It's been a hard knock life for Cameron Diaz's fans since she retired.
Eight years ago, Cameron starred in Annie, which marked the last film she was in before she quit acting. Now, the 49-year-old is stepping back into the spotlight, announcing last month that she'll co-star in the Netflix film Back in Action with Jamie Foxx.
In a new interview, Cameron revealed why she decided to left the acting world in the first place.
"When you're doing something that you know and you've done well and you know how it works—and it's consumed your whole life for so long—it's kind of a nice thing to kind of go, 'You know what? Let me just step back for a second, take a look at what the whole picture looks like for me, and what are the things that I could do better and be more engaged with that would make me feel more whole?'" Cameron told CBS News. "And I did that."
At just 21 years old, Cameron made her acting debut in the 1994 film The Mask. Soon after that, she starred in hit after hit with films like There's Something About Mary and Charlie's Angels.
In her time away from the industry, Cameron married Good Charlotte musician Benji Madden. Four years after they tied the knot, the two welcomed their daughter, Raddix, in 2019.
For Cameron, her decision to retire was largely based on wanting to focus on other aspects of her life such as building a family.
"Making movies is a particular skill set that is fun to exercise and be a part of," she said. "But yeah, it's a different lifestyle. And you kind of have to be ready to do that."
As a working mom, Cameron knows she can't do it all, which is why she's learned to prioritize what's most important to her.
"Everybody only has 100 percent," the Bad Teacher star explained. "You always have to figure out how you're going to divide that 100 percent to spread it to all that parts of your life that matter."
Although it's unclear if the actress has plans to appear in projects beyond her upcoming film, one thing is clear: Cameron is back in action.