Actress Cameron Diaz is coming out of retirement for her first new movie since 2014's Annie. Diaz is best known for comedy roles, starring in a long string of successful projects after making her debut in 1994's The Mask with Jim Carrey. She's best known for her roles in films like There's Something About Mary and the Charlie's Angels franchise, but also took notable parts in dramatic fare like Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday and Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, as well as roles in Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and as Princess Fiona in the Shrek series.
Diaz's last feature film role was the 2014 adaptation of Annie, where she played Hannigan opposite Jamie Foxx's Will Stacks. The film was a modest hit, but would be Diaz's last role in film or television, opting to focus on her personal life, saying that she found peace "because I was finally taking care of myself." Although she never formally announced retirement, the actress simply stopped taking work, while becoming a wife (to Good Charlotte's Benji Madden), mother, author, and entrepreneur.
Diaz's return was announced by Jamie Foxx, who will co-star with her in the aptly-titled action-comedy feature Back In Action from Netflix. The announcement was made with a phone call recording of Foxx calling Diaz, who expresses her nervousness about coming out of retirement. Foxx says he can help with her that, bringing in NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who knows a thing or two about un-retiring. Check out the announcement call below:
Foxx has the distinction of starring with Diaz in her last film, Annie, as well as in Any Given Sunday in 1999. The actor has remained prolific in film, TV, and music, starring in projects like Edgar Wright's Baby Driver, Just Mercy with Michael B. Jordan, and returned to the superhero genre to reprise the role of Electro in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Foxx has found success with Netflix as well, starring in 2020's Project Power and the upcoming action-horror film Day Shift later this year. It's likely that Foxx's positive experience with the streamer was a helpful selling point to pull Diaz back into the game.
Diaz is one of the most-beloved actresses of the last few decades and her charm has been missed, especially in the rom-com genre, of which she excelled. She's no stranger to action roles, as her part in the Charlie's Angels films, as well as James Mangold's Knight and Day with Cruise have proven. Making her return in the action-comedy genre feels like the right fit and teaming up with Foxx is a welcome reunion that will surely help reintroduce Diaz to the cinematic world that made her a star to begin with