Four-time Golden Globe nominee Cameron Diaz was one of the highest-paid and most successful actresses of her generation. Her last three films—*The Other Woman*, *Home Video*, and *Annie*—were commercially successful. However, in 2014, she decided to take a creative break that lasted for 10 years.
“I felt that I needed to take a pause and focus on myself, on my life, and on what I truly wanted. For me, that was more important than anything else,” Diaz said at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.
According to the star of *The Mask*, this was something she “had to do” at that moment. “I felt I was doing the right thing to reclaim my own life, and nothing else mattered to me. No one’s opinion, no one’s success, no one’s offer—nothing and no one could change my decision to take care of myself and build the life I truly wanted. I think it really came down to the question: ‘What are you passionate about?’ For me, it was about starting my family,” the actress stated.
Now, Cameron Diaz is returning to the big screen with the action-comedy *Back in Action*, which will be released on Netflix on January 17. In the film, she plays former secret agent Emily, who teams up with her partner Matt, portrayed by Jamie Foxx.
In 2015, Cameron Diaz married Benji Madden, guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, and became a mother of two. Those close to the actress have reported that she is incredibly happy about the arrival of their second child. The couple had dreamed of this, as they enjoy being parents. During her time away from acting, Diaz wrote several books on healthy living.
