Cameron Diaz says that acting "feels a little bit different" as she returns to Hollywood. Diaz made her movie debut with 1994's The Mask. Over her long career, she has appeared in several critically acclaimed films including Gangs of New York and Vanilla Sky. However, Diaz's most recent movie appearance came nearly a decade ago in 2014 when she played Miss Hannigan in Annie. In 2018, she formally confirmed her retirement from acting but had previously indicated that she was taking a step back.
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In June 2022, it was revealed that Diaz will return to acting for Netflix's Back in Action. The movie, an action comedy, will reunite Diaz with fellow Annie actor Jamie Foxx and is set to begin production later this year. When the movie was announced, Foxx shared how he convinced Diaz to come out of retirement for the film via a clip of a conversation between the two.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (via E! News), Diaz spoke about Back in Action, admitting she is both nervous and excited about getting back to work on movies. She also gushed how it's "amazing" to return to acting alongside Foxx. Check out Diaz's full quote below:
"It's a little bit of muscle memory, you know what I mean? I did that for so long, it's kind of like the process, I kind of just fell back into it. But it feels a little bit different…The last movie I made was Annie with Jamie, and so the first movie back is this film with Jamie. He's so great, he's so easy, he's so professional, he's so talented, and just being able to work with him. It will be so much fun."
As Diaz has worked on dozens of films in her almost 30-year-long career, it's understandable she needed a break. However, it only seems right that she return to acting. Considering how long she's been a part of the industry, it would likely be hard to give it up forever. Still, it makes sense that acting doesn't feel quite the same to Diaz after her time away. Not only has she experienced changes in her personal life since her last role, but the industry has also evolved in various ways and become more competitive due to the rise of streaming. However, Diaz has long made savvy career decisions, so her return to acting likely won't be any different.
It also makes sense that Foxx was the one who helped convince Diaz to come out of retirement. As she notes, the two are comfortable with each other thanks to their collaboration on Annie, but as they also co-starred in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday, their working relationship extends decades. It's understandable Diaz was swayed by the idea of working with someone she's known a long time on her first project back. Hopefully, Back in Action is the start of a career resurgence for the Hollywood star.