Diaz began her path to fame when she was 16 years old. She signed a modeling contract that got her into ads for Calvin Klein and Levi's. Within a year she was the cover girl for the teen magazine Seventeen.
Diaz's first major film role came in 1994 at the age of 21. Diaz was recommended for an audition for the movie The Mask, which soon became one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year. Her role as the lead actress launched her into the spotlight as a '90s sex symbol.
After that grand opening into the world of acting, Diaz starred in movies like She's The One, Head Above Water, There's Something About Mary, and several other incredible films. But the crowning jewel of her career was Charlie's Angels which she starred in back in 2000.
After her breakout role in The Mask and her critical success as the titular role in There's Something About Mary, Cameron Diaz became a major Hollywood A-Lister. Everyone knew and loved her. A blonde bombshell and goofball comedic queen that held the public's attention from her care-free willing-to-do-whatever attitude.
Hollywood's golden girl loved the spotlight. On the cover of almost every magazine, countless interviews, and being stopped by adoring fans every time she went out, Diaz couldn't get enough of the attention. The only problem? She played the same role in every movie. Always the sexy-yet-goofy girl, Diaz's schtick began to get a little stale, and it was hard for anyone to really take her seriously.
With several critically acclaimed successes under her belt, it's to be expected that Diaz would have at least a few failures. Many of her critics even say that she's made more lousy movie decisions than good ones, saying her last good movie was Vanilla Sky back in 2001.
Diaz tried taking more serious roles, starring in movies like In Her Shoes, The Box, and Knight And Day. All of these flopped at the domestic box office. Try as she might, her fans loved seeing Diaz in the comedy role and just couldn't seem to get behind her trying to branch out.
It's no secret, Cameron Diaz hasn't been in a film since the 2014 film adaption of Annie. Before that, she starred in Gambit and The Other Woman. All three received mostly negative reviews. The only 'good' movie of Diaz's in recent years was The Counselor, the film itself didn't do well, but her performance was considered one of her best in recent years.
Diaz has made it very clear that she knows her looks have helped her get as far as she has, and that isn't necessarily always a bad thing. However, she has made it blatantly clear that she doesn't want to play the hot girl anymore.
The word "celebrity" has taken on a whole new meaning in recent years. Almost all movie stars have some type of side hustle that helps them generate even more revenue (makeup and clothing lines, blogs, and the like). Diaz has made it pretty clear that she hates that. She doesn't keep up with social media like most celebrities, and she doesn't seem to want to.
Diaz has made it clear that she looks forward to the day she can officially step permanently out of the spotlight. In a 2005 interview with People, she said, "I can't wait to be that age and hanging out with a bunch of people hanging out all day playing golf and going to the beach, all my own age. We'd be laughing and having a good time and getting loopy on our prescription drugs, driving golf carts around. I can't wait."
Cameron Diaz has been pretty adamant about keeping her life as a celebrity and her personal life as separate as she can. Diaz has dated several high profile guys like Justin Timberlake and Jared Leto. Back in 2015, she married musician Benji Madden, and they seem very happy together. Both of them have been very careful to keep their personal lives guarded against prying public eyes.
At the 2017 Goop Wellness Summit event, Diaz has said that she's simply taking a "break" from the movie industry. She went on to say that her life had been at a crossroads and "I just went, 'I can't really say who I am to myself. I felt the need to make myself whole." However, the four-year hiatus many fans think she's just quit altogether.
There's one plain and simple answer: nothing. Diaz hasn't done anything for the past almost five years now, and she doesn't seem to want to return to the screen. Her friend and former co-star Selma Blair made a remark in an interview with the Evening Standard, saying that "I would have liked to do a sequel, but Cameron's retired from acting," Blair said, adding, "She's like 'I'm done'...I mean, she doesn't need to make any more films. She has a pretty great life, I don't know what it would take to bring her back."
Diaz did officially state she'd retired from acting in a March 2018 interview with Selma Blair and Christina Applegate for Entertainment Weekly. However, she did say that if there were ever plans for a sequel to The Sweetest Thing (that all three starred in), she'd be more than happy to reprise her role. For now, she seems to be enjoying her retirement from the limelight.