Cameron Diaz Told BFF Gwyneth Paltrow She Felt “Peace” Leaving Acting Behind
"I was finally taking care of myself."
Cameron Diaz has made quite the life change in recent years. The Charlie’s Angels star decided to retire from Hollywood altogether and become a wine guru with her friend and business partner Katharine Power. In a conversation with pal Gwyneth Paltrow for Paltrow’s In Goop Health: The Series, Diaz explained how she came to her decision to leave acting and how it’s changed her life for the better.
“I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life,” Diaz told Paltrow. “I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films, and it’s such a grind. I didn’t really make any space for my personal life.”
So, Diaz zoomed out to look at the big picture and decided to focus on her friends and family. She said that that entering into this new phase with a partner, husband Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, who was going through the same transition was helpful. “Benji and I met each other, and we got married pretty much immediately because we both knew that we both had to do it.”
When Paltrow asked what Diaz gained from walking away from her Hollywood career, she said, A peace. I got a peace in my soul. I finally was taking care of myself.
Since stepping away from set, Diaz came to the realization that she had a lot of work to do to become self-sufficient and foster meaningful relationships with her loved ones.
“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,” she said. “Actors are infantilized. We’re put in a position where everything is taken care of for us.”
Diaz continued, “There’s a lot of things that I had to iron out and a lot of relationships I had to repair, a lot of relationships I had to build that I was absent in. It’s so intense to work at that level and be that public and put yourself out there. There’s a lot of energy coming at you at all times when you’re really visible as an actor and doing press and putting yourself out there.”
Though Diaz hasn’t said she’s retired from acting forever, it’s clear that her plate (and wine glass) is full and the tasks at hand are meaningful and important to her.
