Cameron Diaz is once again opening up about what inspired her to take a step back from acting.
Diaz, who starred in several blockbuster hits in the ‘90s and ‘00s, announced that she was “actually retired” in 2018.
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The former actress elaborated on what led to the decision while appearing on Kevin Hart’s talk show “Hart to Heart”
"Why did Cameron Diaz step away from the world of acting?" Hart asked, adding, "What is it that motivated you to stop?"
The 48-year-old explained that she couldn’t dive into anything else because her acting career meant that she was doing “something at a really high level for a long period of time.”
She revealed that since she was laser-focused on acting, “every aspect” of her life including finances and taking care of her home had to be “handed off to other people.”
Diaz said that while Cameron Diaz “the machine” was experiencing high levels of success, her “personal, spiritual self” was “realizing that it's kind of like that one part of me that was functioning at a high level wasn't enough.”
While she admitted that she still loves acting and “could go on forever,” she realized there were parts of her life she “wasn’t touching” because the career and fame “was so big.”
Diaz said that the realization that she wanted more out of life came when she was around 40, and it convinced her to look more deeply at the people she surrounded herself with.
"I really do think it's about the people you have in your life that can help you keep things moving," Diaz said, adding, "And I had some amazing people, and I had some people who were not serving my best interests always."
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"But you don't have time to figure those things out if you are just going, going, going, going with blinders on,” she added.
She emphasized that this made her want to “make my life manageable by me.”
"My routine in a day is literally what I can manage to do by myself. It's the best feeling. I feel whole,” she noted.
The “Sweetest Thing” actress emphasized that giving up acting gave her the “time” and “space” to fall in love with husband Benji Madden and start a family.
Diaz and the “Good Charlotte” musician welcomed their first daughter, Raddix, in December 2019.
The former actress's comments echoed what she told fellow A-list actress Gwyneth Paltrow in August 2020.
"I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life. I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films and it's such a grind," Diaz admitted, adding, "I didn't really make any space for my personal life.”
And don’t expect a comeback anytime soon.
The “There’s Something About Mary” star expressed how fortunate she is to be able to devote so much time to her daughter.
"To have to be on a movie set that takes 14 hours, 16 hours of my day away from my child. I just couldn't," Diaz explained in an interview earlier this year. "I wouldn't have been the mom that I am now had I chosen to do that at any other time in my life. And I feel for so many mothers who can't, that have to go to work, you know, whatever they're doing... I feel so much for them and for their children and for all that, but it does really take a village."
However, she isn’t ruling out a return to the big screen completely.
"I'm never going to say never about anything in life,” she said, adding, "I'm just not that person. So will I ever make a movie again? I'm not looking to. But will I? I don't know. I have no idea."
Diaz’s career in Hollywood -- which spanned 20 years -- began in 1994 on “The Mask” and concluded in 2014 with “Annie.”
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