Cameron Diaz used to be one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Then, after starring in the 2014 remake of Annie, she seemed to disappear. It wasn't for any bad reason, in fact it was quite the opposite. After dating rocker Benji Madden for less than a year, Diaz got married within that same year. She decided that she wanted to enjoy that part of her life.
Now, in an essay for InStyle, Diaz has opened up about why she chose to leave the industry and what she's doing now.
“I started [experiencing fame] when I was 22, so 25 years ago — that’s a long time. The way I look at it is that I’ve given more than half of my life to the public. I feel it’s OK for me to take time for myself now to reorganize and choose how I want to come [back] into the world. If I decide to. I don’t miss performing. Right now I’m looking at the landscape of wellness and all that. But whatever I do, it has to be something I’m passionate about — something that just feels effortless,” she shared.
Diaz also talked about her marriage to Madden, admitting that at times it can be hard.
“Getting married to him was the best thing that ever happened to me. My husband’s the best. He’s the greatest human being, and he’s my great partner. Marriage is certainly hard, and it’s a lot of work. You need somebody who’s willing to do the work with you, because there’s no 60-40 in marriage. It’s 50-50, period. All the time,” she said of her husband of four years.
Even though she had famously been a celebrity who said she would never want to get married, once the right guy came around, her mind changed.
“I don’t know if I was ready [when I got married], but I knew Benji was special," Diaz admitted. "He’s just a good man. There’s no bullshit. It’s really refreshing. I’m really grateful for him.”
Though you and I might think being in Hollywood would be something you want to take advantage of as much as you can, Diaz says she feels satisfied with what she's done so far and isn't necessarily rushing back to it.
“At this point, I’ve done so much, I feel fulfilled with the adventures I’ve sought out in my life. I’m in a great place, and the world is so different now too. The mid-1990s are an era that will never exist again. I’m just so grateful that I got to witness and partake in it,” she explained.
Diaz also addressed social media and phones, explaining why she doesn't love the whole idea of it.
“Sure, you can post anything at any time on Instagram and you’re able to control your own narrative, and that’s incredible. But you’re tied to your phone, and you’re so dependent on it,” she pointed out. “We’ve exported our entire brain capacity into this little thing we carry around in our hand. We’ve lost touch with our humanity and our humanness, and I think it’s really healthy to not have to be accountable for every minute of our day.”
As for what's next, Diaz has something things in the work, but she's not ready to share that all just yet.
“I like doing my own thing. I like creating, so I’m just looking for the project that makes the most sense for me now. I have some things brewing, but it’s a little too early to talk about them.”
Honestly, I think it's refreshing to see a celebrity who knows when to take time off and just live a regular life. So many famous people are stuck on constantly being in the public eye, but there's so much more to life than being a celebrity.
