prove she could take care of herself as an adult, “putting all the pieces of my life together the way that I wanted it to be put together, not how other people thought it should go.”
In addition, Diaz said being in the public eye is “intense.”
“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,” the report quoted Diaz.
Diaz has authored two books - “The Body Book” and “The Longevity Book.” She married Good Charlotte singer Benji Madden in 2015, and in January 2020, the couple announced the birth of their daughter Raddix Madden.
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