Cameron Diaz 'Back in Action' But Says Acting Doesn't Feel The Same

Hollywood star Cameron Diaz has shared that acting no longer feels after coming out of retirement to star in Netflix's "Back in Action."

The actress retired from the acting scene in 2014, last starring in the remake of the musical Annie. At the time, the actress left because she had grown tired of traveling from set to set for filming.

Her "Back in Action" co-star, Jamie Foxx, said earlier this month that he begged the actress to come out of retirement. The two had previously been on screen together in "Annie" and the 1990 film "Any Given Sunday."

Read on to learn more.

Speaking on "The Tonight Show," Diaz told host Jimmy Fallon that she was "both" nervous and excited about returning to the big screen in Netflix's movie "Back in Action." She admitted that though it wasn't difficult to get her acting muscles back in gear, everything still seemed "different."

"It's a little bit of muscle memory, you know what I mean?" she said, per E!News. "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."

In "Back in Action," the 50-year-old stars opposite Hollywood icon Jamie Foxx, reuniting for the first time since they shared the screen in the 2014 musical film "Annie."

"The last movie I made was Annie with Jamie, and so the first movie back is this film with Jamie," she continued. "He's so great, he's so easy, he's so professional, he's so talented, and just being able to work with him." The actress added, "It will be so much fun."

Apart from "Annie" and their upcoming feature in "Back in Action," Foxx and Diaz had also starred in the 90's sports drama "Any Given Sunday." The pair are known to have great chemistry on set and are also good friends, which played a part in getting Diaz out of retirement.

Back in August, Foxx told E!News that he and the showrunners for "Back In Action" approached the actress with some good old-fashioned begging to convince her to end her hiatus as she initially had no plans to do so.

"We just begged and pleased on my knees, like, 'Just give the people one more again,'" the actor said at the time. "We love her, we've been waiting on her," the Grammy winner added, "and this is just gonna be fantastic."

In 2014, Diaz was one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, and one of the highest-paid stars, having starred in many high-profile movies. However, just after starring opposite Foxx in "Annie, "the actress quit her over two-decades-long acting career, which shocked her numerous fans.

It wasn't immediately evident why she was taking a break, but she subsequently explained it In an episode of Gwyneth Paltrow's "Goop Health: The Sessions" in 2020. She said the constant travel to and from filming locations took its toll on her, compelling her to retire.

"I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life," she said. "I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films, and it's such a grind," Diaz shared Per E!News. "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."

During her retirement, Diaz tied the knot to Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden in 2015 and welcomed her daughter Raddix via surrogacy in 2019. The actress also published a book in 2013, The Body Book: Feed, Move, Understand and Love Your Amazing Body, which she co-wrote with Sandra Bark.

The book peaked at number 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list. Diaz followed up on its success by releasing another literary work in 2016, The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time.

Since then, she has invested in biotech and health firms, including Seed Health and Modern Acupuncture. Together with business partner Katherine Power, Diaz introduced the Avaline brand of organic wine in 2020The' Charlie Angels" star also participated as a special guest judge in the season opener episode of the seventh installment of RuPaul's "Drag Race All Stars."